Psalm 104

Breath on me, breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love as thou dost love and do as thou wouldst do. (PH #316 Breathe on Me, Breath of God)

Click on the link for the Psalm above for the text or listen to Psalm 104:

Reflection:

Psalm 104 is a poem about God’s sovereignty over all of creation. Wind and fire, tall trees and mountains, grass and cattle, fierce lions and their prey, sun and moon, and wine for the gladdening of hearts are all works of God. Even the Leviathan, the chaos monster, is cast as God’s favorite oceanic pet playing in the deep waters of the sea. God delights in and cares for each created being. Each of us, from the tiniest organism to the biggest sea monster depends on God for life and breath.

God’s ruach (breath, wind, spirit) provides us…

We think of life on earth as normal. But it’s not. We get a very different perspective from Jesus. Like Klaatu–the alien ambassador in the classic sci-fi filmThe Day the Earth Stood Still,who has come to warn humans about their perverse and violent ways–Jesus often seems to shake his head at the sheer abnormality of this world.

Following what seems like an understandable failing on the part of his disciples to heal a boy suffering from demonic seizures, Jesus responds:

“O, you unbelieving and perverse generation! How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” (Matthew 17:17)

After healing the child, Jesus explains that, with even the slightest spark of real belief in God’s unlimited power, “nothing would be impossible for you.”

Apparently, beyond this world, what we deem “miraculous,” abnormal events are normal, even necessary…