Dust In The Wind

Psalm 104:24-35

24O LORD, what a variety of things you have made!

In wisdom you have made them all.

The earth is full of your creatures.

25Here is the ocean, vast and wide,

teeming with life of every kind,

both great and small.

26See the ships sailing along,

and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.

27Every one of these depends on you

to give them their food as they need it.

28When you supply it, they gather it.

You open your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied.

29But if you turn away from them, they panic.

When you take away their breath, they die

and turn again to dust.

30When you send your Spirit, new life is born

to replenish all the living of the earth.

31May the glory of the LORD last forever!

The LORD rejoices in all he has made!

32The earth trembles at his glance;

the mountains burst into flame at his touch.

33I will sing to the LORD as long as I live.

I will praise my God to my last breath!

34May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him,

for I rejoice in the LORD.

35Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;

let the wicked disappear forever.

As for me—I will praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD!

Lady Jane Grey was caught in the middle of a political-religious war in England. It was Catholic versus Protestant in the sixteenth century, and she (a Protestant) was suddenly crowned queen. She held the title for nine days. Then she was deposed, held prisoner, and condemned to death.

Shortly before her execution, she wrote to her father, reassuring him that all would be well. She used Psalm 104:29-30. Yes, she was telling him, people die and return to dust. But the Spirit brings new life. That’s what she was counting on.

The psalmist is using a very old image. Making the first man, God molded him from the dust of the earth and then breathed into him, giving him life (Genesis 2:7). The word for “spirit” also means “breath” or “wind.”

A popular song from a few decades ago was entitled “(All We Are Is) Dust in the Wind.” It sounds pretty depressing, but for Christians this title speaks of hope, for if the “Wind” (Spirit) of God blows on us, we know that we will be filled with life. It only makes sense to “praise [our] God to [our] last breath!”

Through all eternity to Thee

A joyful song I’ll raise;

But O! eternity’s too short

To utter all Thy praise.

JOHN ADDISON

Bible Networking

In Scripture the sea (verse 26) is always awe inspiring. Read Job 38:16 and Psalm 74:13.

Notable Quotable

“This psalm . . . never loses sight of the sheer majesty and holiness of God, and at the same time . . . sees that God is in the world which he has made.”

WILLIAM BARCLAY