From the Ends of the Earth

Praise, praise to you, God! From all the ends of the earth. From the end where I grew up to the end where I am now living- a dream come true.

You are amazing. You’re the God who made this whole world, and every part displays your genius. Thank you for everything you gave me in my home country- forks, sisters, cold milk, English. You are Lord over everything that is familiar. And thank you for what you’ve given me here- tea, 30-story buildings, crowded subways, Chinese characters. You are Lord over all that is foreign and unknown to me. You are God of this whole world; nothing is foreign to you. 

God, the creator of language and culture and diversity. So boundless and complex that no single culture can show who you are. And even if I learned every language and traveled to every city, I still wouldn’t see all of you.

My English words are deceptive. I’m a master of this language, forming sentences I easily understand, confident in my ability to use these words to describe anything. I throw around phrases like “the God of this whole world” as if I have control over them. But how can I describe God? In Chinese I’m limited, awkwardly stringing words together when I lack the correct vocabulary. I often need to hear something a few times to understand. My speech is full of mistakes and bad grammar, but I give it everything I’ve got, believing that someone can look past my accent and understand me. Speaking Chinese is like searching for God. 说中文很像找上帝。

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion.

神啊，锡安的人都等候赞美你。

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This post is part of a link-up on the topic of Psalm 65. To read other people's posts, click here: In Praise of the Other.