Psalm 146:1-6
We live in an era when the earth itself cries out for justice. In February of 2020, Antarctica reached the highest temperature ever recorded at nearly 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Days of these warm temperatures brought widespread glacial melting. Larger and more violent hurricanes ravage coastlines each year; drought brings more—and more deadly—wildfires. All the while, we continue to disrupt the land with more deforestation and construction, and the oceans are filling with plastics that take hundreds of years to decompose. Humanity’s booming populations and continued widespread use of limited resources has brought us to the precipice of damage we may not be able to reverse.
Writing years before our era, the psalmist declares a message we need to heed now. God is our only true help, so Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help (v. 3). The psalm proclaims that we need God’s help, that we have messed up the good gifts for which we were supposed to be stewards.
God placed the care of the creation into our hands, trusting us to see God’s own creativity in the land, sea, and creatures all around us. It is not too late to turn, to repent of sins against our fragile earth and, as caretakers of it, pledge to do better. Just as God’s Spirit moves in creation, so may it move in us to protect that creation and to seek God’s help in doing so.
Consider
What actions could you take to appreciate and protect God’s creation?
Pray
God, give us the wisdom to see how we’ve failed to care for your creation. Help us repent and act with compassion and strength to protect the gifts you have made and offered the world. Amen.