Discussion Questions
Psalm 148 talks about how things in God's world praise Him. How does a fruit tree praise God? How about a cow? What does an old man do to praise God? Whavehat can a child do?
Go outside on a sunny day and look up at the clouds moving across the blue sky. Do you see how each one is different? How they move and how some bump into others? Look again in five minutes and you'l see a whole new sky no one has ever seen before or will ever see again. One God created just for that moment. How else does God's creation change?
You are God's creation. He made you just right. God doesn't make junk, He makes masterpieces. How are you God's masterpiece? Why do you think He took the time to make you special?
Full Transcript
Psalm 148
Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
6 and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,[b]
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord
For the entire month of June Bloom Kids Treehouse is looking for God in nature! Warm weather is finally here. The grass is green, trees have leaves again, flowers are blooming everywhere, we can hear the sound of birdsong and crickets and frogs.
We know that God created the heavens and the earth. The very first verse of the Bible tells us that right up front. You don't get past page one before you find out that God created it all. Everything in the entire universe--everything huge like a galaxy and everything tiny like germ--God created it. But do you ever think about how nature praises God? How animals, plants, water all respond to God? As we dig into the scriptures this month we will learn that everything created by God can recognize his voice, respond to him, and bring him glory. I am praying that we all will have eyes to see God's masterpieces all around us in creation, and to see how creation praises God. From mighty oak trees to silly puppy dogs!
God delights in his creation. He wants us to delight in it too. God delights in the way a dog uses his keen sniffery nose to find a squirrel to chase, or maybe a bite of food dropped on the floor. God delights in the intricate web of a spider, the mastery of design, the strength of the webbing. God delights in the dandelions that appear each spring without being planted or invited. Now, I'm not saying everyone has to love weeds! I'm just saying that God does.
And I think that's good news. It's really good news for us that God loves weeds and spider webs and sniffy dogs and snowflakes. These are all things that we complain about sometimes. The dog who begs at the dinner table because his sniffy nose told him you're eating hamburgers tonight. The spiderwebs in the corner of the room, just out of reach and collecting dust. Or the creeeepy spider webs with the creeepy spiders. I get it--I'm not a fan. The snow that dares to fall when we are ready and waiting for spring. The dandelions that make our lawns look less than perfect. These are all things that bother us. That annoy us. That we would do without sometimes....even if we really love our doggos.
God loves all of those things and more. He created them to bring him delight, as well as serve a purpose in the wide world of his creation. This is good news for us because God delights in us too....even when it feels like people would rather do without us sometimes. We all feel that way from time to time. When you've gotten on mom's nerves just one time too many that day. When dad comes home from work grumpy and everything you do is making him worse. When your sister gets so mad at you she says she hates you. When your friends leave you out of their games. When you don't get a good grade at school, or strike out at baseball, or just...mess up. Have you ever experienced any of those things? I have. Even as a grown up I feel that way sometimes.
But God still delights in me. He created me just the way I am on purpose! He gave me a unique combination of talents, ideas, weaknesses, interests, and personality that no one else on earth has ever had. And he created you to be unique too! It's not just okay that you're not like everyone else--it's spectacular! It's awesome! God delights in you every single day. And you can bring praise to him just by being who he created you to be.
It would be silly if a spider stopped spinning webs and tried to sniff like a dog. It would be even more ridiculous if a dog stopped sniffering and tried to spin webs! Go ahead, try to picture a dog spinning a spider's web. It's silly, isn't it? God didn't create them to do those things. A snowflake can't be a dandelion that grows in the spring, and a dandelion can't be a snowflake that falls from a cold winter sky. They have to do what they were created to do when they were created to do it. And so do we.
My challenge to you this week is to walk really slowly around your yard or neighborhood. Look for the little things in nature that you usually miss. You might spy teeny tiny flowers growing in your yard.. You might spy a bird's nest in a tree. You might notice a lady bug or a snail. Maybe you'll look up into the sky at night and notice the stars. Or how the moon changes from one night to the next. And as you observe the wonders of creation all around us, I want you to delight in them. Look at them the way God does, as something he designed on purpose and with a purpose. Thank God for his creation. And then, thank God for creating you. Take time to notice how you are made. Your likes and dislikes, interest and ideas, your beautiful eyes and your happy smile. Thank God for making you just the way you are and ask him to start showing you why he made you that way. The biggest adventure of your life is with God as he reveals why he made you and just how much he loves you.
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