Psalm 104:24-26 “O Lord, what an amazing variety of all you have created! Wild and wonderful is this world you have made while wisdom was there at your side. This world is full of so many creatures, yet each belongs to you! And then there is the sea! So vast! So wide and deep—swarming with countless forms of sea life, both small and great. Trading ships glide through the high seas. And look! There are the massive whales bounding upon the waves.” Today's episode looks at the variety of the creations the Lord has made. There is such variety and yet God provides for all of them. This episode points out that if God can provide for millions of various species or plants and animals, then He can provide for us too! We don't have any need to cause for worry or anxiety. God's got us! Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Psalm 104 The Lord’s Majesty (Part 6)
Psalm 104:24-26 “O Lord, what an amazing variety of all you have created! Wild and wonderful is this world you have made while wisdom was there at your side. This world is full of so many creatures, yet each belongs to you! And then there is the sea! So vast! So wide and deep—swarming with countless forms of sea life, both small and great. Trading ships glide through the high seas. And look! There are the massive whales bounding upon the waves.”
It feels so good to be back! Please explain if you have been wondering where and why I have been doing replays. I tested positive for Covid two weeks ago. I woke up and completed a new episode, but I wasn’t feeling well. I took a COVID at-home test, and it was positive. I went back to bed and slept for most of the following week. After my 10-day quarantine in my room, I went on a family vacation with my parents and many siblings. It was a lot of fun, and I am so thankful to the Lord for getting me better in time to enjoy that! I am happy to be back writing new episodes. This week, we will finish up the series on Psalm 104.
I like this verse because it praises the Lord for being so amazing. I believe the Lord loves it when we praise Him. Who doesn’t want a little acknowledgment? It begins with, “O Lord, what an amazing variety of all you have created!” Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever taken the time to slow down and look at all the nature around you? Have you ever really thought about the variety of things the Lord has created? He created humans, all the animals, all the vegetation, all the rock formations, the seas, the skies, the stars. When we take the time to think about it, the variety of things He has created really is amazing.
There are 400,000 types of flowering plant species all around the world. Over 1.5 million living animal species have been described, of which around 1.05 million are insects, over 85,000 are molluscs, and around 65,000 are vertebrates. It has been estimated there are as many as 7.77 million animal species on Earth. There are around 1,097 different vegetables around the world. God didn’t need to give us all of that. We don’t need that much variety. Plants provide us with food, oxygen, and energy. However, we don’t need 400,000 different types of flowers. However, God wanted to give us variety. We also don’t need over a million different kinds of animals, but God gave them to us anyway. Let’s take a minute and appreciate all God did for us.
The verse says, “Wild and wonderful is this world you have made while wisdom was at your side.” This verse reminds us that God did not accidentally create anything. He knew what He was doing, and each thing He made had a purpose. He thought about everything. He didn’t leave anything out. He made sure that every living thing had something to eat. This includes the plants, the insects, the animals, everything. Take a minute and imagine how much thought it would take to not only create all that God created but also to make sure they had the right environment to live in, the right resources, and the food they needed to survive. It really is remarkable.
Next, it says, “This world is full of so many creatures, yet each belongs to you!” Each creature on this earth belongs to the Lord our God. The animals don’t have to worry about where their food will come from. They know they are creatures of God and that He will take care of them. We are also God’s creatures, and He will take care of us too! We don’t have to worry either. Worry is something that comes pretty naturally to most of us, and yet it is not necessary. This morning in Philippians 4:19, I read, “I am convinced that my God will fully satisfy every need you have, for I have seen the abundant riches of glory revealed to me through Jesus Christ. This was Paul talking to the Philippians, but He is speaking to us too! God will take care of all we need. He has abundant riches, and he wants to shower upon us. He has so much glory, grace, love, forgiveness, and mercy. We don’t have any reason to be anxious; God will take care of all of our worries!
Next, it says, “And then there is the sea! So vast! So wide and deep—swarming with countless forms of sea life, both small and great.” This is just reiterating the vastness of the Lord’s creation. Think of how many different sea creatures there are. There are known to be more than 260,000 different species living in the seas, and we know that there are many yet to be discovered. Some scientists believe there are more than a million species in the seas. How amazing is that? Each one of them has everything they need to survive. I wonder if it would be helpful to remind ourselves of this when we get anxious. Hundreds of thousands of species live in the seas, including species of plants. There are millions of species of animals, and God provides for all of them. If he can provide for the plants and animals, how much more will he provide for us?
The verse ends with, “Trading ships glide through the high seas. And look! There are the massive whales bounding upon the waves.” This reminds us that besides all the creatures in the sea, we also use the sea for trading. It provides fish for us to eat and can also be used for our livelihood. This version says that there are massive whales bounding upon the waves. However, the New Revised Standard Catholic Edition says, "There go the ships and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.” When I looked this up, it said that Leviathan is a sea monster. The commentators said Leviathan was included in this Psalm to show us that even the sea monster is under God’s control.
God created all things, and God does not make mistakes. God created all the plants and animals and makes sure they all have what they need to survive. Doesn’t it make sense that if God provides for the plants and animals, He will provide for us, too? We are His children, made in His likeness and image. He made us to be above all plants and animals. He gave us dominion over the plants and animals. So, why are we the only ones worrying about where our next meal will come from or if we will have enough money to pay our bills? God has got us in the palm of His hand. He will provide for us. All we need to do is trust Him!
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode. Lord, we ask you to help us notice all your creations around us. Help us to believe that you provide for all their needs so you will provide for our needs, too. Help us not to be anxious about anything. Lord, help us to appreciate the variety of your creation. Bring our attention to your majesty in this world. We love you Lord and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!
Thank you for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If you find this podcast helpful, if you are learning and growing from listening to it, then you might want to check out my mentoring group. We meet once a week on Zoom on Tuesday nights at 8:00 P. M. Eastern Time. Each month there is a theme and we dive deep into each theme. There is about 30 minutes of teaching and then some small group time. If you can’t make it on zoom, you can always watch the replay. I also have a private Facebook group that you could join. There is a link below if you would like to check out mentoring. You can also go to walkboldlywithjesus.com and click on the mentoring link. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! May the grace and favor of our Lord Jesus Christs be with your Spirit!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in February 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Mercy, my mercy, I desire you to show to all those that you meet each day. Let them all know my mercy. ”