Daily Devotions
“Sing praise to God, the highest good, the Author of creation, The God of love who understood our need for His salvation. With healing balm our souls He fills and ev’ry faithless murmur stills: To God all praise and glory!
“What God’s almighty pow’r has made, in mercy He is keeping. By morning glow or evening shade His eye is never sleeping. Within the kingdom of His might all things are just and good and right: To God all praise and glory!”
According to a false understanding of God called deism, God created the world but then withdrew from His creation, leaving it to run on its own. The God of deism would not involve Himself in the world He made. That God is not the God revealed in Holy Scripture, the Triune God in whom we believe. Our hymn praises our Creator for His continuing care for His creation: “What God’s almighty pow’r has made, in mercy He is keeping.” God clothes the lilies of the field in colors more glorious than the royal robes of King Solomon. Our Creator feeds the birds of the air. Not even one sparrow falls to the ground apart from His knowledge (see Matthew 6:28-30, 10:29). God provides sunlight and rain, causing “the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate” (Psalm 104:14a). God is very “hands on” in the world He made.
Our loving God is not just involved with the sun and rain and growing crops. He is “the God of love who understood our need for His salvation.” The people God created chose to disobey His commands. His wonderful creation was marred and corrupted by sin and death, and we too sin daily against our Creator. Our God, who is completely involved in His creation, sent His Son into the world to be our Savior. Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, came into this sin-stained world. His loving hands healed the sick and gave sight to the blind. Finally, those hands were nailed to a cross. Jesus suffered, died, and rose to life for us. He fills our souls with the “healing balm” of His forgiveness.
By faith we have been created anew in Jesus, and “the Author of creation” is still very much hands-on in our lives. Remembering our Creator’s care for the birds and lilies, we do not need to be anxious about the troubles of daily life. At all times, God keeps us in His unwavering care, and “His eye is never sleeping.” Even though we may not always know or understand God’s purpose and His plans for us, we can be confident because we live in His kingdom, where “all things are just and good and right: to God all praise and glory!”
WE PRAY: Lord God, Author of creation, keep me in Your merciful care. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good,” which is number 819 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. When you create or build something, what aspects are you most concerned with? Why?
2. How does Jesus’ birth show God’s involvement in creation? Why was this important to Him?
3. When life is difficult, what comfort does a verse like Jeremiah 32:17 give you?