Bible-believing Christians
hold that God created all things. But
what do we believe about His continuing role in upholding the creation? As our scientific knowledge has
progressed and natural laws have been formulated, have we begun to view God’s
providence over creation as a past event?
Did God create a self-sustaining system? And if not, what does it mean for my life?
The truth is that God is
actively involved in His creation.
Psalm 104 is a celebration of God’s creation and His continued
providential care over all that He has made. The psalmist
begins by describing different parts of creation as God’s garments (vv1-2), His
habitation (vv2-3), His chariot (v3), and His wings (v3). In this, the
grandeur of the creation speaks of the grandeur of the Creator.
He then describes God’s past
acts in creation:
5 He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be
moved.
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters
stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they
took to flight.
8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you
appointed for them.
9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might
not again cover the earth.
These verses speak of the
permanence of God’s work as well as the meticulous detail. The mountains are
where they are because He put them there. The water stays where it is
because God made it so.
But beginning in v10 is an
account of God’s continued providence
over and in the world He has created.
For example, vv10-11: You make
springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink
to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. In
other words, rivers flow because God makes
them to do so. Likewise v13 declares that God Himself waters the
mountains with rain – “the earth is
satisfied with the fruit of Your
work.” The chapter is full of such celebrations of God’s perpetual
activity in the world. He causes the grass and plants to grow so that man
can enjoy food, wine, bread, and oil (vv14-15). He waters the trees to
provide a home for the birds (vv16-17). He marks the seasons with the
moon and the sun (v19). He brings darkness every night (v20).
Even the animals depend upon
the providence of God: “the young lions
roar for their prey, seeking their food from
God” (v21). This is true not only of the animals on the land, but
also those in the sea; the very earth depends upon Him for its existence:
27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open
your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away
their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you
renew the face of the ground.
What are the implications of
this for you and me? One area in
which we may give little thought to God’s providence is in our own work. “My work is my responsibility. If it get’s done, it is because I did it. If it doesn’t, it is because I failed
to do it.” While this is true in a
sense, Psalm 104 would tell us that even our own work depends upon God’s
providence. v23 reads, Man goes out to his work and to his labor
until the evening. We might
take this to imply that what man accomplishes depends upon himself. But v23 is part of a section on which
v27 comments: These all look to you, to
give them their food in due season.
The following verses note that the success or failure of our work
depends upon the giving or withholding of God’s hand. That should cause us to approach our work with humility, understanding that ultimately we depend upon God's blessing.
But there is an even more
significant way in which I am constantly dependent upon God. v29 implies that each breath I take is
given by God. It is up to His
providence to give that breath or withhold it. If He gives it, I live. If He withholds it, I die. What this means is that my life, every second of every day,
is held in the palm of His hand.
This should be comforting to
me as a believer. If God is so
intimately involved in something as simple, yet consequential as the breaths I take, how can He
not also be in the other details of my life? My circumstances?
My concerns? And if He can
be trusted with my life, how can He not also be trusted in lesser things?
Psalm 104 speaks of the
wondrous power of God’s providence.
It also tells us the appropriate response to this providence. The first and last verses of the psalm
both declare, Bless the Lord, O my soul! That is, worship Him! Worship this God who upholds all
things, including your own life.
Posted by Greg Birdwell
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