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I was reading Psalm 65 the other day. In it, the psalmist speaks about receiving God's answer to prayer, his forgiveness for transgressions, and his blessing. He then writes, "You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Saviour . . . "

When I think of "awesome and righteous deeds" I tend to think of things that are either physically or spiritually miraculous:  dead raised to life; wicked person turned generous; politician turned honest* - that kind of thing.

But when I continued reading the Psalm, those aren't the kind of "awesome and righteous deeds" that follow. Here are some of the things the psalmist reflects on:

  • Forming of mountains
  • A storm at sea calming
  • Morning dawning and evening fading
  • Rain for the land
  • Streams for irrigation
  • Farmers fields thriving
  • Grasslands overflowing
  • Flocks filling meadows
  • Grain growing

Outside of maybe the formation of mountains, the rest are common occurrences - even mundane things. They are everyday realities, but the Psalmist is celebrating them as awesome and righteous acts of God.

As I reflect on that, I love that description. The truth is that it is amazing that the sun "rises" and "sets" every day. It is awesome how rain forms and plants grow. And they are "righteous acts of God" because they truly reflect the world operating at its best . . . flourishing and thriving as God intended it to be in the beginning.

As I reflect on that, I also realize how quickly I miss the gloriousness in the everyday. How ice freezes and floats. How the sun warms our planet. How children grow. How bodies heal. How laughter soothes. 

God's awesome and righteous acts aren't done just for me or us or even for humanity. They benefit the whole earth and the whole earth thrives because of God's work.

God, please help me to keep my eyes open and to see you and celebrate you in the regular, everyday events of life. Thank you for your awesome and righteous deeds, God our Saviour!

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*Just a joke!