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

Have you ever flown in an airplane? My favorite part is just a few minutes before landing when you get to see the network of roads, rivers, and buildings. For a moment you can see the activity of thousands of people. Cars are following each other like ants. From above it looks like everyone is happily going along their way; there is no anger, no fighting, no illness, no fear.

The Psalmist paints a similar picture of creation. In God’s wisdom everything happily fits together in perfect sync. All of creation is fed by the hand of God.

But when the wheels touch down our perspective shifts. Reality creeps back in. The toils and troubles of each day take root again. In these moments it may feel like God is absent and that God is withholding the food we’ve come to wait on expectantly.

Scripture reminds us time and again that God is ever-present, and that we’re God’s beloved children. When we lay aside the anxieties that keep us from seeing God’s face, we can be the God-food for a world that needs more love and less fear.

Daniel Ingram

Pray

God of wisdom and kindness, forgive me when my fears distract me from feeling your presence. Help me to be a witness of Christ’s sacrificial love by giving of myself to a hungry world. Fill me and pour me out. Amen.

Go

Spread the news of Christ into your corners of the world.

Don’t worry about whether you have what it takes.

You are God’s beloved child, and you have been gifted with all you need to follow Jesus faithfully.

Fear less and love more.