Wrapped In Light

By Al Behel

    When I read the Psalms I often wonder if I really know how to praise God. David and other Psalters seemed to grasp the essence of their Creator far better than we have done. Their recognition of His presence and power, as well as His love and mercy, caused them to lift up their voices is hymns of praise with hearts of devotion.

    One of those Psalms portrays the majesty of God by describing seven wonders of His creation. Following a declaration of God’s greatness as one who is “clothed with splendor and majesty”, King David outlines the various ways in which God has revealed Himself through His creation (Psalm 104).

    First, he declares that God “wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent” (v. 2). The sky is filled with evidence of His glory. The Hebrew word for “wraps” suggest that God “darkens” Himself with light. His splendor is so wonderful that man cannot see it, but can only stand in awe of it. We look at His creation and marvel at what He has made. The psalmist was able to look beyond the creation to the glory of the One who

made it.

    The second wonder David mentions is the earth, around which He has set a boundary (vs. 5-9). In another psalm he declared “the whole earth is full of Thy glory.” Next, he praises God for the water which God supplies to the earth and its inhabitants. When he looks at the grass and flowers and trees, he erupts in praise that the Lord has taken care of every need through massive vegetation. As one who spent many nights on the mountain ranges with the sheep he had shepherded, David couldn’t forget the moon and the sun. Their radiant beauty was a constant reminder that God was near. The sea, “vast and spacious” (v.25), is structurally balanced with the celestial realm of creation.

    The crowning part of God’s creation is man himself, to whom He has given life and for which He deserves to be praised and worshipped. David concludes his thoughts by saying, “May the glory of the Lord endure forever."

- Al Behel preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://greatsmokymountainschurchofchrist.com/