Read Time:8 Minute, 2 Second

By William van Zyl

Published on 11 August 2023

The BBC’s documentary on The Secrets of Skin – specifically the skin of animals – is simply stunning. See the link at the end. What stood out for me was the crocodile’s jaws which are lined with sensory pits and other multisensory organs. These amazingly well-designed bundles of nerve fibres can respond to the slightest movement and disturbance in the water.

What an intricate and intelligent design!

I always wanted to write a Psalm. Daily, I listen to the dramatised audio Bible (Audible) while travelling to work and back. So, in awe of Creation, I have written my first Psalm: Psalm 1. A Psalm of William as I contemplate the work of the Mighty Designer – Yahweh. But wait, that is not all; I have asked ChatGPT (AI) to rewrite my Psalm in a more creative way. And, can you believe it, it was willing to use its machine-learned brain to glorify God? How cool! Yes, let everything that has breath – and has no breath – praise His Name. I include the ChatGPT version at the end.

Table of Contents

PSALM 1 (a)

A Psalm of William.

On 11 August 2023 I closed my eyes and asked God to help me write my first Psalm – I talked to my computer – voice to text wrote my intimate words on my computer screen. I share my original words with you.

A Psalm – considering our skin, the skin of animals – their covering – and the hairs of animals, and the covering of plants. Written to proclaim the might of Jehovah.

Your wind and your billows have gone over me. My skin and the hairs on my skin have sensed Your creation. When I consider the works of Your hands, how You have created the skins of animals, the covering of plants, and the hairs and follicles that senses movement, I glorify Your Name. You are Almighty.

I have considered the skin of the crocodile. How wonderful You have made its skin. For hundreds of meters, it can sense everything in the water. Every movement, every scent, yes, everything that happens in the water, the crocodile senses. How wonderful are Your works?

I also considered the skin of a horse and how you’ve created the muscles that respond as flies and insects touch the skin. Involuntary the horse’s muscles shake-shake – and vibrate – to vamoose away unwanted flies and unwanted visitors.

As we investigate through science – Your excellent work – we stand in awe of your design. Your intelligent design of the earth and the heavens leaves us with admiration and adoration. Bless your Name because you are Mighty.

When I consider how I can determine and predict what touches my skin – as air and wind flows over me, and objects touches my skin – You have given me the ability to sense movement, shape, form, and pattern. I know that You are a Force that has to be respected.

So today, I bring Glory and Honour to your Holy Name. I understand that you have designed and created the heavens and the earth. You have completed all the delicate details, the intricate components, the physiology of it all, the biological wonder, the molecular structures, the programmed DNA, the nerve channels, and all the related parts of our bodies, including intricacies of the animals and the plants. Every living thing can sense your greatness. Receive our admiration – our veneration. Your Name is great throughout the earth.

When we think of the goodness of God, we know that you have taken responsibility for your creation. You open Your right hand and You feed and sustain all living matter. When You open Your right hand – and your left hand – you balance every system in the universe. You provide an equilibrium in every ecosystem, including us – Your people.

We pray that You may provide us with Your Equilibrium. Balance our body, soul and spirit so that we may be in harmony with Your Mighty Hand and your Mighty Deeds.

Bless the Lord at all times. My soul gives honour to You Yahweh.

So today, we ask for your balance in our lives. We ask for the ultimate equilibrium – to be at peace with You. To receive your Word, Your messages and promises through Your Holy Spirit. Touch our hearts.

When we think of our soul and our spiritual man, we know that You have created everything. As science searches out Your majesty – your hidden design secrets – we tremble in awe of your might.

You are great; many of your works are unsearchable. We know that there is no council against God. We bless your Name. So, we commit and submit ourselves to You. You are the conductor of the cosmos. You have created every living thing. You have intricately worked out everything so that we may know that you are God.

Blessing and honour to You, the Mighty Creator.

Sela (stop and calmly thing about that).

ChatGPT’s also sings praise:

Psalm 1 (b)

A Psalm of William

A Psalm of Reverence for Jehovah’s Handiwork – Celebrating the Tapestries of Skin, Fur, and Foliage

In the dance of wind and wave, I feel Your touch, O Jehovah. My skin, an intricate tapestry, tingles with the wonders of Your creation. As I contemplate the artistry of Your Hands, I am struck by the intricate skins of creatures, the veils of leaves, and the sentient tendrils that sway to life’s rhythm.

With exultation, I magnify Your name, for You are the omnipotent craftsman.

Behold the crocodile, arrayed in a skin that defies description. Its scales, a testament to Your craftsmanship, span uncharted waters. For endless spans, it tastes the narratives of the aquatic realm – every nuance, every whisper, every tale woven in water. Your creations are wonders beyond measure.

And consider, too, the horse’s hide – a canvas of muscle and responsiveness. With every brush of winged interlopers, its sinews shiver and shake, an involuntary dance that bids pests farewell.

Such ingenuity bespeaks Your masterful touch.
As we delve into the laboratories of knowledge, unlocking Your marvels, we stand agog at the intricacies of Your design. Earth and sky, fashioned with brilliance, evoke our wonder. Blessed be Your name, O mighty One.

When I reflect upon the marvel of senses, how I discern the caress of the breeze, the brush of zephyr, and the imprint of matter upon my skin, I realise You as an unyielding power, demanding reverence.

Henceforth, my tribute ascends, a symphony of reverence for Your sanctified name. The universe’s blueprints, the choreography of life, all speak of Your intent. DNA scripts, nerve pathways, the poetry of anatomy – all bear Your mark, and all creatures great and small echo Your grandeur. They venerate Your magnificence; let my voice join their chorus.

We recognise Your watchful hand in contemplating the benevolence woven into Your creation. In Your right palm, sustenance flourishes; in both hands, equilibrium resides, a cosmic ballet orchestrated by You. Ecosystems and galaxies harmonise in Your embrace, and we, Your people, seek that cosmic equilibrium.

Grant us balance – spirit, body, soul – that we may be in concord with Your cosmic rhythm. Blessed be Yahweh eternally.

Today, we beseech Your equilibrium, yearning for tranquil unity with Your sacred essence. Let our souls mirror the harmony of Your symphony. In the whisper of Your Holy Spirit, may we find solace and illumination.

In contemplating the soul’s vast expanse, we glimpse Your artistry. Science, a humble seeker, unveils glimpses of Your hidden design, and in that revelation, we tremble before Your Majesty.

You are immense, Your creations inscrutable. No counsel rivals Your sovereignty. We sing praises to Your name, pledging our devotion to You. The conductor of the cosmos, You sculpted life’s every form, orchestrating intricacies that announce Your divine sovereignty.

Blessed are You, mighty Creator, recipient of our adoration.

Sela.

About the word Agog:

agog \uh-GAHG\ adjective. : full of intense interest or excitement : eager. Examples: We were all agog over the rumor that the famous actor would be coming to town for his next movie.

A crocodile’s (and an alligator’s) jaws are lined with sensory pits and other multisensory organs, which hold bundles of nerve fibres capable of responding to the slightest disturbance in the water.

As such, crocodilians can detect minute vibrations and small pressure changes given off by other animals – as a result, a crocodile or an alligator can easily tell if a potential prey (wildebeest, zebra, deer, wild pig, buffalo, even other carnivores like big cats and humans) approaches the aquatic realm anywhere in its vicinity, or if that animal merely touches the water with its mouth or muzzle!

In the aftermath, the sensitive jaws enable alligators and crocodiles to sense approaching prey or potential danger even in total darkness and come in handy whenever one of these reptiles is submerged underwater, stalking and waiting for the right moment to strike.

Credit: https://www.quora.com/How-does-a-crocodile-or-alligator-seem-to-be-able-to-tell-whenever-a-potential-prey-approaches-the-water-anywhere-within-its-vicinity

Link to the documentary – The Secrets of Skin: