“Let the skies sing for joy! Let the earth join in the chorus. Let oceans thunder and fields echo this ecstatic praise until every swaying tree of every forest joins in, lifting up their songs of joyous praise to him!” Psalms 96:11-12, The Passion Translation

Psalm 96 includes some of my favorite imagery of praise. I especially enjoy the way The Passion Translation captures it. Towards the end, the psalmist welcomes all creation to join in the new, never-ending songs declaring the glory of the Lord, the “Creator-God who spread the splendor of the skies” (v. 5).

Have you ever stopped to consider the songs creation sings? Not just the idea that a beautiful sunset is God’s way of declaring God’s glory, although I appreciate that imagery too. But what if the skies are actually singing?! What if sunlight and atmospheric moisture dance together, creating myriads of colors as their ever-new songs of praise each morning and evening? Really, it’s a continual song, isn’t it, as the earth’s rotation brings sunrise and sunset to different swaths of the globe moment by moment?

Some people have the perceptual phenomenon known as synesthesia, where stimulation of one sense automatically triggers another, such as seeing colors when listening to music. One woman I know with this ability paints pictures during worship – translating the colors she perceives in the melodies for others to see. What might it be like then to hear a sunset? What might God perceive as the skies break out in Northern Lights or lightening electrifies the sky?

I love listening to the ocean. It’s my happiest of happy places, and no wonder. Studies show that the rhythmic ebb and flow of ocean tides reduces stress and lowers anxiety. Science describes this effect as activating our parasympathetic nervous system, which slows our heart rate and lowers our blood pressure. Music can have the same effect, so engaging in musical worship not only glorifies God as the psalmist points out, but is a balm to our souls as well. How interesting is it then to consider that when I listen in to the oceans singing their sounds of praise to our creator, I too am blessed!

Spending time anywhere in nature has demonstrated benefits for our health. Time spent in green spaces has been linked to lower risks of depression and improved concentration. The swaying trees and rustling leaves send forth their songs of praise, the psalmist declares. The limits of my mental perception do not allow me to understand this the way I do songs sung in my native tongue, but my body resonates. Joy pushes back worry, anxiety, and frustration. My physical body yields to the truths that “God will do what’s right and can be trusted to always do what’s fair” (v 13).

This week I invite you to spend some time in worship with creation. Allow their songs of God’s goodness to wash over you that you might join them in giving God praise.