Pause

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

Edward Mote in “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less” (1834)

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Listen

When I look up at your skies, at what your fingers made— the moon and the stars that you set firmly in place— what are human beings that you think about them; what are human beings that you pay attention to them? You’ve made them only slightly less than divine, crowning them with glory and grandeur. You’ve let them rule over your handiwork, putting everything under their feet— all sheep and all cattle, the wild animals too, the birds in the sky, the fish of the ocean, everything that travels the pathways of the sea. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!

Psalm 8:3-9

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Think

Have you ever seen something in nature that is so amazing that it takes your breath away or leaves you speechless? I feel this way when I see giant red rock formations jutting out of the desert floor in Nevada and Utah. Or when I see big blue herons quietly soar over the James River in Virginia.

We could each create a long list of things whose beauty leaves us speechless. The Psalmist makes a list as well: the moon, stars, cattle, birds, fish — all of which inspire our awe and wonder. This Psalm is a call to wonder — but not just a call to wonder at creation itself. It is a call to praise the grandeur of the One who created such beauty in the first place.

And humans? — we are like God, but we are not God. And, we’ve been given a holy task: to care for the earth the very way God does. This requires care and protection, not destruction. When we praise God, our only response can be care.

Erin Spengeman Hutchison

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Pray

God of Grandeur, Power, and Magnificence, I am in awe of you. I am in awe of the amazing things you have created. May I pause to see the beauty in your creation today, and I pray that I will care for your world the way you do. Amen.

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Go

There will be winds that blow against you, like storms against a lighthouse.

But go, knowing that the very Spirit of God is within you, stirring you to be brave, love always, and stand firm in God’s grace.