As we turn our faces towards spring, sometimes we need a little extra encouragement to help us reach the season. Psalm 104 gives wonderful spring encouragement, reminding us of God’s promises and goodness during this and every season! Let’s dive in for more.

The long days (or short, depending how you look at it) of winter are ending and spring has shown its face. It always makes me think of the book “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” (written by C.S. Lewis) when the Pevensie children watch winter recede and spring take shape. It’s marvellous to them, especially because it means Aslan has returned.

So often that is how I feel about spring. The return of warm weather, of green leaves and sunshine.

Psalm 104 is a wonderful reminder of God’s promise and provision, and I can taste it as we enter spring.

Psalm 104 and Spring Encouragement

I love diving into scripture and painting a picture in my mind of what God is saying. Sometimes I read for comfort or strength and sometimes for encouragement. And sometimes I find those things in unexpected places.

As a mom, I turn to the Bible not just for myself anymore but for my family too. I read scripture because I want to be able to speak truth over my family as well as pray for them. Psalm 104 is a wonderful reminder for myself and my children that God makes promises and keeps them, just like the promise of spring!

Psalm 104:5-9 – God’s Promises

Verses 5-9 remind us of the flood waters that covered the earth (Genesis 6:6-9). We are reminded of God’s power, how He gives and He also takes away. But also we see how God creates boundaries, He assigns places for things because He also is a God of order.

Psalm 104:5-9

He set the earth on its foundations;
    it can never be moved.
 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
 they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned for them.
 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.

Then the final verse in this section gives the promise that He will never flood the earth again. Another reminder of His goodness and love for us.

We see this every spring. God’s promise that the cold winter months will end and we will plant and grow in the coming season. Because God is a God of order, He sets the seasons in their time and they come every year because He makes it so.

Psalm 104:19-23 – God’s Fulfillment

He made the moon to mark the seasons,
    and the sun knows when to go down.
You bring darkness, it becomes night,
    and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
The lions roar for their prey
    and seek their food from God.
The sun rises, and they steal away;
    they return and lie down in their dens.
Then people go out to their work,
    to their labor until evening.

God made the seasons, marked by the moon (and sun). We don’t worship the moon or put our trust in it, but instead we trust God to bring spring (or summer or fall, or winter!)

It is God’s timing that is perfect and trustworthy. I remember this on the years when spring is “late,” at least by my human standards. But to God, it all has a plan and purpose. And it is not only humans who rely on these consistent changes, the animals rely on it too.

When we think about God’s creation, the bears that come out of hibernation, the animals who shed excess hair, the birds that return to the north…all are dictated by God’s seasonal change. They move and migrate as God directs, based on weather and temperature and some internal clock that tells them it is time to change.

Psalm 104:27-29 God’s Provision

All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
 When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied with good things.

We know that God cares for every bird (Matthew 6:26-27). He opens His hand to them and gives them good things. We see this in the spring. With new life, babies that are born, plants that return to feed the bugs and birds; God gives life to everything He has created.

And we are reminded that these things God gives to the animals He gives to us.

The same is true in our motherhood season. This is a time when God gives us what we need, be it endurance, strength, patience or rest. He opens His hand to us as well. Spring encouragement is also an encouragement in our lives. God will always provide.

Psalm 104:33-34 Our Response

I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice in the Lord.

After we read about all God’s promises and fulfillment of those promises, the only logical thing to do is to praise Him!

And oh how I praise God in the springtime. Sometimes I praise Him through gritted teeth as I scrub mud from the dogs paws, or wipe the floor for the umpteenth time…but I praise Him because He is giving me what I need. He is bringing us out of the winter months and into the light of spring.

But Psalm 104 also reminds us that we shouldn’t praise only in the spring, we should sing to the Lord all of our lives. While we find encouragement in the end of winter, we should praise God in all seasons. All seasons of the earth’s cycle and all seasons of our lives.

God’s Provision in All Seasons

God gives good things all the time. Sometimes we forget this because our basic needs are met without a second thought.

My kids ask if I have gone to the store and I say, “Yes! I went to the grocery store.” Then they ask what I bought and I list off the necessities, bread, eggs, milk, lettuce, bananas and so on. They groan and say I never buy anything exciting.

And we do the same to God. He gives us a job or house that provides everything we need and we groan because we have to drive to said job or do fixes on said house.

God provides in our season of need, just as moms we go to the grocery store to provide our family with food. It may not seem glamorous or exciting, but it is what we need. I know my children need to eat bread instead of cake, so that is what I buy them. God knows we need a stable job, so that is what He gives us.

In all seasons God is good. In a season of uncertainty, He offers hope. In a season of pain, He offers comfort. In a season of joy, He offers delight. It is not for us to assess God’s gifts, but instead to accept them and thank Him.

Read Psalm 104 for Yourself!

As always, it is best if you turn to Psalm 104 and read it for yourself. Think about God’s promise, His fulfillment and His provision not only in the spring but every season of life. And then think about your response to those things. Make praising God your first response, as difficult as that can be sometimes!

For more on the book of Psalms, read 100 Verses from Psalms to Memorize or Drawing Strength from Psalm 34

If you want more scripture to inspire and encourage you, check out my devotional “Consider the Wildflowers,” written for moms as a reminder of God’s goodness in every season, especially motherhood. Check it out on Amazon.