After four years of living within shouting distance of the ocean, I moved back to the prairie in the upper Midwest. The great expanses of sea and grasslands bring distinct images to mind when reading and reflecting on this psalm.

I loved the feeling of waves breaking over my feet and watching the sun move in and out of clouds, creating new patterns of light on the water when I lived in Florida. Even if my head was full of thoughts of work, the magnitude of the sea and sky grounded me again in gratitude for the gift of creation.

And the prairie is no less extravagant in displaying God’s glory. Snow-covered fields tinged with the blue from the reflection of the sky fill me with thankfulness for the ability to see such beauty. I am reminded by those same fields covered in corn in summer that what I most appreciate in nature is change. I am renewed along with the landscape as the tight bud opens to a flower and the leaf that was the brightest green in spring changes to brilliant red in a matter of months.

Recent scientific studies have recommended time in nature as good for mental and physical health, but watching the Spirit renew creation through the seasons is more than support for my well-being. It is a reminder that I am connected to creation through the One who orchestrated it and sustains it. It is the Spirit’s call to recognize that others lack not only the beautiful vistas I take for granted, but safe water, clean air, and arable land—the essentials of life on this planet. It is our obligation to safeguard this gift for our children and their children so that they may behold God’s glory in creation and praise its maker.