By: Kimberlee Mendoza
O Lord God Almighty, who is like you?
You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them...
The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
You founded the world and all that is in it.
Psalm 89:8-9, 11
Have you ever been humbled by the magnitude of God's power as you feel the roar of waves pound against the shore or stood in awe of God's beauty and creativity as you gaze at a breath-taking sunset? Creation declares the magnificence of God and no where in the Bible is this more clearly expressed than in the book of Psalms. The Psalms are filled with beautiful, poetic verses that exalt God's creativity, magnify his glory, and extol his power all through the prism of creation. In Psalm 19:1, David writes "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
The psalmists understood that the universe is a beautiful portrait, proclaiming the power and splendor of its creator. In Psalm 98:7-9, the writer declares "Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth." These verses beautifully illustrate the song of creation. The sound of crashing waves, the roll of thunder, the rustling of trees blowing in the wind- all speak of the glory of God.
In Psalm 95:4-7, the psalmist writes "In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our God our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care." This Psalm is instructive to us. The writer begins by proclaiming God's power as witnessed in creation. He then calls the people of God to respond accordingly, by bowing in worship. The call to worship God is the natural overflow of a heart that has witnessed his greatness.
The psalmists reflected on the power of God in creation and it produced poetry of worship. Doing this requires a certain degree of meditation, reflection, and silence. Training our minds to magnify God and not our problems, will produce spiritual health and a depth that will enable us to transcend our circumstances. Rich is the woman who has found the blessing in recognizing the immensity and majesty of God and her relative insignificance before him.
The most amazing part of this all is that although our lives are very small and represent one tiny speck in the sands of time, God knows each one of us by name. This is the same line of thinking that led David to write "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth...When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:1, 3-4).
This is a life-changing reflection, if we allow it to capture our hearts. The creator of the universe is thinking about you and thinking about me. The God who knows every star by name, also has every hair on your head numbered. The one who spoke the mountains into existence, knows your every down-sitting and uprising and knows every thought you will ever think (Ps. 139). God is not so immense and powerful that he cannot hear your every whisper and every cry. He who spoke and created the foundations of the world, is a loving God who is intimately acquainted with all your ways.
May these beautiful truths regarding the character of God cause us to worship him through his displays of creativity and power and to find comfort and assurance that we are not only known by him but loved by him as well.
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