A psalm of David.
I
The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds,
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it on the seas,
established it over the rivers.
II
Who may go up the mountain of the Lord?
Who can stand in his holy place?
“The clean of hand and pure of heart,
who has not given his soul to useless things,
what is vain.
He will receive blessings from the Lord,
and justice from his saving God.
Such is the generation that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.”
III
Lift up your heads, O gate;
be lifted, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may enter.
Who is this king of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in war.
Lift up your heads, O gates;
rise up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may enter.
Who is this king of glory?
The Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory.
Psalms 24:1-10
Today we have another psalm of praise, which is always a nice way to approach my day. This one starts with a great reminder, “The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds, the world and those who dwell in it.” Do we treat “the world and those who dwell in it” with the love we should show for God’s creation?
I’m sure we have all noticed beautiful scenes of nature, from time to time, that remind us of the majesty of God’s creation, but do we think of God’s creation even in the everyday experiences? When it’s really cold and you have to scrape ice off your car so you can drive to work, are you thinking about the beauty of God’s creation? When those dandelions pop up all over the lawn again, does it remind you to praise God for his glorious creation?
If so, you’re a much holier person than me! But I think it’s okay that we aren’t there, yet. The goal of holiness is really more about the journey, isn’t it?
I think I say this a lot, but it bears repeating. God knows we are human. He loves us unconditionally, anyway, and I really believe that he wants us to come to him with all our thoughts.
So the next time I find myself feeling something other than appreciation for God’s beautiful creation, like when I come out of the grocery store with a full cart into a downpour of rain, maybe I’ll just have an honest conversation with the Lord. “God, you are the king of glory, but right now I’m honestly not feeling very appreciative.” Who knows? Maybe I’ll hear an answer that will put me back on track.
And the next time someone cuts me off in traffic, maybe I’ll say, “Lord, I want to be in the generation that seeks Your face, but did You really need to send that guy into my day?” Maybe God will gently nudge me toward a more understanding response. He might remind me that the other guy could be having a worse day than me. In fact, he could lead me to be more understanding of others, in general.
That’s the idea behind our journey, right? So if we forget, let psalm 24 remind us. “Who is this king of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory.”