Psalm 97 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 97 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
Verse 2Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Verse 3Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side.
Verse 4His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
Verse 5The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
Verse 6The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory.
Verse 7All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him.
Verse 8Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O God.
Verse 9For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
Verse 10The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
Verse 11Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
Verse 12Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
Devotion
Growing up in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains allowed frequent visits to Glacier National Park. So I have a sense of what the psalmist is feeling when the psalmist says, "The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice." I have experienced the joy of nature giving glory to God as part of my earliest awakenings of religious faith—long before I was baptized into Christ as an adult.
However, when Pope Francis and others suggest that climate change is casting a shadow over our human future here on earth, threatening impoverishment and human trafficking for many of the earth's children, it seems that our rejoicing in the Lord needs also to include concern for the care of the earth and all of its creatures. Our giving thanks for God’s holy name surely must include changes in our behavior and systems as we celebrate the beauty of our blue planet.
Prayer
Lord of Creation and Sabbath rest, give us an earth-honoring faith that allows us to rejoice with you and all the earth as we give thanks for your holy name. Amen.