My holy name I will make known among my people Israel; and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. It has come! It has happened, says the Lord God. This is the day of which I have spoken.[1]
Rejoice in the Works of the Lord
Psalm 104:24-35 NRSV
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. These all look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—who looks on the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. Let sinners be consumed from the earth and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
From a view of the earth thus full of God’s blessings, the writer passes to the sea, which, in its immensity, and as a scene and means of man’s activity in commerce, and the home of countless multitudes of creatures, also displays divine power and beneficence. The mention of leviathan (Job 40:20) heightens the estimate of the sea’s greatness, and of His power who gives such a place for sport to one of His creatures. The entire dependence of this immense family on God is set forth. With Him, to kill or make alive is equally easy. To hide His face is to withdraw favor. By His spirit, or breath, or mere word, He gives life. It is His constant providence which repairs the wastes of time and disease.[2]
J. A. Motyer
Creator and creation
The creation veritably seethes with activity from the smallest marine entity to the unspeakably terrifying sea-monster, Leviathan itself (Job 41:1ff.) and the constant bustling of mankind. But (whether they know it or not) all depend on the Creator to provide, exist only by what he gives, are subject to his sovereign determination of the hour of their death, and life itself on earth only continues because he wills to renew it.
The glory here is the Creator’s glory displayed in his created universe. Were he to withdraw this glory, the universe would disappear. He alone gives it being and stability. Solid as it may appear, it is of the utmost fragility in relation even to his eyes and fingers. Such a Creator is worthy of unceasing praise, but brashness is out of place, and we can only pray that our poor song will be found pleasing, for he is the holy One and sinners have no final security in his creation. What then can my soul do but, having reviewed the excellencies of the Creator, turn to him in blessing and praise?[3]
Westminster Confession of Faith 4.1
Of Creation
It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days; and all very good.[4]
The Gospel Way Catechism Question #7
Why did God create the world?
God created everything by his Word, not because he was lonely, but out of the free overflow of divine love, so that all creation would enjoy his glory.[5]
The Heidelberg Catechism Question #28
What does it profit us to know that God has created, and by His providence still upholds, all things?
That we may be patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and with a view to the future may have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature shall separate us from His love, since all creatures are so in His hand that without His will they cannot so much as move.[6]
O Lord, we entreat you mercifully to hear us, and grant that we, to whom you have given the desire to pray, may by your mighty aid be defended and comforted in all our adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.[7]
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
T. M. Moore
LORD, let Your glory long endure!
Rejoice! His works are ever sure!
He looks on earth, it quails and quakes, as we our songs of praises make.
LORD, let our meditation rise and bring great pleasure in Your eyes.
Consumed shall sinners ever be;
O, bless and praise the LORD with me![8]
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Eze 39:7–8.
[2] Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 376–377.
[3] J. A. Motyer, “The Psalms,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 554.
[4] Truths We Confess, 2019, Reformation Trust Publishing, p. 99.
[5] Trevin Wax and Thomas West, The Gospel Way Catechism, 2025, p. 36.
[6] G. I. Williamson, The Heidelberg Catechism: A Study Guide, 1993, P&R Publishing, p. 48.
[7] Proper 3, Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 2019, p. 616.
[8] Psalm 104:31-35, The Ailbe Psalter Second Edition, 2023, p. 160.
