Able to Praise Our Creator

Psalm 148:7,8

    What wisdom our covenant God reveals even in the colors which He chose for His earthly creatures! How soothing for the eye is the green grass, when the bright summer sunshine comes down upon it on a cloudless summer day! How much does the pure white snow lighten up the earth on those cloudy winter days, when the sun strikes the earth from a greater angle, and does not have the brilliancy and warmth it has on a summer's day!

    But try to realize what life would be like had God chosen to have pure white grass with the summer's bright light falling upon it. Even now we find it necessary to wear sunglasses. What if the snow flakes on a cloudy day would be green instead of white?

    All this reminds us of what we read in Psalm 148:7, 8: "Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: fire and hail, snow and vapors; stormy winds fulfilling His word.''   Or as versified in our Psalter:

    Ye creatures in the sea 
    And creatures on the earth,
    Your mighty Maker praise
    And tell His matchless worth;
    Praise Him ye stormy winds that blow,
    Ye fire and hail, ye rain and snow.

    Now these creatures, of course, have no tongues where with to praise God.  They do not even know that He exists. But God made man in His own image as a thinking, willing creature with a tongue and voice, so he could praise God, that is, extol Him for His virtues; and the point is that only those who can praise Him for His love, mercy, and grace in Christ can and will praise Him as their Creator.  God must in Christ be our Savior if we are going to praise Him as our Creator. We must see Him in the wisdom and power of our salvation, if we are going to praise Him for these in all His works in creation. We who see and know Him as our Savior in Christ are by Him made able to praise Him as our Creator.

    Do not then find fault with Him for rain, snow, and stormy winds, but praise Him as the God of wisdom and power.

Read: Psalm 148 
Psalter versification: #404:3

Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
I Samuel 8 
I Samuel 9 
John 6:22-42 
Psalm 106:32-48 
Proverbs 14:34-35

****
Quote for Reflection:

 God's Ways: When the methods of Providence are dark and intricate, and we are quite at a loss what God is about to do with us - His way is in the sea, and His path in the great waters, and His footsteps are not known... - a meek and quiet spirit acquiesces in an assurance that all things shall work together for good to us, if we love God, though we cannot apprehend how or which way. It teaches us to follow God with an implicit faith, as Abraham did when he went out, not knowing whither he went, but knowing very well Whom he followed. It quiets us with this, that though what He doeth we know not now, yet we shall know hereafter. John 13:7. When poor Job was brought to that dismal plunge, that he could no way trace the footsteps of divine Providence, but was almost lost in the labyrinth, Job 23:8,9, how quietly does he sit down with this thought; "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."  -- Matthew Henry