There are countless times we’ve had to deal with life’s issues that the last thing we do is to rejoice. In fact, the challenges of life can make you so sad that praising God becomes a chore instead of a lifestyle. We live in a fast changing and a fast moving world and instead of relying on one another, loneliness has become a norm. We have been drawn so close by technology that we are more distant than ever. Such an irony! Life is lived virtually, we work virtually, we check up on people virtually, we study and write exams virtually and sometimes we celebrate others virtually. I have attended weddings, churches, funerals, parties, launches etc. virtually. How do we come together to rejoice when we barely see each other? Maybe we could learn from nature. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. (Psalms 96:11-12) Imagine a party in the heavens, a celebration on earth, a jamboree in the sea, a matching band of the fields and the singing trees! It sounds unrealistic right? But, creation rejoices each day before the Lord. The heavens and all the hosts in it declare the glory of the Lord. They sing to the Lord a new song. Aurora borealis, the shooting stars, the stars, the moon and the sun rejoice in their radiance. In the depth of the sea, the waves give a signal and all the fishes jump in glory. The trees on the fields wave in celebration of the glory of God. The Lord deserves all praise and the Psalmist proclaimed in Psalms 96:11-13, “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.” When we understand that everything was made for His glory, we will be careful to take care of creation. Humanity has been given dominion over created things and we should not use our dominance to destroy but to preserve. Afterall, Genesis 9:3 confirms that the plants and the animals have been given as food: “Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.” However, we have also been tasked to be fruitful as well. If we want to see the trees in the field continuously rejoicing in the Lord, then when we fell a tree to make books, firewood etc. we should make sure that another tree or more trees are planted in its place. The party in the sea will cease if we only pour acidic contents into the ocean destroying living things in the sea. We might not enjoy the party in the heavens if our attitudes cause a depletion of the ozone layer putting humans, animals, the environment and marine lives at risk. God will judge all our actions (Romans 2:6) and we don’t want to be in His bad books because of our attitudes. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. (Psalms 96:13)
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