31.4 Praise Of God The Creator

(Psalm 104:1-4, 10-18, 27-33, 36)

Praise the Lord, my soul!
O Lord, my God, how great you are!
You are clothed with majesty and glory;
you cover yourself with light.
You spread out the heavens like a tent
and built your home on the waters above.
You use the clouds as your chariot
and ride on the wings of the wind.
You use the winds as your messengers
and flashes of lightning as your servants.

You make springs flow in the valleys,
and rivers run between the hills.
They provide water for the wild animals;
there the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
In the trees near by, the birds make their nests
and sing.

From the sky you send rain on the hills,
and the earth is filled with your blessings,
You make grass grow for the cattle
and plants for man to use,
so that he can grow his crops
and produce wine to make him happy,
olive oil to make him cheerful,
and bread to give him strength.

The cedars of Lebanon get plenty of rain—
the Lord’s own trees, which he planted.
There the birds build their nests;
the storks nest in the fir trees.
The wild goats live in the high mountains,
and the rock badgers hide in the cliffs.

All of them depend on you
to give them food when they need it.
You give it to them, and they eat it;
you provide food, and they are satisfied.
When you turn away, they are afraid;
when you take away your breath, they die
and go back to the dust from which they came.
But when you give them breath, they are created;
you give new life to the earth.

May the glory of the Lord last forever!
May the Lord be happy with what he has made!
He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
he touches the mountains, and they pour out
smoke.
I will sing to the Lord all my life;
as long as I live I will sing praises to my God.

Praise the Lord, my soul!
Praise the Lord!

31.3 Let Us Praise Him: With His Power We Can Perform Greatly

(Ephesians 3:20-21)

To him who by means of his power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for, or even think of: to God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever! Amen.

31.2 God Keeps Us Into Existence

(Isaiah 40:21-27)

Do you not know? Were you not told long ago?
Have you not heard how the world began?
It was made by the one who sits on his throne
above the earth and beyond the sky;
the people below look as tiny as ants.
He stretched out the sky like a curtain,
like a tent in which to live.

He brings down powerful rulers
and reduces them to nothing.
They are like young plants,
just set out and barely rooted.
When the Lord sends a wind,
they dry up and blow away like straw.

To whom can the holy God be compared?
Is there anyone else like him?
Look up at the sky! Who created the stars you see?
The one who leads them out like an army,
he knows how many there are
and calls each one by name!
His power is so great—
not one of them is ever missing!

Israel, why then do you complain
that the Lord doesn’t know your troubles
or care if you suffer injustice?

31.1 God Is The Wise Creator

(Isaiah 40:12-17)

Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls
or measure the sky with his hands?
Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup
or weigh the mountains and hills on scales?
Can anyone tell the Lord what to do?
Who can teach him or give him advice?
With whom does God consult in order
to know and understand and to learn
how things should be done?

To the Lord the nations are nothing,
no more than a drop of water;
the distant islands are as light as dust.
All the animals in the forests of Lebanon
are not enough for a sacrifice to our God,
and its trees are too few to kindle the fire.
The nations are nothing at all to him.