Pray the Scriptures, July 12
Psalm 104
Lord God,
My soul will praise you, for you are a very great God. You are clothed with splendor and majesty, and you wrap yourself in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent and lay the beams of your upper chambers on their waters. You have made the moon to mark the seasons, and you have assigned to the sun its time for setting.
You make the clouds your chariot and ride on the wings of the wind. The winds are your messengers, and flames of fire your servants.
You set the earth on its foundations so that it can never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment, and the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke, the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder, they took to flight and flowed into the places you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross, so that never again will they cover the earth.
You water the mountains from your upper chambers, and the earth is satisfied by the fruit of your work. You give water to all the beasts of the field, and make grass grow for the cattle and plants for man to cultivate. Your wine gladdens our hearts, your oil makes our faces shine, and your bread strengthens our hearts.
How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom, you made them all. The earth is full of your creatures, and the sea, vast and spacious, teems with creatures beyond number. When you open your hand, we are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, we are dismayed. When you take away our breath, we die and return to the dust. When you send forth your Spirit, we are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
May your glory endure forever. May you rejoice in your works, for you look on the earth and it trembles, you touch the mountains and they smoke. I will sing praise to you while I have being, as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to you, as I rejoice in you. But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. My soul praises you, yes, my soul praises the Lord. Amen.