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O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8 NRSV)
We are the generation that has seen more inventions and advances in almost all areas of our lives and yet we're the generation that seems more interested in the glaring light of our phones than we do of nature and creation. I pray this is not true for you, dear Friend. And when pressed for time for almost anything, we cry, "We don't have time!" Let me ask a personal question; when was the last time you took time to just gaze at the stars? Or, taken time to enjoy a flower, or a sunset? I've mentioned that we have evolved, for lack of a better word, from being front porch people to indoor people (thanks, air conditioning) to back decks. This psalm is still as powerful and as beautiful as that little shepherd boy wrote it from his experiences in the fields and pastures in Israel. A shepherd had plenty of down time, and no one took advantage of it like David. He appreciated time in and with nature. He was one of the last kings of Israel that never gave up the childlike wonder of all creation. Read this psalm again and think of a child shepherd who takes every opportunity that he can, to gaze into the sky and to think about Who was behind it all; God. David says, "How majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens." And then talks about babies and infants, who can spout that which can silence the foes and enemies of God Himself. As David observes the heavens, he sees them for being the work of God's fingers. These fingers made the moon and the stars, as well as made us. Such a wonderful question, "What are human beings that You are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Indeed. A question for the ages. Why would God even care about us? It does not compute, that the Creator of all things, would care about us! How do we compare to anything if we look at it honestly? David answers his own questions; "Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor." Take that in. David knows that our creation is God's crowning achievements, for we have glory and honor all over us. David continues with "You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas." And this is enough to turn the praise where it is due; to God Himself.
"O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is Your name in all the earth." This psalm is a call to action. We should be feeling the pull of God into the awe and wonder that can bless our faith and in turn our lives. The distractions of this present age drag us into busy-ness, idleness, faithlessness; God's call is to life and that in abundance. Yes, even as early as David's writing of this marvelous psalm in the wilderness, he was thinking of the awesomeness of God and would thousands of years later challenge us to the same.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your Son said that unless we were like children, we would not enter into Your kingdom. Restore to us the awe and wonder that David had and that we need. Grant us eyes of excitement at all things that You have made. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Seek the awe and wonder around you today!
Blessings of love,
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Update: Friends, our brother Bill Keck will undergo open heart surgery in Houston tomorrow at around 10:30 am. I just spoke with him, and he is in Pre-Op as of 7:35 am this morning of 6/13/19. Please be in prayer for Bill and Willa, that all go according to God's plan. We pray for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. Pray for one another and pray for yourselves. May the Lord bless you and keep you is our prayer.
