Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
–Ferris Bueller
Ferris Bueller might not have been a good student (after all, he ditched school nine times), but his insight on life was on point. These days, work and personal schedules leave little room for us to stop and look around—at the flowers blooming, birds flitting, and passersby smiling. Finding time to savor life seems like a luxury few can afford.
Yet there are wonders all around if we would just take time to consider them. In fact, as theologian Krista Bontrager and biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana explain in their booklet on Psalm 104, we are invited to see the world as God’s handiwork—and then sing praises to Him. Krista and Fuz point out that Psalm 103 praises the Redeemer-King and provides a “bridge to the creation themes explored in Psalm 104,” which magnifies the Creator-King. By the end of both chapters, readers ought to be compelled to praise God for His work in salvation and in creation.
Here’s the kicker. Sometimes conversations about scientific evidence for a biblical creation account can get a bit heady for those of us who are comfortable praising the Redeemer but not as comfortable learning about His work in creation. Psalm 104: In Wisdom You Made Them All offers a unique voice to the science-faith dialogue, articulating the connection between the two chapters and guiding the reader to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for God’s work in creation.
Krista joins her biblical expertise with Fuz’s scientific knowledge to provide an apologetics tool that, as Fuz describes, is “one of the most exegetically rich and deep resources we’ve ever produced.” What this booklet helps convey is that our worship experience becomes that much richer as we begin to learn more about God’s care in making and sustaining all of creation. What’s more, when anxiety, doubt, and despair try to settle in, we can look to creation and find comfort.
As Krista puts it,
Creation stands as an ever-present memorial to testify to God’s people that the same God who created the universe will keep his covenant promises to them. When we contemplate the vastness and intricate details of creation, it’s a picture of the depth of God’s love and forgiveness for his people (Psalms 103:11–12). And even though human beings are made from “dust,” we are the objects of God’s everlasting love (Psalm 103:15–18). Suddenly an ordinary “day at the beach” can turn into a meaningful meditation on God’s creation and the power of God’s kingship over everything (Psalm 103:19, 22), including our sin and struggles.
Click here to find out how to receive Psalm 104 as a thank-you gift.
For your listening pleasure, here’s a link to a song by indie folk band and friends of the ministry, The Last Bison. The lyrics were inspired by Psalm 104: https://bisonfolk.bandcamp.com/track/they-are-filled.
Scientists continually make discoveries that reveal fascinating aspects of God’s incredible universe or design fantastic inventions that illuminate the Creator’s image in us.
