For Reading and Meditation:
Psalm 104:1-35
Now we consider God's might and power in the act of preservation. No creature has power to preserve itself. "Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?" asked Job (Job 8:11). Both man and beast would perish if there were no food, and there would be no food if the earth were not refreshed with fruitful showers. As one preacher put it: "We came from God's hand and we remain in His hand." Think of the marvel of life in the womb. How an infant can live for so many months in such a cramped environment - and without breathing - is unaccountable except for the power of God in preservation. It was divine preservation Daniel was thinking of when he said to the godless Belshazzar: "You did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways" (Daniel 5:23). Everywhere in the Scriptures God is presented not only as the Creator of the world but as its Sustainer and Preserver also. God has not wound up the universe like a clock and then separated Himself from it; He is active in sustaining it, and were He to remove Himself from it, it would cease to exist. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that He is "upholding all things by the word of his power" (1:3, KJV). If the maker of some artifact were to die, his death would make no difference to it. It would continue to exist just as it did before. Not so with God and His world, however. If God were to die the universe would fall to pieces. But don't worry - God cannot die. The universe is quite secure.
O God, when I consider how You are my Sustainer and my Preserver my heart is humbled before You. You cannot die and because I am linked to You, I cannot die. I know my body will die but my soul is Yours - forever. Thank You dear Father. Amen.