Praising God is never to be a perfunctory matter. In the Old Testament, the exhortation is to “sing to the Lord with thanksgiving” (Psalm 147:7); in the New Testament, it is to sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord, “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20).
Psalm 147:8-9 gives four reasons why such praise of God is befitting:
- God “covers the heavens with clouds.” Imagine what a barren and parched land we would have without the atmosphere which encircles our planet.
- God “prepares rain for the earth.” Plant and animal life require adequate water. Without this simple blessing, all life would vanish off our planet. Earth’s water cycle is the most extensive and impressive ongoing recycling project ever constructed.
- God “makes grass to grow on the mountains.” Vegetation is essential to a mountain’s biome. Without it, massive mudslides would increase in severity and frequency.
- God “gives to the beasts its food and to the young ravens that cry.” The delicate ecology of the food chain enables land and air animals to be fruitful and multiply, avoiding extinction and improving humanity’s existence.
Because the water cycle, nature’s ubiquitous ecology, and the food chain are so fundamental to our existence, they are not usually pondered when one reflects upon God’s praiseworthiness. But even a brief contemplation of the vital role that the clouds, rain, and grass have in our daily existence, it ought to result in our fervent thanksgiving to the Lord.
