“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord.” (Psalm 96:11-13a)

We think of the heavens and earth, the sea, the field, and the forest as being silent and inanimate. Shows what we know. We know so little for a people who think they know so much. Mankind tends to believe that they are in charge of everything and since they have studied everything they know everything. We ought to check on the questions God ask Job when Job got a little too smart.

Man has trouble recognizing where he came from but not the natural world. It at least knows it was created and by whom. That knowledge causes it to express its joy. The rivers clap their hands, and the hills sing for joy (Psalms 98:8). The trees also clap their hands (Isa. 55:12).

Interestingly enough, many primitive people such as the American Natives believe that the Spirit of the Creator lived in all things created. They felt a kindred to creation because they understood that all things were made by the Great Spirit. They expressed what we ignore that God is in everything and everywhere.

Task for Today: Believe that everything you touch was first touched by God. There is nothing new under the sun since it was all made at the very beginning. First, there was God, and then there was everything else. Believe that. Join the created world and clap your hands with gladness. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.