"Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord" (Psa. 150:6).
What's colorless, tasteless and invisible? Oxygen, and it's essential for almost all living things-including us. Even fish need oxygen, and the Creator has provided them with gills to absorb the right amount from water.
Oxygen is important for many things. Hospitals use it every day to help save lives of seriously-ill people or victims of accidents. Also, without it there would be no fire in your fireplace or furnace, no pure water to drink, and almost every living thing on earth would die.
With all this demand for oxygen, is there danger that it may run out? No, the Creator well knew how much oxygen would be needed to sustain life, and He provided an abundant supply when the world was created. He also arranged for oxygen renewal.
Incidentally, if oxygen and hydrogen (the two elements of water) are separated from each other and exposed to fire, they would instantly make the fire burn more fiercely. But here's something amazing-when they are combined in the form of water and applied to a fire in a large enough quantity, they put the fire out! This is another wonderful provision of the Creator for the safety of humanity.
God, our Creator, has arranged a remarkable partnership between people and plants. People must have oxygen; plants must have carbon dioxide. The Creator designed each to supply what the other needs.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, which they need to live, and release oxygen into the air, which we need to live. For us to inhale this oxygen-enriched air into our lungs, we must first exhale carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide, harmful to our bodies, is exactly what trees and foliage need in order to be healthy.
Remember, the oxygen we breathe comes from trees and plants of the world. We must be careful to avoid unnecessary destruction of this vital resource.
The Bible verse at the beginning of this article speaks of using our breath to praise the Lord. Have you ever thanked Him for His marvelous plan of salvation as well as His amazing provisions for us in creation? Another Psalm expresses it, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits" (Psa. 103:22Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: (Psalm 103:2)).