This psalm ebbs and flows between observations of nature, God’s first revelations, and our response to them with childlike wonder. From the most minute grain of sand to the magnificence of the stars, God’s handiwork defies description. No human mind can fathom the beauty and order found in the universe. Only the wisdom of God could have calibrated the mysterious movements of the heavens and the earth, their violent upheavals and subsequent restorations.

Stand at the edge of the ocean and try to imagine the creatures inhabiting it and every crevice of creation. Look at the sand crabs crawling swiftly to safety as seagulls swoop to have their fill. From killer whales weighing tons to bait fish light as a feather—all that God has made, great and small, gives praise to the Almighty and looks on high for sustenance and protection.

So generous is the Divine, so loving and reliable, that it hurts us when God seems to turn away. This apparent absence, though usually a sign of God’s deeper presence, leaves us feeling as if this bout of aridity will never end. Our hands and hearts are empty. When will the Holy fill them?

We respond to this divine-human game of hide-and-seek with heartfelt prayer. We beseech God to renew the face of the earth; to let us plant seeds of faith, hope, and love in family life, church, and society; to gather us around the Communion table to share the bread and wine that nourishes us in body and soul. With every breath we pray that God will send the Spirit to grace us anew. Only then can we integrate sanctity and service, worship and work, presence and participation in fidelity to our calling in Christ.