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Psalm 104 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Let the glory of the LORD endure forever; Let the LORD be glad in His works; 32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
Psalms 104:31-32 NASB
Sometimes we feel as if we need to defend our God’s decisions. Let’s face it, there is a lot about our world that doesn’t make sense. In our impatience, we want things to be made right. This comes from our innate sense of justice created by God Himself during our formation. But, we also wonder, at times, why He is taking so long. We question why He is allowing something to go on. We wonder if He hears us. These themes are beaten to a pulp in the book of Psalms, however, they are extremely relevant for us.
So, what does it look like to try and defend God? Some go to extreme lengths of justification that honestly make no sense to me. Some will try and twist Scripture to mean something it doesn’t. Some will seek higher knowledge and wisdom in order to try and comprehend things on the same level as God. Some work themselves into an unnecessary frenzy of undoing a “curse” or a “hex.”
Don’t get me wrong – there are times for some of these. We should defend the truth about God and seek higher wisdom in certain cases. The tricky part is when we do these things when He is actually calling us to cooperate in faith with His plan. Sometimes He just asks us to take Him at face value. This is the definition of faith. It is the is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. News flash – faith doesn’t try and figure everything out! Can you admit you don’t know everything but you are still fully believing in God’s plan? Do we really believe He can handle it? Or, do we kick into overdrive by looking for a sign or wonder or demon in everything? Is that really faith? It sounds more like insecurity to me.
In Psalm 104, the writer is in full cooperation with God. Even the fearful characteristics of God. I don’t know about you, but when I read that He looks at the earth and it trembles, it strikes a fear inside me. It is a reverence for how awesome and mighty He really is. It draws me to cooperate with His ways even if they make no sense, or, are downright unexplainable. Yes, I want to seek His ways and gain deeper knowlege – but I also want to trust Him. God, when you ask me to trust, help me to believe You instead of trying to take things into my own hands!