The psalmist had called on all created things to give
praise to God. Since everything created
was made by God and owes its existence to God, then in whatever way inanimate
creation can praise, they are called upon to do so. Rocks and trees and stars and snow and rain
and wind are all to bring their praise to their creator. Perhaps we can see this in part on the
tumultuous Sea of Galilee when Jesus was asleep in the boat. The storm raged, but when He awoke and told
it to be still, it gave Him the greatest praise of obedience.
There is another part of creation that we draw much
closer to emotionally. That is the creation of other breathing things. People have adopted all manner of creatures
as pets and expend a lot of love on caring for them. God even issues a clear statement in Proverbs
that we are to care for the beasts we have in our care. Still, we seldom see them in terms of God
praising creatures. The psalmist again
raised our sights to see things differently.
Into this setting we bring the great medieval monk St.
Francis of Assisi. One of my
grandchildren’s favorite stories that they want me to read them is St. Francis
and the Wolf. Francis is known for not
only ministering to the needy of humankind but also preaching love to animal
kind. While the Scriptures are not
particularly supportive of all that Francis did, they do fully commend his call
for all creatures of God to sing Him praises.
His great hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King”, is a paraphrase of
Psalm 148. In it he reminds us that God
expects the glory of praise from every created thing. They are all called upon to give Him the
praise of obedience and also thanksgiving for their creation.
We can all draw joy and inspiration for our own praise
as we reflect on a few of the verses from St. Francis’ song of praise.
All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice
and with us sing, Alleluia
Ye burning sun with golden beam, thou silver moon with
softer gleam, O Praise Him, Alleluia
Thou flowing water pure and clear, make music for the
Lord to hear, Alleluia
Thou fire so masterful and bright, that giveth men both
warmth and light, O Praise Him, Alleluia
Let all things their Creator bless, And worship Him in
humbleness, O Praise Him
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise
the Spirit, Three in One, O Praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia
You can
contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net
You may also
find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/
You may also
enjoy my new Gospel dog blog, The Gospel According to Molly
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