The Book of Psalms is filled with variety. Just as an artist uses many colors of the palette for different purposes, so the Spirit of God uses the psalmists to portray different themes. Some psalms are like narrative ballads, telling a particular story of God’s ways among His people. Among those narrative psalms, we find Psalms 104–107. Each is beautiful in its own right; and as a group, they tell the sweeping story of God’s redemptive work, calling us to respond.

Psalm 104 starts with creation. Here we find the God of majesty, creativity, and design. He laid earth’s foundations, then renewed the world after the great flood (Ps. 104:5–9). His water springs provide for the beasts and the birds. There are grasses for cattle and crops for mankind—wine, oil, and bread to give joy and strength (vv. 10–18). Cedars and fir trees become homes for nesting birds; the hills are for wild goats, the cliffs for small creatures who hide in the rocks. At night, forest predators seek food from God; in the daytime, they rest (vv. 19–23). The sea teems with life, and ships sail upon the waters where great sea creatures play (vv. 24–26).

Such perfection is found in God’s design! All things have purpose, and nothing is wasted. Although sin is present, creation’s glory still reveals God’s eternal power (Rom. 1:20). In that light, our psalmist suddenly becomes more than a bystander: “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live,” he says. “May my meditation be sweet to Him … May sinners be consumed from the earth” (vv. 33–35).

We are not intended to be mere observers of God’s creativity. We understand that this majestic God makes moral judgments as well, and we are responsible to Him. Therefore we join with the psalmist at the close: “Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!”