"For the Lord God Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth." (Psalm 47:2)
On our recent trip to the Atlantic Ocean we drove the length of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I was not driving and my intention was to sleep on the way. I slept nary a wink. Instead, the farms and the forests and the mountains and the valleys would not allow me to close my eyes. The mountains appeared to be covered with a deep green carpet that turned brighter and greener where they met the valleys and meadows. Silos and barns and cattle and crops stretched from horizon to horizon. What a beautiful land we live in!
One of my favorite scriptures kept making an appearance in my mind: "The Mighty One, God the Lord, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down...For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine and all its fullness." (Psalm 50:1, 10-12)
God's wonderful word expands on this in the powerful 104th Psalm. It speaks first of His making of the heavens and the waters of the deep before rejoicing over His creation of and provision for the lands. "He sends the springs into the valleys; They flow among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field...He causes the grass to grow for the cattle and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth." It continues describing His provision for the birds and all beasts great and small. It speaks with praise "O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions."
There are a lot of people who believe the earth is some space junk that sprouted life. Therefore, man owns this big rock and the earth is full of man's possessions. Another popular view is that the earth owns man and therefore deserves to be worshiped. Dear mother earth provides and mankind pays homage to her. (See Rom 1:20-23) Neither is true. Before the first man stood up from the dust, there was air for him to breathe, water and food for him to consume and a great expanse for him to cultivate. The Mighty One, God the Lord owns this majestic earth and He has made every needed provision for its inhabitants, man and beast.
Regrettably these false beliefs are pervading the church probably more so in our day than ever before. Once again, do we really understand Scripture's clear teaching and nature's infinite affirmations of how truly awesome God is? Do we know the maker of the lands, the great King over all the earth, the awesome Lord Most High? Do you?
More on this next time.