Central Truth

With Genesis 1 and 2 as a background, "[this] Psalm presents mankind as the pinnacle of creation, as the rulers over the animal world, and as the object of God's special attention." (ESVSSB Notes s.v., Psalm 8)

---

Reflections

Everyone has a preferred style of connecting with God. God longs for us to worship Him, and He has given us different avenues to do this. Some worship through the study of the Word; others worship God in fellowship with other believers. Mine is through nature - enjoying His creation.

Those who know me know that I am an animal lover. And my wonderful husband gave me a puppy two years ago that requires lots and lots of exercise. Frequently, I take Sadie on walks through our neighborhood, and eventually we come to an open field with space to run and smell all sorts of interesting scents. My favorite time to walk her is at night, when the moon and the stars are out. I absolutely marvel at God's expanse above me and am drawn to worship Him in His majesty.

Two verses stand out to me as I consider this psalm:

"When I look at 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,
and the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:3,4 ESV)

I look up and see how awesome and creative God is. Then I look at myself and ask the same question that David asks. Why do you care about insignificant me? When I ponder on this contrast, I am blown away at how much I am loved just because God chooses to love me!

As I was writing this devotion, I stumbled across this psalm in a post on Facebook by a teen in our youth group. I asked her what was meaningful to her about it, and this is what she said, "Well my thoughts are pretty simple. I love this verse because even though God is a God with so much power and majesty, he decided that we were important and worth dying for. This verse helps me realize just how blessed I really am. The God who made the entire universe, decided that I was special."

Revel in God's majesty today!

---

Discussion Questions

1. What is your preferred style of connecting with God? If you don't know, email me and I will send you a quick assessment you can take to discover yours!
2. How do you view yourself in light of God's creation? A little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and majesty? That's how God sees you!
3. What adjustments do you need to make in your self image to reflect how God views you?
4. Will you commit to pursuing God and considering Him as you go throughout your day?

---