Listen

Lord, you have done so many things! You made them all so wisely! The earth is full of your creations! And then there’s the sea, wide and deep, with its countless creatures— living things both small and large. There go the ships on it, and Leviathan, which you made, plays in it! All your creations wait for you to give them their food on time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled completely full! But when you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to dust. When you let loose your breath, they are created, and you make the surface of the ground brand-new again.

Let the Lord’s glory last forever! Let the Lord rejoice in all he has made!

Psalm 104:24-31

Think

How fitting is this celebratory passage as we end our contemplation of the work of the Spirit this week? God is Spirit, and here the Psalmist rejoices at the Spirit’s work. The Psalmist acknowledges that all life comes from the Spirit.

The Psalmist makes reference to the breath of God. The breath that the Psalmist describes is the same breath that moved over the disciples at Pentecost, and it is the same breath that God breathed into the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel. Much like the valley of dry bones that was devoid of God’s presence and love, the Psalmist observes that when God’s breath is taken away creatures “die and return to dust.” It is the breath, the work of the Spirit that, when let loose, brings about Creation. Breath is life-giving, and the Psalmist rejoices in this.

Take a moment today to rejoice and celebrate the ways that God is giving you new life!

Katie Cashwell

Pray

Holy God, I breathe in life, and I breathe out life to others. Be with me this day. Amen.

Go

“Spirit, spirit of gentleness,
Blow through the wilderness, calling and free.
Spirit, spirit of restlessness,
Stir me from placidness, Wind, wind on the sea.”

James K. Manley, "Spirit,” 1978