Cosmic Praise
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!
-Psalm 148
One of my favorite kinds of psalms is what we might call “cosmic praise.” These are psalms that remind us that worship is not just a human activity. In Psalm 148, the whole created order is called into praise: sun and moon, shining stars, sea creatures, mountains, trees, wild animals, cattle, creeping things, and flying birds. Humanity joins the choir, and though we like to imagine ourselves at the center of it, these psalms remind us that we are merely adding our voices to a hymn that nature has been singing since the beginning. We are one section in a much larger chorus of praise rising from all creation to the God who made it.
This idea has deep roots in our Christian tradition. Our Catholic brothers and sisters, in particular, developed a rich tradition of what is often called “natural theology.” The basic idea is that the created order itself bears witness to the Creator. We may not be able to develop a full doctrinal statement by watching a sunset or listening to waves break against the shore, but we can still receive them as signs of God’s love and care. The beauty, majesty, order, and abundance of the natural world offer us small reflections of the beauty and majesty of the God who formed it.
Rachael and I are on vacation this week celebrating our fifteenth wedding anniversary with a trip to Virgin Islands National Park. It is one of the most naturally beautiful places on earth, and it is hard to stand in a place like this without feeling moved toward wonder. The clear water, green hills, birdsongs, and lush mountainous islands dotting the wide horizon all seem to do what Psalm 148 describes: they praise God simply by being what God created them to be. They don’t need words to bear witness. The very experience of them stirs our souls to praise. Their beauty invites us to remember that the world is not merely scenery for our lives, but creation filled with the fingerprints of its Creator.
Because my thoughts are turned toward the natural world this week, I thought it would be a fitting theme for our devotions. Each day, we will reflect on the ways Scripture and creation work together to draw our attention back to God. My hope is that these reflections will help us become more attentive people: attentive to beauty, attentive to grace, attentive to the quiet witness of nature around us, and attentive to the Creator who is worthy of praise from “young men and women alike, old and young together.” May we join the song creation is already singing.
Rev. Ryan Young
