‘What is humankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them…’ (Psalm 8:4)
Read Psalm 8
Have you ever been mesmerised by the murmuration flight patterns of starlings and wondered just how on earth they are able to produce those kind of aerial displays. Or fascinated by a flock of geese flying in a V formation, doing so to preserve their energy and generate more lift. Or bemused by an army of ants working in perfect harmony and co-ordination, dissect a plant and take it back to the ant hill. These are only a few examples of the wonder of God’s creation that we might see from time to time – and there are many more if we just stop and think about it.
No wonder we sing, ‘How great Thou art…’ Yet even as we might echo those words, is it any wonder then that when we consider the vastness, the majesty, the glory of all that God has created, here on earth and in the heavens, then like David, who we believe to be the author of this Psalm, we too would ask the question, why is it that God cares for us as He does.
From the opening verse to the closing verse this Psalm is about the majestic condescension of God and it reminds us of our need for humility. The verses make it clear that as human beings we are the pinnacle of God’s creation and are exalted above everything else that God made. Yet we are also reminded that this ‘supremacy’ we have been afforded is not because we merit it in any way or because of something inherent within our human nature. The reason that we can celebrate this exalted position is because God has ordained it to be so. The question set out in verse 4 is effectively a rhetorical question and one that we cannot truly answer as such. The only thing we can really do is to accept that God cares for us and loves us, and if ever we doubted that we need only to look to Jesus.
Take time to read this Psalm over and over. Take time to consider the wonder and majesty of all that God created. Consider the vastness of the heavens, consider the vastness of the oceans, consider the beauty of the earth, consider all the life that exists here on earth, consider all this and then consider the only answer that we can possibly give to that question in verse 4. God cares for us because He loves us so much – and now seek to share that love with others.
Lord we just stand in awe and wonder at all You have created, and if we are honest, we are amazed that small and insignificant as we are, still You love us in the way that You do, above everything else in Your creation. We thank You for that love and ask that You help us to share that love in all we say and do, to the glory and honour of Your name. Amen.
Question Of The Day: How big was Noah’s ark and how many levels did it have?