Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling His word! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children!
(Verses 7-12)
Bill and I took a trip to Baja California, Mexico, a few years back to get close to the gray whales who travel there every year to mate and have their calves. We flew out of San Diego and landed on a dirt air strip miles from civilization. Then we took a bumpy bus trip to the water's edge where a "green" camp was set up. The setting and the conditions were primitive. The idea, of course, was not only to leave the space just as we found it, but also to experience the adventure as close as possible to how the stars and sand would see it. No frills. Just watching what nature does.
We were told that we might not see whales each time we went out. There was always a morning trip in the twelve person motor boat and an afternoon excursion. Our group, however, always saw whales. Up close and very personal. Spy hopping 20 feet from the boat, enormous mamas peeking out of the water to see what was going on. We were told that the mothers often come near the boat and push their babies from their backs in order to guide them closer to us. The thought was that whale watching boats such as ours have been out in the water for so many years that the mothers were unafraid of us, maybe even remember the boats from when they were babies themselves, and were possibly using our excursion for a little babysitting. Whales really like having their baleen scratched. That's what the guide said. "Just put your hand into the corner of its mouth, the baby will open its mouth, and then you can scratch away." No one else did it but me. I was all over the idea. Baby whale sidling up to the boat, nestling against it and me, bending over almost so I could fall out, reaching, reaching until I touched the whale's lips. Sure enough, she opened her mouth and completely relaxed with me as I rubbed her baleen with my hand. Mama bumped the bottom of the boat, almost spilling me into the water, when she'd had enough of my messing with her child. They both breached and went back down into the depths, leaving me and all of us sitting back in wonder.
Next day we saw the mating process. Whales, three of them, splashing and thrashing in frantic display, in and out of the water, the privacy of their union exposed not only to the sun and clouds, but to a small group of fascinated adventurers. Two males, one female. Always. One referees, apparently. These mammals of the deep doing what they were created to do many millenniums from their inception.
Life exists apart from what we experience day to day. Thinking that what surrounds our present circumstances is all there is. Our struggles sometimes drown us. That's why I like to take beach walks. (I know, I'm amazingly blessed to be able to do that.) I live five blocks from the Pacific Ocean and regularly see dolphins playing in the waves. It's soul soothing. It also reminds me there is another entire world just below the surface of the waters. I've seen some of it scuba diving, but below that there are squid too deep to watch and volcanoes that spew lava thousands of feet up and yet never touch the surface. And God made it all, sees it all, loves it all and protects it until He comes again.
Everything on earth responds to the Artist Who created it all from nothing. Moves with alacrity in the sphere for which it was designed. "It is good." God's assessment of the imaginations of His mind fulfilled in reality. As with any grand master, any screenwriter, author, director...God takes great joy in seeing the culmination of a dream. What is in the mind finally a reality. But God can expect His creation to respond. Trees to clap their hands as the wind blows through their limbs, whales to breach, giving a hint at their lives beneath the surface, snow to paint the earth's canvas white and rain to wash it clean. All things moving as they should. Stars shine. Suns glow. Birds and butterflies migrate on cue. Fruits burst out of barren tree limbs in their specific season.
And then there is mankind. The crown of creation. Made for His pleasure, created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:6), as all things are. We, who have been given the gift of understanding such things as truth and beauty, who can actually look at a sunset and marvel, write a poem about its magnificence or crave to capture its beauty on canvas, we should be most vocal in our praise of One so much bigger in thought and power than we can possibly imagine. Kings and princes, lowly in comparison to the sovereignty of the God Who put them on their thrones should pay homage to Him just as much as the lowliest of us. By our very existence, by the very fact that we know we exist and don't simply dive the waters of the depths without understanding our own magnitude, we should look up. Created in His image, imbued with body, mind and spirit, our connection with the Artist is unique to all other creatures. We have the awesome ability to see the snow covered mountain tops, feel the chilly air against our skin, or trek the deserts of our planet and know that there is more. Our voices can give thanks. Acknowledge the beneficence and splendor of such a mind, of such omnipotence, of such grace. Of all creation, only we can stand and lift our hands in reasonable praise and thanksgiving, for only we have the capacity to wonder at it all.
(Verses 7-12)
Bill and I took a trip to Baja California, Mexico, a few years back to get close to the gray whales who travel there every year to mate and have their calves. We flew out of San Diego and landed on a dirt air strip miles from civilization. Then we took a bumpy bus trip to the water's edge where a "green" camp was set up. The setting and the conditions were primitive. The idea, of course, was not only to leave the space just as we found it, but also to experience the adventure as close as possible to how the stars and sand would see it. No frills. Just watching what nature does.
We were told that we might not see whales each time we went out. There was always a morning trip in the twelve person motor boat and an afternoon excursion. Our group, however, always saw whales. Up close and very personal. Spy hopping 20 feet from the boat, enormous mamas peeking out of the water to see what was going on. We were told that the mothers often come near the boat and push their babies from their backs in order to guide them closer to us. The thought was that whale watching boats such as ours have been out in the water for so many years that the mothers were unafraid of us, maybe even remember the boats from when they were babies themselves, and were possibly using our excursion for a little babysitting. Whales really like having their baleen scratched. That's what the guide said. "Just put your hand into the corner of its mouth, the baby will open its mouth, and then you can scratch away." No one else did it but me. I was all over the idea. Baby whale sidling up to the boat, nestling against it and me, bending over almost so I could fall out, reaching, reaching until I touched the whale's lips. Sure enough, she opened her mouth and completely relaxed with me as I rubbed her baleen with my hand. Mama bumped the bottom of the boat, almost spilling me into the water, when she'd had enough of my messing with her child. They both breached and went back down into the depths, leaving me and all of us sitting back in wonder.
Next day we saw the mating process. Whales, three of them, splashing and thrashing in frantic display, in and out of the water, the privacy of their union exposed not only to the sun and clouds, but to a small group of fascinated adventurers. Two males, one female. Always. One referees, apparently. These mammals of the deep doing what they were created to do many millenniums from their inception.
Life exists apart from what we experience day to day. Thinking that what surrounds our present circumstances is all there is. Our struggles sometimes drown us. That's why I like to take beach walks. (I know, I'm amazingly blessed to be able to do that.) I live five blocks from the Pacific Ocean and regularly see dolphins playing in the waves. It's soul soothing. It also reminds me there is another entire world just below the surface of the waters. I've seen some of it scuba diving, but below that there are squid too deep to watch and volcanoes that spew lava thousands of feet up and yet never touch the surface. And God made it all, sees it all, loves it all and protects it until He comes again.
Everything on earth responds to the Artist Who created it all from nothing. Moves with alacrity in the sphere for which it was designed. "It is good." God's assessment of the imaginations of His mind fulfilled in reality. As with any grand master, any screenwriter, author, director...God takes great joy in seeing the culmination of a dream. What is in the mind finally a reality. But God can expect His creation to respond. Trees to clap their hands as the wind blows through their limbs, whales to breach, giving a hint at their lives beneath the surface, snow to paint the earth's canvas white and rain to wash it clean. All things moving as they should. Stars shine. Suns glow. Birds and butterflies migrate on cue. Fruits burst out of barren tree limbs in their specific season.
And then there is mankind. The crown of creation. Made for His pleasure, created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:6), as all things are. We, who have been given the gift of understanding such things as truth and beauty, who can actually look at a sunset and marvel, write a poem about its magnificence or crave to capture its beauty on canvas, we should be most vocal in our praise of One so much bigger in thought and power than we can possibly imagine. Kings and princes, lowly in comparison to the sovereignty of the God Who put them on their thrones should pay homage to Him just as much as the lowliest of us. By our very existence, by the very fact that we know we exist and don't simply dive the waters of the depths without understanding our own magnitude, we should look up. Created in His image, imbued with body, mind and spirit, our connection with the Artist is unique to all other creatures. We have the awesome ability to see the snow covered mountain tops, feel the chilly air against our skin, or trek the deserts of our planet and know that there is more. Our voices can give thanks. Acknowledge the beneficence and splendor of such a mind, of such omnipotence, of such grace. Of all creation, only we can stand and lift our hands in reasonable praise and thanksgiving, for only we have the capacity to wonder at it all.
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