Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
Psalms 95:1-6, ESV
The Psalms are poems and hymns of worship traditionally attributed to King David. Though they reflect the sharp twists and turns of his own personal life the Psalms are theocentric, totally focused on the majesty, glory, faithfulness, and trustworthiness of our Creator God. Creation is a recurring theme in the 150 Psalms. For several years I've been impressed with his many references to the sea. Evidently the sea was among the great creation mysteries to the King. He wrote about the sea, the deep, the waves, the sand, and ocean creatures often.
This week, while Harriet and I are enjoying a week in Garden City, South Carolina, we're standing in awe of the Atlantic Ocean and the wonders of this one element of God's marvelous created order. We're blessed by this change of scenery after the isolation of Covid-19. Sometimes we just need some vitamin sea. My devotional thoughts this week will include five of the sea references found in the Book of Psalms and what they instigated in King David's life and faith. My prayer is that in some way these reflections will be a spiritual additive to my life. You know, vitamin sea.
Thoughts about creation, specifically the mountains and seas, the depths of the earth, and the dry land In Psalm 95 instilled a sense of worship in King David. Before and after mentioning them he sings, makes a joyful noise, gives thanks, bows down, kneels, and worships the rock of our salvation. When he made note of them he declared that our God is a great God, a great King above all gods. When he considered creation his response was one of humility and worship.
How matter of fact I am about this wondrous universe that God spoke into existence. Every single day his majesty unfolds in even the smallest elements of this galactic array. And, usually, I just go about business as usual without acknowledging the miraculous work of his hands all around me.
This time by the sea is strategic for ministry right now. Serving a dynamic local congregation and several other personal commitments remind me that it cannot be accomplished without the guidance and strength provided by our Creator. I need my heartbeat to quicken at the beauty and wonder of the world he created. Here's my prayer that it is so.
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