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Thou openest thine hand - By the mere opening of the hand all needful gifts are bestowed on the creatures dependent on thee. The same words are found in Psalm 104:28; see the notes at that passage.

And satisfiest the desire of every living thing - All kinds of creatures - people, fowls, beasts, fishes, insects - the innumerable multitudes that swarm on the earth, in the air, in the waters. In Psalm 104:28, it is, “They are filled with good.” The meaning is essentially the same. Of course this is to be taken in a general sense. It cannot mean that absolutely no one ever needs, or ever perishes from want, but the idea is that of the amazing beneficence and fullness of God in being able and willing to satisfy such multitudes; to keep them from perishing by cold, or hunger, or nakedness. And, in fact, how few birds perish by hunger; how few of the infinite number of the inhabitants of the sea; how few animals that roam over deserts, or in vast plains; how few people; how few even of the insect tribes - how few in the world revealed by the microscope - the world beneath us - the innumerable multitudes of living things too small even to be seen by the naked eye of man!

“Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,
Who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in
heaven, and in the earth!” MH 435.1

“The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm,
And the clouds are the dust of His feet.” MH 435.2

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Thy works to another,
And shall declare Thy mighty acts.
I will speak of the glorious honor of Thy majesty,
And of Thy wondrous works.
And men shall speak of the might of Thy terrible acts:
And I will declare Thy greatness.
They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great
goodness,
And shall sing of Thy righteousness.... MH 435.3

“Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,
Who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in
heaven, and in the earth!” 8T 283.1

Psalm 113:5, 6. 8T 283

“Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall laud Thy works to another,
And shall declare Thy mighty acts.
Of the glorious majesty of Thine honor,
And of Thy wondrous works, will I meditate.
And men shall speak of the might of Thy terrible acts;
And I will declare Thy greatness.
They shall utter the memory of Thy great goodness,
And shall sing of Thy righteousness.... 8T 283.2

“The earth, O Jehovah, is full of Thy loving-kindness.”
Thou lovest “righteousness and justice.”
Thou “art the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Who by His strength setteth fast the mountains,
Being girded about with might;
Who stilleth the roaring of the seas, ...
And the tumult of the peoples.” MH 418.1

“Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening
to rejoice.”
“Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness;
And Thy paths drop fatness.” MH 418.2

“The Lord upholdeth all that fall,
And raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
The eyes of all wait upon Thee;
And Thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest Thine hand,
And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” MH 418.3

I will sing unto Jehovah as long as I live:
I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.
Let my meditation be sweet unto Him:
I will rejoice in Jehovah.” 8T 275.1

Psalm 104:1-34, A. R. V. 8T 275

“Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Who by His strength setteth fast the mountains,
Being girded about with might:
Who stilleth the roaring of the seas, ...
And the tumult of the peoples....
Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice....
Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness;
And Thy paths drop fatness.” 8T 275.2

Nature and revelation alike testify of God's love. Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature. Think of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of man, but of all living creatures. The sunshine and the rain, that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the Creator's love. It is God who supplies the daily needs of all His creatures. In the beautiful words of the psalmist— SC 9.1

God made man perfectly holy and happy; and the fair earth, as it came from the Creator's hand, bore no blight of decay or shadow of the curse. It is transgression of God's law—the law of love—that has brought woe and death. Yet even amid the suffering that results from sin, God's love is revealed. It is written that God cursed the ground for man's sake. Genesis 3:17. The thorn and the thistle—the difficulties and trials that make his life one of toil and care—were appointed for his good as a part of the training needful in God's plan for his uplifting from the ruin and degradation that sin has wrought. The world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are covered with roses. SC 9.3

How beautiful the psalmist's description of God's care for the creatures of the woods— “The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats;
And the rocks for the conies.” Psalm 104:18. He sends the springs to run among the hills, where the birds have their habitation, and “sing among the branches.” Psalm 104:12. All the creatures of the woods and hills are a part of His great household. He opens His hand, and satisfies “the desire of every living thing.” Psalm 145:16. Ed 118.1

The eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by the tempest into the narrow defiles of the mountains. Storm clouds shut in this mighty bird of the forest, their dark masses separating her from the sunny heights where she has made her home. Her efforts to escape seem fruitless. She dashes to and fro, beating the air with her strong wings, and waking the mountain echoes with her cries. At length, with a note of triumph, she darts upward, and, piercing the clouds, is once more in the clear sunlight, with the darkness and tempest far beneath. So we may be surrounded with difficulties, discouragement, and darkness. Falsehood, calamity, injustice, shut us in. There are clouds that we cannot dispel. We battle with circumstances in vain. There is one, and but one, way of escape. The mists and fogs cling to the earth; beyond the clouds God's light is shining. Into the sunlight of His presence we may rise on the wings of faith. Ed 118.2

Many are the lessons that may thus be learned. Self-reliance, from the tree that, growing alone on plain or mountainside, strikes down its roots deep into the earth, and in its rugged strength defies the tempest. The power of early influence, from the gnarled, shapeless trunk, bent as a sapling, to which no earthly power can afterward restore its lost symmetry. The secret of a holy life, from the water lily, that, on the bosom of some slimy pool, surrounded by weeds and rubbish, strikes down its channeled stem to the pure sands beneath, and, drawing thence its life, lifts up its fragrant blossoms to the light in spotless purity. Ed 119.1