Psalm 104: The Hills Smoke
“…O Lord my God, You are very great!” Psalm 104:1a
Our family has been on a journey with our Shepherd in the valley of shadows the past couple weeks, and my soul’s desire is to “make known His deeds among the peoples” (1 Chronicles 16:8). O Lord my God, You are very great!
I’ll spare you all the details (you might not believe it anyway!), but it has felt like a Murphy’s Law hot spot which began with my mother-in-law transitioning to active dying at the same time my own mother was undergoing a risky, sight-saving surgery. We would be taking care of my mom at our house post-surgery while needing to be at my mother-in-law’s bedside two hours away. Pulled in two directions with no idea how anything was possibly going to work out, I told some friends, “We are poised between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army. I got nothin’. Abba is going to have to part some seas, move some mountains, shake some fortifications for us, and I know He is faithful to do that in His own way. We are resting in the very shadow of the Almighty – the Creator of heaven and earth who can do all things! He will direct our steps, and He is already out ahead of us preparing the way He would have us go. We trust Him to work out the details. Just show us where to go and what to do, Lord, and we’re on it…and if we just need to be still for a while as You do the ‘going’ and ‘doing,’ then settle us under Your wing so we can watch You work. We glorify Your holy name and thank You from the depths of our hearts in advance for what we know You will do in us and through us and around us in these circumstances.”
…and our faithful God immediately commenced His marvelous works.
We had no way of knowing then what actually lay in store over the next two weeks. It has been an incredibly wild ride, involving a personal health crisis, trips to the ER, a funeral, estate administration, emptying an apartment into a U-Haul, and a hospitalization as my mom suddenly developed a complete bowel obstruction…for starters. “While they were yet speaking, another messenger came…” (Job 1:18) Things kept coming fast and furious as we were running on fumes. You sometimes wait for the second shoe to drop, but we felt like Imelda Marcos’ shoe collection was being methodically unloaded on us from the back of a dump truck!
We have felt exhausted and at the end of ourselves, but through it all, God has proven that His faithfulness is moment-by-moment. When we are weak, God’s incredible power is made even more manifest (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). We don’t know what lies around this next bend, but we do know our Abba: the Most High God, King of all heaven and earth. He is in full control. The riches of His grace, the depth of His compassion, the power of His indwelling Spirit, the dependability of His counsel, and the steadfastness of His faithfulness form a refuge and shelter for us where we can find rest, solace, provision, and peace. As I fully expected from the outset, God has moved mountains and continues to move mountains in jaw-dropping ways as I lean not on my own understanding — something that can be difficult for a planner and problem-solver like me. He is showing me that even when I have no answers and no resources, His wisdom and economy are limitless, and His grace is more than sufficient. I am learning, growing, and changing in the crucible. And I am in total awe of my Father!
Are you walking through a valley, too? Look full in the wonderful face of God and refresh your own soul with Psalm 104. Savor it. Meditate on it. Apply it to your situation. Walk in light of its truths moment-by-moment with your Good Shepherd. He’s got this, whatever this might be in your life right now.
The awesome God of Psalm 104 who “touches the hills and they smoke” is the One who walks with me, provides for me, hears me, answers me, holds me, knows me, loves me, and utterly amazes me. Our Abba is on the throne forever and ever and ever and ever. “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.”
O Lord my God, You are very great!