Day 14: Psalm 104

The other night we were on a walk with our boys around the neighborhood as we frequently do, and I was struck by how many snails and other bugs I saw on the ground.

Of course, to three boys under ten, they wanted to collect every living creature and bring it home. As a dad who’s trying to bend the rules during quarantine, I allotted them one creature. They chose a snail and named him (or her) Tilly. The last few days I’ve been amazed at how much joy the snails that are out have brought the kids. It’s as if they are wired to notice the details of God’s creation. Psalm 104 says in verses 24-25:

How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—  living things both large and small.

In a way, what my boys are experiencing is worship. I don’t mean in the way that a pantheist would, that God is everything. I mean in the way the Psalmist declares that God is in everything, but it is His creation. This Easter, we may not have the opportunity to do what we normally do, but we do have the opportunity to notice the infinite wisdom of God that is all around us. When we notice, awe, and ponder the variety and beauty of creation it is a way of celebrating and worshiping Jesus himself. Today, as you go on a walk, notice the leaves, hills, and the budding of Spring.

The reality of Easter isn’t happening in a building, but it is happening in Creation. God cannot be quieted. He has written the Easter story into the fabric of the cosmos, down to every last detail. Including a snail.

Jared