Praise the Creator, like all of creation does
Daily Scripture
Genesis 1:31-2:2, Psalm 148:1-6
Genesis 1
31 God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good.
There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day.
2:1 The heavens and the earth and all who live in them were completed. 2 On the sixth day God completed all the work that he had done, and on the seventh day God rested from all the work that he had done.
Psalm 148
1 Praise the LORD from heaven!
Praise God on the heights!
2 Praise God, all of you who are his messengers!
Praise God, all of you who comprise his heavenly forces!
3 Sun and moon, praise God!
All of you bright stars, praise God!
4 You highest heaven, praise God!
Do the same, you waters that are above the sky!
5 Let all of these praise the LORD’s name
because God gave the command and they were created!
6 God set them in place always and forever.
God made a law that will not be broken.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Many of Israel’s neighboring peoples worshiped the sun, moon or other forces of nature. Israel not only resisted that kind of worship but reversed it. Psalm 148 saw the sun and moon, bright stars, the highest heaven, and even the waters that descended from the sky as offering praise to God along with human beings. It was an expansive, inclusive, energizing vision of what worship can mean!
- Scholar John Goldingay said Christians, especially European or North American, may limit our worship. “We do not easily think of worship being offered by sun and moon,… fruit trees, or cattle. We think of worship as something that essentially involves minds and hearts. The Psalms certainly assume that mind and heart come into it, but they allow for other truths about worship.” * When, if ever, has worship meant more physical and emotional action than in many “proper” church settings?
- Goldingay noted that “‘Praise Yah’ comes at either end of each psalm from 146 to 150; it is commonly rendered as ‘Hallelujah.’ This particular Hebrew word for praise, halal, suggests… going “Lalalala”…. the psalm reminds us that there are many entities in the heavens and on the earth more interested in resisting God than in praising him, but it has a vision of them all being drawn into praise.” * When you say, sing or hear “Hallelujah,” know you’re evoking the very majesty of God.
Prayer
Living Lord, I want to join all creation in praising you, freely and joyfully, for all the days of my life. Amen.
GPS Insights
Ryan Pasley
Ryan Pasley serves as a Resurrection Students intern. He is returning for his second year and is glad to be back! He previously attended JCCC, but is transferring to Kansas State University to study Communication Studies! When Ryan is not serving as an intern, he enjoys playing video games with his friends, reading a good book, singing Lenny Kravitz songs with the windows down, and playing with his dogs Lily and Lionel.
Last week, instead of hanging out and working with my three—yes, three—fellow Resurrection Students interns (who are all amazing people, by the way!), I participated in serving for our 6th Grade Mission Trip around Kansas City. Monday night began with a tour detailing the history of redlining in Kansas City. Then, from Tuesday through Thursday, we were busy serving all around KCMO and KCK! It was a challenging but rewarding week, where I found myself harvesting garlic, planting soybeans, organizing clothing donations, supporting local restaurants, recanting interesting things that had gone on with my fellow Resurrection Students interns, and so much more.
The toughest part of the trip was staying motivated in the sweltering conditions, both outside and indoors, and keeping the students motivated too. Despite the hardships, what kept me going was the realization that my work was impacting hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Though I may never meet or hear from them, it’s a tremendous blessing to serve God in this way. Every night, I’d come home late, have a quick dinner, take ibuprofen for my feet, and repeat the routine. It made me think about how tired God must have been after creating an entire universe and planet on which we reside—imagine the size of God’s ibuprofen!
Each morning, I woke up more bone-tired and sore than the day before, yet I praised that I had yet another day on Earth to be the hands and feet of God! As Psalm 148:2 says, “Praise God, all of you who are his messengers! Praise God, all of you who comprise his heavenly forces!” We—fellow interns, other staff, the volunteers, the 6th graders, and I—were the type of human messengers referred to in that Scripture. By doing this, we helped to show that God’s Kingdom is not just for us, but for every person on this blue and green marble called Earth!
Therefore, I challenge you—yes, you—to go out and praise! Praise in the highs, praise in the lows, praise while waiting in line at your favorite grocery store, praise in the shower (or don’t on the last one, I won’t be checking). If a 12-year-old 6th grader can praise, so can you!
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Both quotations from John Goldingay, Psalms for Everyone, Part 2: Psalms 73–150. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014, p. 224.
