We Don’t Have to Look Far
Yesterday we reflected on Psalm 104. What I love about this Psalm is that it is overflowing with unrestrained praise and celebration. And when you read it, it does something in you… It calls something out of you.
Have you ever noticed, that when you pause to notice and to name the blessings around you, something shifts inside?
Scholars tell us that life in ancient Israel was pretty difficult. When I think about them including this poem, this song in the heart of their sacred scriptures, I can imagine how the world around them must have often felt so uncertain and unpredictable. In an agrarian society, they faced drought, floods, heat and freezing rain. We also know that they constantly faced threats from foreign powers – and often found themselves just beyond their ability to cope.
We know what that’s like, don’t we?
To hear this Psalm read, for them, was to invite to them to remember that even in the midst of all of this, that even in the most dire circumstances- there is still good, and order and beauty in the world. And that if our eyes are open, we can’t fail to see the hand of God providing.
Really we don’t have to look far, do we?
In the Psalm, the birds sing. The Leviathan plays. Wine and bread gladden and strengthen the human heart. When God opens his hands, we are filled with good things.
I think about the blessing of friendship, the love of family, the simple joy of giving, the hope inherent in the sharing of a meal, of sharing laughter and even tears.
May we join the Psalmist in noticing the good and beauty ever present in the world around us. And may we too give thanks and praise.
Let us pray: Open our eyes, O God, to the beauty and good in the world around us, even here, even now. Amen.

Daily Message Author: Joe Albright
Joe began his ministry in Sarasota, Florida as an associate pastor, and it was in this capacity that he worked alongside the Reverend Dr. Roger Kunkel. Roger was a colleague who became a mentor and treasured friend. From Sarasota, Joe was called to Jacksonville, Florida where he served as the Head of Staff at Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church. Currently, Joe and his family worship and serve at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Switzerland, Florida. Full Bio