King of Creation
Pause:
Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus.
Pray and ask him to open your eyes to see as you read the Scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.
Read:
1 Colossians 1:15-20: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Psalm 95:2-6:
‘Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!’
Going Deeper:
I LOVE the outdoors. Seriously. I thrive in the sun. I delight in the rain (most of the time). One of my favourite things to spend my time and energy doing is running in the hills and mountains surrounding the San Fernando Valley. What a glorious way to see the land around us, moving through it with a degree of slowness and intentionality. We revel, being in awe of the structures of rock that tower above, marveling at the beauty of the wildflowers, a thick garden planted by our creator. I am often left with a soul bursting gratitude and praise to the King of All Creation.
This is my experience. However in the indoors of the majority of my days I can struggle to worship God with the same fervor. I am guilty of thinking too little and too often of my Christ.
I have been getting into liturgies lately. I find my own prayer life can be lame and my words often feeble so I have found great comfort, structure and encouragement from the written prayers of fellow human saints.
I’d like to refer to one of my favourite liturgies. ‘A liturgy of Praise to the King of Creation’ is from Every Moment Holy Volume 1 by Douglas McKelvey. This book is a pure delight. In this liturgy he declares our Lord as King over all creation in titles that I had never formed in my mind before. For example;
‘God of the Valleys,
The Wildflower King,
Commander of Rhinos,
Ruler of All Hummingbirds,
The Lord of Gravity,
King of Orion,
The Wine King,
The King of California,
Lord of Speeding Light,
Maker of All Weathers,
Christ, you are the Snow King.
The King of the Southern Cross’
And the list goes on. The first time I read the many titles of our God, I smiled as I imagined our Lord delighting in these things. Delighting in the hummingbirds, loving the wildflowers and placing the stars of the Orion constellation in place. I praised him for creation from the comfort of my couch.
In 1 Colossians Paul writes that ‘all things were created through him (Christ) and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.’
We have all creation being held together by our Creator. It’s all from him and for him, for his glory. David clearly is also a lover of the outdoors and regulatory sites creation as a catalyst to worshiping God. ‘In his hand are the depths of the earth, the heights of the mountains are his also…Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!’.
Perhaps you’re not too keen on the outdoors, and that’s okay. You’re still surrounded by creation, in the people you are with, your indoor plant (better water that), the clouds in the sky above, the trees in your neighbourhood.
My little challenge to you today, is to pretty much stop and smell the roses. Quite literally. I’d encourage you to stop long enough to notice creation wherever you are. Then praise God as David does.
Notice. Wonder. Delight. Praise.
Isn’t it wildly comforting to know that God who holds the universe together is still and always will be in full control, that we actually know how the story ends. As the above mentioned liturgy states to finish ‘There is no corner of creation you will not fail to redeem. You are Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, O Jesus Chirst, our King of Everything.’
May the glories of creation bring us to our knees in utter worship to He who is the most worthy.
Pray:
Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to you from this passage this morning.
Listen:
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you this morning?
Apply:
What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and by the Spirit?