104:1KJV Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
B:E Project The psalmist tells himself to praise the LORD with everything in him. He says: God, you are truly great — wrapped in splendour and majesty like a king's robe.
Context: Psalm 104 is a long praise hymn celebrating God as creator and sustainer of the natural world; this opening verse sets the tone, with the psalmist speaking to his own soul, urging himself into worship.
Meaning: The verse pictures God's greatness as something worn — honour and majesty like clothing, visible and undeniable. It frames the whole psalm: everything that follows (skies, seas, animals, seasons) is offered as evidence of this greatness. Self-address ("O my soul") shows praise isn't always spontaneous — sometimes you have to deliberately talk yourself into gratitude.
Lesson: I say to you: even when you don't feel amazed by life, you can choose to speak to your own heart and remind it what's worth noticing. Talking yourself into gratitude isn't fake — it's how humans wake up their own wonder.
See Also: Psalm 103:1, an identical opening line — these two psalms are likely twins, composed or arranged together; Psalm 8:1, similar awe at creation.
104:2KJV Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
B:E Project Picture God wrapping himself in light like a cloak, and pulling the sky open wide like a tent curtain.
Context: The hymn begins its tour of creation with the sky itself, imagining God dressing in light and pitching the heavens like a nomad's tent.
Meaning: Ancient readers pictured the sky as a physical canopy; the image makes something as vast and untouchable as light and space feel intimate, almost domestic — something God simply put on or set up.
Lesson: I want you to really look at the sky today, and let it remind you that the same care that shaped something that huge also shaped you. Grandness and closeness aren't opposites.
See Also: Genesis 1:3-6, the creation of light and the sky's expanse; Isaiah 40:22, God stretching out the heavens like a curtain — a near-identical image.
104:3KJV Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
B:E Project God builds his upstairs rooms on top of the rain clouds, rides the storm clouds like a chariot, and travels on the wings of the wind.
Context: Continuing the sky imagery, the psalm pictures God's "palace" built above the waters of the clouds, with storms as his transport.
Meaning: The poetry takes weather — rain, wind, thunderclouds — and turns it into architecture and travel, showing a God who masters forces ancient people otherwise feared or worshipped as separate gods.
Lesson: I ask you to notice that the very things that can frighten you — storms, uncertainty, forces bigger than yourself — are, in this picture, simply how love moves and travels. What scares you can also carry what's good.
See Also: Psalm 18:10, God riding on a cherub and flying on the wings of the wind; Nahum 1:3, the LORD's way in the whirlwind and the storm.
104:4KJV Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
B:E Project God makes his messengers out of wind, and his servants out of flame.
Context: The psalm shifts from weather to the unseen agents ("angels" in later translation) who carry out God's will, described as elemental — made of wind and fire.
Meaning: The verse suggests everything active in nature — wind, lightning — can be understood as doing purposeful work, not random chaos. Hebrews 1:7 later quotes this verse directly to talk about angels.
Lesson: I want you to consider that the forces moving through your life — sudden changes, sparks of insight — aren't necessarily against you. They might be doing useful work, even when you can't see the plan.
See Also: Hebrews 1:7, quoting this verse directly and applying it to angels as God's servants; Exodus 3:2, God appearing in a flame of fire.
104:5KJV Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
B:E Project God set the earth firmly on its foundations, so solid it will never be shaken loose.
Context: The hymn moves from sky to solid ground, describing the earth's stability as something deliberately built to last.
Meaning: In a world where floods, earthquakes and storms threatened everything, this offered real comfort: the ground itself has a fixed, dependable foundation — an image of trustworthy stability underneath all the change on the surface.
Lesson: I say: even when your circumstances shake, there is a foundation beneath everything that does not move. Build your inner life on that steadiness rather than on today's weather.
See Also: Job 38:4, God asking Job where he was when the earth's foundations were laid; Proverbs 8:29, wisdom present when God set the earth's foundations.
104:6KJV Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
B:E Project You covered the earth with the deep ocean like a blanket; the water stood higher than the mountains.
Context: The psalm recalls a primeval flood-like state, water covering everything, echoing the imagery of Genesis before dry land appeared.
Meaning: This pictures a world entirely submerged, water as the original covering over creation — setting up the next verses where God commands the waters to retreat and take their proper place.
Lesson: I want you to know that chaos and mess often come first, before order. Don't panic at the flood stage of your life — it's frequently the step right before the ground appears.
See Also: Genesis 1:2, the deep covering the formless earth before land emerges; 2 Peter 3:5, the earth formed out of water.
104:7KJV At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
B:E Project At your command the waters fled; at the sound of your thunder they rushed away.
Context: The waters that covered everything now retreat instantly at God's voice — a picture of total, effortless authority over the most overwhelming natural force.
Meaning: The verse dramatises how easily God restores order — a single word, a clap of thunder, and chaos obeys. It reassures the reader that no matter how vast the disorder looks, it answers to something.
Lesson: I tell you, the things that overwhelm you now are not beyond command. Speak truth and boundaries into the flood in your own life, and watch what has to move.
See Also: Mark 4:39, Jesus rebuking the storm and the wind and sea obeying him — a direct echo of this authority.
104:8KJV They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
B:E Project The waters rose over the mountains and sank down into the valleys, going exactly to the place God had prepared for them.
Context: Continuing the taming of the primeval flood, the waters find their proper boundaries and settle into terrain God has shaped for them.
Meaning: What looked like unstoppable chaos turns out to have a destination all along — everything has its assigned place. It's a picture of order emerging naturally once things are put where they belong.
Lesson: I want you to trust that even the parts of your life that feel like they're rushing out of control may simply be finding their proper place. Give things time to settle into where they're meant to be.
See Also: Job 38:8-11, God shutting up the sea with doors and setting its bounds.
104:9KJV Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
B:E Project You set a boundary line the waters cannot cross, so they will never again rise up and flood the whole earth.
Context: This closes the flood-taming sequence, echoing God's post-flood promise never to destroy the earth by water again.
Meaning: The verse gives a limit to danger — the sea, however vast, has borders it cannot cross. It's reassurance that the world has real, dependable limits built into it.
Lesson: I say: healthy limits aren't a cage, they're a mercy. Setting a boundary — with an ocean, or in your own life — is often the very thing that keeps love and safety possible.
See Also: Genesis 9:11, God's covenant never to flood the whole earth again; Job 38:10-11, "hitherto shalt thou come, but no further."
104:10KJV He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
B:E Project God sends springs of water flowing down into the valleys, running between the hills.
Context: The psalm now turns from the vast primeval sea to the small, life-giving streams that water the land day to day.
Meaning: After the drama of taming the flood, the focus narrows to ordinary springs and streams — the quiet, everyday provision that actually sustains life, not just the dramatic power display.
Lesson: I want you to notice that the biggest miracles in your life are often the small, steady ones — a stream that just keeps flowing. Don't overlook ordinary provision while waiting for spectacle.
See Also: Psalm 23:2, God leading beside still waters — the same quiet provision.
104:11KJV They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
B:E Project The streams give water to every wild animal to drink; even the wild donkeys quench their thirst there.
Context: This verse names specific beneficiaries of the springs — wild, untamed animals nobody manages or feeds, yet they're cared for.
Meaning: Even creatures that live entirely outside human control or usefulness — wild, feral, unowned — are shown as included in this provision. Nothing is left out of the care described.
Lesson: I tell you, you don't have to be tame, useful, or under anyone's management to be worth caring for. Provision reaches the wild and unclaimed too, and so does love.
See Also: Job 39:5-8, God's care for the wild ass, free and roaming.
104:12KJV By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
B:E Project Birds build their homes near the water and sing among the branches.
Context: The scene adds birdsong to the picture of a well-watered, thriving landscape — life not just surviving but making music.
Meaning: The verse pairs provision with joy: it's not just that birds have water and shelter, but that they sing. Creation isn't merely functional, it's expressive and glad.
Lesson: I want you to see that being provided for is meant to lead to song, not just survival. When your needs are met, let yourself actually enjoy it rather than just grinding on.
See Also: Matthew 6:26, Jesus pointing to the birds of the air, fed without anxious labour.
104:13KJV He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
B:E Project God waters the hills from his heavenly storerooms; the earth is satisfied and full because of what he has made.
Context: The provision imagery widens from streams to rain from the sky, reinforcing that fertility and abundance come from a source beyond human effort.
Meaning: "Satisfied" is a strong word — the earth isn't just watered, it's fully content, thriving from what's been given it. It personifies the land as something that can be genuinely at rest and full.
Lesson: I ask you to consider what it would feel like to be actually satisfied rather than always chasing more. That contentment is available — the same source that waters the hills wants to fill you too.
See Also: Psalm 65:9-10, God watering the ridges and blessing the springing crop.
104:14KJV He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
B:E Project God grows grass for the cattle and plants for people to use, so that people can produce food from the earth.
Context: The psalm moves from wild nature to agriculture — the human food chain, still described as God's direct doing.
Meaning: This verse credits both animal fodder and human crops to the same divine provision, tying farming and everyday food production back to a larger generosity rather than treating it as purely a human achievement.
Lesson: I say: the work of your hands and the growth in the ground are partners, not rivals. Do your part, but remember the growth itself is a gift, not something you manufacture from nothing.
See Also: Genesis 1:29, God giving every plant yielding seed for food.
104:15KJV And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.
B:E Project And wine to cheer people's hearts, olive oil to make their faces glow with health, and bread to give people strength.
Context: This continues the food list with three specific staples of ancient Mediterranean life, moving from bare survival to actual pleasure and wellbeing.
Meaning: Notice the verse doesn't just mention bread (survival) but also wine (joy) and oil (a glowing, healthy face) — provision here includes delight and dignity, not just the minimum needed to stay alive.
Lesson: I want you to know that enjoying good food, a glass of wine, feeling well and glowing — that's not indulgence to feel guilty about, it's part of what generosity was always meant to include.
See Also: Ecclesiastes 9:7, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart.
104:16KJV The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
B:E Project The LORD's own trees are well watered and thriving — including the great cedars of Lebanon that he planted himself.
Context: The imagery zooms out to famous, majestic trees, prized in the ancient world for their size and quality timber, credited directly to God's planting.
Meaning: Cedars of Lebanon were the ancient equivalent of the finest, most impressive building material; calling them "the LORD's trees" that "he hath planted" makes even the most magnificent things in nature humble before their maker.
Lesson: I tell you, however impressive something looks — a person's success, a towering achievement — remember its roots go back further than itself. Stay humble about your own height.
See Also: Psalm 92:12, the righteous growing like a cedar in Lebanon.
104:17KJV Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
B:E Project Birds build their nests there; the stork makes her home in the fir trees.
Context: A small, specific, almost tender detail — a particular bird, the stork, finding exactly the right tree to nest in.
Meaning: The specificity (not just "birds" but the stork, not just "trees" but fir trees) shows a God attentive to particular species and their particular needs, not a generic, one-size-fits-all care.
Lesson: I want you to know that you are not cared for in some vague, general way — your particular needs, quirks and shape matter, the way the stork's needs matter enough to be named.
See Also: Matthew 10:29-31, not one sparrow falls without the Father's notice — the same attentiveness to specific creatures.
104:18KJV The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
B:E Project The high mountains are a safe hideout for the wild goats, and the rocky cliffs shelter the rock badgers.
Context: The tour of habitats continues to the roughest terrain — cliffs and crags — showing even inhospitable places have creatures suited and safe there.
Meaning: Even the harshest, most exposed landscapes turn out to be exactly right for something — a refuge, not a wasteland. Nothing in creation is simply useless or abandoned.
Lesson: I say: the rough, exposed places in your own life — the parts that feel like bare rock — might actually be exactly where you're meant to find shelter and belong. Don't assume difficulty means abandonment.
See Also: Proverbs 30:26, the conies (rock badgers) as a feeble folk who make their houses in the rocks — wisdom noting their resourcefulness.
104:19KJV He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
B:E Project God appointed the moon to mark out the seasons, and the sun always knows when to set.
Context: The psalm turns to the sky's timekeepers — moon and sun — as reliable, ordered instruments rather than gods to be worshipped, as neighbouring cultures believed.
Meaning: In the ancient world, sun and moon were often worshipped as deities; here they're simply well-behaved employees, doing their appointed job of marking time. It quietly de-mystifies them while showing their real value: reliability.
Lesson: I want you to find comfort in rhythm — in seasons, routines, the reliable rising and setting of your days. Structure isn't boring, it's a gift that keeps chaos at bay.
See Also: Genesis 1:14, sun and moon set for signs, seasons, days and years.
104:20KJV Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
B:E Project You bring on darkness, and it becomes night — the time when all the forest creatures come out to prowl.
Context: The psalm's day-night cycle begins with night, when nocturnal animals become active — a natural, God-ordained shift, not something sinister.
Meaning: Darkness here isn't evil or threatening — it's simply the next shift, with its own creatures doing their own necessary work. The psalm treats night as purposeful, not as an absence of good.
Lesson: I tell you, the dark seasons of your life have their own purpose too — not everything happens in daylight. Don't fear every night as if it were only loss; some things only happen, and only grow, in the dark.
See Also: Genesis 1:5, God calling the darkness Night, part of the ordered creation.
104:21KJV The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.
B:E Project Young lions roar as they hunt, seeking their food, which ultimately comes from God.
Context: The night scene continues with the fiercest predator, the lion, still framed as dependent on God for its food rather than purely self-sufficient.
Meaning: Even the most powerful, seemingly self-reliant creature in the ecosystem is described as seeking its food "from God" — strength and ferocity don't mean independence from a larger provision.
Lesson: I want you to remember that however strong or capable you become, you're still fundamentally dependent, and that's not weakness — even the lion looks beyond itself for what it needs.
See Also: Job 38:39-41, God asking who provides prey for the lion and food for the raven.
104:22KJV The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
B:E Project When the sun rises, the lions go back and lie down in their dens.
Context: The night-day handover continues — as morning breaks, the nocturnal predators retreat, making way for the daytime world.
Meaning: The verse shows an orderly changing of the guard between night and day activity, each creature knowing its own time to work and its own time to rest.
Lesson: I say: know your own rhythms. There's wisdom in the lion going home when its hunting time is over — you don't have to be active and striving every hour to be living well.
See Also: Ecclesiastes 3:1, a time for every purpose under heaven.
104:23KJV Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
B:E Project Then people go out to their work and labour until evening.
Context: As the lions retreat at dawn, humans take their turn — the daytime shift of the natural order, working until dusk.
Meaning: This simply and plainly places human labour within the same rhythm as the rest of creation — work has its proper time too, bookended by rest, not endless or without limit.
Lesson: I want you to notice that work is meant to have an evening — a stopping point. If your labour never ends, something's out of the rhythm this whole psalm is describing.
See Also: Genesis 3:19, humanity's labour after the fall, though here framed simply as the natural rhythm of a day.
104:24KJV O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
B:E Project LORD, you've made so many different things! You made them all with wisdom; the earth is full of the wealth you've created.
Context: This is the psalm's central exclamation of wonder, stepping back after the detailed tour to marvel at creation's sheer variety and intelligence.
Meaning: "In wisdom hast thou made them all" is the theological heart of the psalm — creation isn't random or chaotic but intelligently designed, and its abundance ("riches") is meant to be marvelled at, not just used.
Lesson: I ask you to actually stop and marvel sometimes — not analyse, not use, just be amazed at how much variety and intelligence surrounds you. Wonder is not childish; it's clear sight.
See Also: Proverbs 3:19, the LORD founding the earth by wisdom; Romans 11:33, the depth of the riches of God's wisdom.
104:25KJV So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
B:E Project And there's the sea too — vast and wide, teeming with countless creatures, both tiny and huge.
Context: Having covered land, sky and creatures, the psalm turns finally to the sea, the last and least-known frontier of the ancient world.
Meaning: The sea, often feared as chaotic and monstrous in ancient thought, is here simply another habitat "full" of life, both small and great treated with equal wonder rather than the small being dismissed.
Lesson: I tell you, the parts of life that feel mysterious, deep or unknown to you are not empty of meaning just because you can't see the bottom. Even the vast unknown is teeming with life.
See Also: Genesis 1:20-21, the waters bringing forth abundant living creatures.
104:26KJV There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
B:E Project Ships travel there, and so does the leviathan, that huge sea creature you made just to play in the ocean.
Context: The final image of the sea section is playful — even the fearsome sea monster of ancient myth is recast as God's plaything, not a rival threat.
Meaning: Leviathan was a symbol of chaos and terror in ancient Near Eastern mythology; here it's demoted from a rival god to a creature God made simply "to play" — a striking reversal that strips fear out of the biggest monster in the story.
Lesson: I want you to know that even your biggest fears, the "monsters" in your life, can be seen differently once you trust who's really in charge. What terrifies you may be smaller, and more purposeless-in-a-good-way, than it looks.
See Also: Job 41, an entire chapter describing Leviathan as under God's control, not a rival.
104:27KJV These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
B:E Project All these creatures look to you, waiting for you to give them their food at the right time.
Context: The psalm now summarises the whole created order — land, sky and sea — as united in dependence on God for timely provision.
Meaning: "Wait" and "due season" emphasise both dependence and timing — creation doesn't demand food on its own schedule but trusts a rhythm it doesn't control, echoed later by Jesus's teaching not to worry about tomorrow.
Lesson: I say to you: you don't have to control the timing of your own provision. Learn from creation's patience — waiting isn't wasted time, it's trust in a rhythm bigger than your own anxiety.
See Also: Matthew 6:26, birds neither sowing nor reaping yet fed by the Father; Psalm 145:15-16, the eyes of all wait upon God.
104:28KJV That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
B:E Project When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they're filled with good things.
Context: Continuing the summary of provision, this verse pictures God's giving as an open, generous hand rather than a stingy or reluctant one.
Meaning: The image of an open hand conveys abundance freely given, not rationed or grudging — "filled with good" suggests real satisfaction, not bare survival.
Lesson: I want you to picture provision as an open hand, not a closed fist. If your image of getting what you need involves scarcity and struggle, this verse invites you to imagine generosity instead.
See Also: Psalm 145:16, "Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing" — nearly identical wording.
104:29KJV Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
B:E Project But when you turn away, they panic; when you take away their breath, they die and return to dust.
Context: The tone turns sober — the same God who provides can also withdraw, and life is shown as entirely fragile, dependent moment to moment.
Meaning: This verse is stark honesty about mortality: life isn't self-sustaining, it's borrowed breath, and its withdrawal means death and a return to the dust all creatures came from. It's not meant to frighten but to keep provision in perspective — nothing here is guaranteed by its own strength.
Lesson: I tell you, don't be afraid to admit how fragile life actually is — that honesty isn't morbid, it's realistic. Recognising your dependence can free you from the exhausting pretence of total self-sufficiency.
See Also: Genesis 3:19, "dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return"; Ecclesiastes 12:7, the spirit returning to God who gave it.
104:30KJV Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
B:E Project But when you send out your breath, new life is created, and you make the face of the earth fresh again.
Context: Immediately after the sobering verse on death, the psalm balances it with renewal — the same breath that can be withdrawn is also what creates and refreshes life.
Meaning: Death and renewal are held together in one continuous cycle here, both under the same hand — this isn't a picture of loss without hope, but of ongoing, active re-creation.
Lesson: I want you to trust that endings are not the final word. The same source that allows things to fade is also constantly renewing and remaking — hold on through the fading, because renewal is part of the same rhythm.
See Also: Ezekiel 37:9-10, breath entering the dry bones and bringing them to life — a vivid parallel of renewal.
104:31KJV The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.
B:E Project May the LORD's glory last forever; may the LORD find joy in everything he has made.
Context: The psalm shifts to a blessing/wish, hoping that God's glory endures and that he takes pleasure in his own creation — a rare glimpse of God's own delight.
Meaning: This verse imagines God not just as maker but as one who enjoys what he's made, echoing Genesis's repeated "and God saw that it was good." It's a picture of creation as a source of joy to its creator, not a burden.
Lesson: I say: take pleasure in what you make and build, the way this verse pictures God delighting in creation. Enjoying your own good work isn't vanity — it's part of what making something well is for.
See Also: Genesis 1:31, God seeing everything he had made and finding it very good.
104:32KJV He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
B:E Project He only has to look at the earth and it trembles; he touches the mountains and they smoke.
Context: A brief return to God's raw power, reminding the reader that behind all the gentle provision is also immense, even fearsome, authority.
Meaning: This keeps the psalm's picture of God balanced — not just a gentle gardener but a being of overwhelming power, whose lightest touch moves mountains. It's a corrective against sentimentalising creation's beauty into something small or tame.
Lesson: I want you to hold both truths at once: the same power capable of overwhelming force also chooses, moment by moment, gentleness and provision towards you. That restraint is itself a kind of love.
See Also: Exodus 19:18, Mount Sinai smoking because the LORD descended on it in fire.
104:33KJV I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
B:E Project I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will make music to my God for my whole life.
Context: The psalmist returns to first person, making a personal vow of lifelong praise as a direct response to everything just described.
Meaning: After a long, detailed tour of creation, the natural human response the psalmist lands on isn't analysis or fear but song — an ongoing, lifelong commitment to praise as a way of life.
Lesson: I tell you, let wonder become a practice, not just a passing feeling. Decide, like the psalmist, that gratitude will be a running thread through your whole life, not just a one-off reaction.
See Also: Psalm 63:4, blessing God as long as I live and lifting up hands in his name.
104:34KJV My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.
B:E Project May my thoughts about him be pleasant; I will find joy in the LORD.
Context: The psalmist expresses a hope that his own private meditation on God will be genuinely enjoyable, not a chore or obligation.
Meaning: "Sweet" is a striking word to use about meditation — it frames reflecting on God as something pleasurable, like savouring good food, rather than dutiful or heavy.
Lesson: I want your reflection and inner life to actually feel good to you, not like homework. If thinking about what matters most to you feels like a burden, something's off — real meaning should taste sweet, at least sometimes.
See Also: Psalm 19:14, the meditation of my heart being acceptable in God's sight.
104:35KJV Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.
B:E Project Let sinners disappear from the earth, let the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, my soul. Praise the LORD!
Context: The psalm closes abruptly with a wish that evil vanish from an otherwise perfectly ordered, cared-for creation, before returning to its opening call to bless the LORD ("Hallelujah" closes the psalm).
Meaning: After describing a world of beauty and provision, the psalmist longs for that goodness to be complete — for the destructive element (wickedness) to be removed from an otherwise good picture. It's less personal vengeance and more a longing that creation reach its intended, unmarred state.
Lesson: I say: it's honest, not wrong, to long for evil and cruelty to end. Bring that longing to God rather than trying to be the one who enforces it yourself — and let your very last word, like the psalmist's, still be praise.
See Also: Revelation 21:4, a future with no more pain or death — the fulfilment of this longing; Psalm 103:22, the twin psalm's own closing "Bless the LORD."