How many are Your works, Lord! In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there. All creatures look to You to give them their food at the proper time. When You give it to them, they gather it up; when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When You send Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works—He who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the Lord. But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Praise the Lord, my soul. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 104:24-35)
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Do you ever pause and think back to life “back in the day?” No internet, texting, FaceTime, data, or GPS. Funny thing is that those times weren’t too long ago...
We are in such a fast-paced culture and society. Going from here to there to all of a sudden thinking where has the day gone? If you are anything like me, the fast-paced life, while thrilling and exciting, gets exhausting. My body will literally shut down, telling me "it’s time to SLOW DOWN!"
Something that I have come to realize is how often I am so quick to pass by something, or someone. Too busy to really pay attention, because my priority is the destination and not the journey to get there. Let me repeat that again in case you need it, I am more worried about the destination than the journey.
How many of you are right there with me? Too worried about what is ahead that you are not willing to “stop and smell the roses?” As I read today's passage I couldn’t help but read through the whole of Psalm 104 (which I encourage you to do), it's’ riddled with the way that Papa created the Earth and how He takes care of His creation.
In verse 27 it says, "These all look to You, to give them their food in due season." I was convicted when I read this, how often do I look to Him to provide, and trust that He will provide it in the right season?
Can I be honest with you? The reason that I don’t is because I believe that the Lord doesn’t take notice. But really, it's the other way around; I’m too busy to take notice of what the Lord has provided and IS providing!
As you continue reading in verse 34 it says, "May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD." Yet, because I’m so busy in my day, am I taking time to meditate on Him? His goodness? His provision? His creation that is all around me?
Something I want to challenge us all in is to take time to really be with the Lord, to take advantage of where He has placed us and the opportunities that we have to rejoice in Him!
Right now, wherever you are, whether in a cubicle, at the beach, traveling on the subway, or just about to rush out the door, take some time to pause - and yes you have time. In the pause, look around you, for all of creation (every tree, flower, person, car, and building) is waiting eagerly for God to reveal His children (Romans 8:19), which is you and me.
What would it look like for us then to go against the busyness? To actually put away the phones? Pull out the old map in the car and get lost in creation? To explore a new part of the city, hike that mountain you have been saying you would for the past year, or to invest in your neighbor for the evening?
Today, this week, month, and year, let’s live a little differently; to truly be satisfied with the good things that the Lord has given us!
Thank you for joining us today! As always, we would love for you to comment your thoughts in today's Instagram post! You can find it at Instagram.com/DeclareGlory.
Blessings,
Declare Glory
Guest writer, Alysa Sharp
