Bookends

Psalm 8:1 (NIV)

 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

When I read the opening line from Psalm 8 I can hear the music, can you?  The wonderful song that is uplifting and melodious is a fantastic way to begin a time of Praise and Worship.  It makes one consider dancing in the aisles; if one weren't so self-conscious.

Psalm 8 is filled with great ideas.  Children are able to trust and praise God without reservation, Oh, if only adults could.  Doesn't it bring a huge smile when a child innocently begins to move to the beat and then slips out of the seat and dances in the aisles, much to their parents' chagrin. Children experience a freedom adults only express in the privacy of their own living room.

We have every reason to jump for joy when reading this Psalm. We are created in His image.  God created us only a little lower than himself and the angels.  The next time I question my worth it would be wise to remember this fact. I might feel lowly and inadequate, but God sees me through different eyes. No matter how often I disappoint Him, He still loves me and looks at me with the same love.

He has given us tremendous authority--the charge of the whole earth. With authority this comes responsibility and an obligation to do good - as we will be held accountable. And then to close this Psalm the first line is repeated. It deserves to be heard often. Verse 1 and verse 9 are Great bookends, support in the beginning and on the end.

Psalm 8:9 (NIV)

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!





Psalm 8

Psalm 8

Prayer Is Building

As a child, I remember feeling quite insignificant. I heard many phrases that resulted in the overall view of myself being small and irrelevant. “Who do you think you are?” “Children should be seen and not heard.” “Quiet mouth is golden mouth.” Names like rug rat, yard monkey ankle biter, and snot nose brat didn’t do much for my self esteem either.

Thank God for God! He loves all of his children, no matter how old we are, and regardless of what we have been though. He invites us to be His own, despite our shortcomings and sinful nature. Psalm 8: 3 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him.”

As we grow older, begin to contemplate our place in this world, and long for purpose, we marvel at the beauty of this earth. God’s great power and creativity can be seen in what He has made, yet even more amazing is that small, seemingly insignificant beings like us matter to Him.

As we pray, we build our relationship with the Lord, and find comfort in his words of mercy and compassion. We begin to understand that the trials of this life have purpose. Our stairway to heaven is built one step at a time. We realize that on this earth we may feel unimportant, and our actions appear trivial in comparison to others, but in the eyes of the Lord of all the earth, our names and our hurts are important and very significant.

Who am I? I am His.

Read/Listen to Psalm 8

Listen to “Who Am I” by Casting Crowns