Your Backyard - God's Holy Ground

Friend, You are Standing on Holy Ground

As I meditated upon and journaled through this Psalm, I was struck by the manifold wisdom of God when He designed the earth and all that is in it.

Did you ever think to yourself, when you step into your backyard, you are literally stepping on God's Holy ground.

Let Psalm 104 explain...

O Lord My God, You Are Very Great

Psalm 104 

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

    O Lord my God, you are very great!

You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

2     covering yourself with light as with a garment,

    stretching out the heavens like a tent.

3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;

he makes the clouds his chariot;

    he rides on the wings of the wind;

4 he makes his messengers winds,

    his ministers a flaming fire.

5 He set the earth on its foundations,

    so that it should never be moved.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;

    the waters stood above the mountains.

7 At your rebuke they fled;

    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.

8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down

    to the place that you appointed for them.

9 You set a boundary that they may not pass,

    so that they might not again cover the earth.

10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;

    they flow between the hills;

11 they give drink to every beast of the field;

    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;

    they sing among the branches.

13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;

    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock

    and plants for man to cultivate,

that he may bring forth food from the earth

15     and wine to gladden the heart of man,

oil to make his face shine

    and bread to strengthen man's heart.

16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,

    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17 In them the birds build their nests;

    the stork has her home in the fir trees.

18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;

    the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons;[a]

    the sun knows its time for setting.

20 You make darkness, and it is night,

    when all the beasts of the forest creep about.

21 The young lions roar for their prey,

    seeking their food from God.

22 When the sun rises, they steal away

    and lie down in their dens.

23 Man goes out to his work

    and to his labor until the evening.

24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!

    In wisdom have you made them all;

    the earth is full of your creatures.

25 Here is the sea, great and wide,

    which teems with creatures innumerable,

    living things both small and great.

26 There go the ships,

    and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.[b]

27 These all look to you,

    to give them their food in due season.

28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;

    when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;

    when you take away their breath, they die

    and return to their dust.

30 When you send forth your Spirit,[c] they are created,

    and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;

    may the Lord rejoice in his works,

32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,

    who touches the mountains and they smoke!

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,

    for I rejoice in the Lord.

35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,

    and let the wicked be no more!

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Praise the Lord!

God's Holy Ground Speaks of His Love and Perfect Design

We see His fingerprints over every living thing.  From the grass in the field to the mountains that touch the Heavens, let alone the creatures of the Earth.  All designed to inhabit their specific territory, partake of God's special provision to sustain their lives, and instinctively look to God for their food in due season.

In God's infinite wisdom, He ordained the timeline of the work of His animal kingdom and the work of the creatures He created in His own image; one to work by night and the other to work by day.

How amazing is it that the God of the universe built play into the activities of His creation; forming the great sea for the Leviathan to play in.  We've all watched National Geographic programs that show sweet baby animals rolling around playing with each other.  In fact, just last week my husband and I watched three baby skunks playfully wrestling with one another - from a safe distance, of course.  ;-)

{I wrote about spiritual instincts in my post Spiritual Instincts:  We are designed for SUCCESS! which you can read HERE.}

God's loving care is evident throughout every facet of His creation, all meant to sustain, shield, protect, provide and delight. 

Anyone who steps out even into his own backyard is without excuse to not see and acknowledge that there is a God.

Your backyard is holy ground.  A place to praise God for His perfect design in all things.  A constant reminder of all that He has created for you to enjoy.

Oh what a God we serve!  A God who desires to please our eyes with such beauty, delight us with His perfect design and sustain us through His creation.

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

The sun comes up

It's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass

And whatever lies before me

Let me be singing

When the evening comes

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

You're rich in love

And You're slow to anger

Your name is great

And Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness

I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons

For my heart to find

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

Bless You Lord

And on that day

When my strength is failing

The end draws near

And my time has come

Still my soul will

Sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years

And then forevermore

Forevermore

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

Yes I'll worship Your Holy name

I'll worship Your Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

Jesus I will worship Your Holy name

Worship Your Holy name

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)

Jonas Myrin/Matt Redman

The next time you step into your backyard, rejoice in His works, sing praises to the Lord, and meditate upon His goodness.

For you are standing on God's Holy Ground!

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