Day 12
Eyes Wide Open
Read your Bible: Psalm 104:1–26
Spotlight Verse:
How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.Psalm 104:24
My wife and I love snorkeling. One morning we read Psalm 104 together and got so excited about all its aquatic imagery that we said, “Let’s go snorkeling right now and see all those ‘teeming creatures beyond number — living things both large and small!’
” We agreed we’d see them all as reasons to worship, as examples of the Creator’s art.
Twenty minutes later we were in the water, alone in an early morning ocean inlet… and were surprised to hear the faint sounds of dolphins!
Just listening to their “praise songs” was enough for me, but it got better: Their singing got louder and louder until a whole pod of them circled us, delighting us with their joyful leaps and dives.
They were above and below us, in front and in back of us, and on either side. They raced past, then returned to circle and splash and sing again.
To be honest, it was delightful and kind of scary all at the same time. What, I wondered, if they were evil dolphins? They could take us out like Flipper took out sharks every week!
But I only wondered that for about one second. Then the worry turned to worship.
All that would have been fun enough on any day, but what made it transcendent was the timing: We were framing everything we saw in terms of Psalm 104. Then to experience this?
We were both so moved spiritually that we were laughing and crying at the same time — and that’s hard to do while wearing a snorkel! In fact, it’s dangerous!
This was an exceptional experience — but little moments like this are all around you, all the time. Keeping your ears, eyes, and heart wide open for signs of God’s power in creation is so important.
Cure for My Near-Sightedness
Seeing the thunderous wonders of God was a turning point for Job, who because of his terrible trials was asking the question, “Why waste time trying to please God?”
(Job 34:9 NLT).
But then God finally speaks to Job directly and draws his attention to the mysteries of creation in chapters 38–41. Read it to see an amazing sequence of descriptions of God’s creative power.
It’s interesting to me how in the first two chapters of this section, God starts big:
“Can you loosen Orion’s belt?” Job 38:31
and goes small:
“Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?” Job 39:1
and then zooms back out a little:
“Do you give the horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?” Job 39:19
as He points out that all around you, Job, everywhere you look, from constellation to gestation, from horses to hawks, there are mysteries to behold.
Job’s response? He’s drawn into awe and worship.
The God-rocket blasts off, and he’s silenced into holy fear and reverence.
Someone told me once: “René, my biggest health problem is ingrown eyeballs.” I think that’s pretty much everyone’s problem. It’s a great description of what it’s like to get caught in a loop of self-pitying or self-justifying or self-aggrandizing thoughts.
Got ingrown eyeballs? Get some wonder.
This might be one of the reasons I’m drawn to nature documentaries like Planet Earth. Particularly when seen through the lens of what the Bible tells me about God, they both inspire me and put me in my place, like taking a ride through these chapters of the Book of Job!
God is… awesome in power.
Questions For Reflection
Today look around you and journal about whatever strikes you as an example of God’s creative power — especially if you’ve never noticed it before. Intention is a huge part of noticing God’s omnipotence at work around you. Where today did you see evidence of the power of God?
If you have time, please read Job 38 and 39. Why do you think a meditation on creation was a big part of God’s answer to Job?
How is this part of God’s answer to your own questions and fears?
