Life is starting to look a tiny bit more like the “normal” we used to have. As the last month of our summer begins, I am taking a break from Luke and concentrating on various psalms. This month we can start visiting friends and family, and maybe even fitting some vacation time in. We’re not so “stuck at home”. So, the devotions will be more like a thought for the day, and not following through a book of the Bible.
Psalm 8 (NLT)
“O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
2 You have taught children and infants
to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you.
3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!”
It is so easy to think of ourselves as insignificant – just one person among the billions on the planet. When I think of how “busy” God must be running the universe and caring for all those people, my issues don’t seem that important. Does God really care?
This psalm makes me want to shout with joy and wonder in praise – not that I would actually do such an uninhibited thing. Shouting around the house is not my thing, but feeling inside like I might is the best this introvert can manage. God is so mighty – we are loved by a mighty and creative God.
I love the first few words of this psalm. O LORD – an acknowledgement of how big our God is. I think of a chorus my kids used to love to sing – “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty; there’s nothing my God cannot do”. I can still picture their enthusiasm as they sang the song and did the actions, making their little arms go as wide as they could to illustrate how big God is. But then “our Lord” – this big, mighty God is my God. He made the universe, but He has a personal relationship with me. How amazing is that!
We go from the God of the universe to the God who cares for babies, the most vulnerable of the human race. Yet it’s interesting how the psalmist says that little children can tell of God’s strength most effectively. There is an interesting story in Matthew 21. The chief priests were having a really bad day. First there was the triumphant entry to Jerusalem with Jesus riding on a donkey, and hordes of people were praising him and shouting Hosanna in the highest. Then Jesus drove out the people buying and selling in the temple courtyards as He declared the place a robbers’ den. Jesus also healed some people in the temple. Children were shouting Hosanna to the Son of David in the temple as well. The chief priests came to Jesus and said, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” Jesus replies with verse 2 of this psalm. End of story. What can you say to the truth spoken by children?
Then there is the contrast in verses 3 and 4. When we look at the creation God has made, it does fill us with awe and it does make us feel insignificant in comparison. Why would God even think about us when He can do whatever He wants? The last part of verse 4 gets to the heart of the matter – why would He even care about us? The rest of the psalm talks about this. We are not insignificant; we are made “only a little lower than God”. The Bible tells us we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). We were created to rule over planet earth, and to have a relationship with God. Is God way greater than we are? Yes! But we are not insignificant to God. And we have a job to do in caring for our world – a whole other topic.
We can be so thankful that God loves us and we are on his radar. As our world begins opening up a little, we can know he has plans for us. So let’s start thinking about how we can share God’s greatness with those around us.
“O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!”
Creator God! Personal God!
Our song for today is Good God Almighty by the Crowder Band