Tap here for a video meditation on Psalm 96.
[From the version for families with children]
We humans are the only ones that get into bad moods. The rest of creation perfectly expresses the joy in being created. One of the ways of getting out of a bad mood is to be aware of what’s outside yourself: the physical world and all that’s in it.
Yet in the verses 11 and 12 of the psalm, the word “Let” us used five times when the sacred writer tells us to let the earth be glad. Hmm…so it seems that in some way, creation waits for us to do this—to get out of our bad moods to allow the creatures of God to be who they are! Maybe this is part of what it means when God put Adam in charge of all the animals. It was Adam’s and our job, not to subdue animals and have them serve us, but rather to be the one that sets them free to be themselves and to add praises to God for them.
Today’s psalm invites you to become a composer: Sing a new song to the Lord. You might begin to hum or sing in a spontaneous way, just as do the birds and the sound of the wind in the trees. In this way, we become with all the animals of the forest who are like our sisters and brothers!
What are Bible Breaths? Learn More
We follow a reading of the Psalms in numerical order.
For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook. You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information
The Bible Through the Seasons 