What are humans
that thou art
mindful of them?
Psalm 8:4
Psalm 8:
Divine Majesty and Human Dignity
To the leader: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals[a] that you care for them?
5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God,[b]
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
The idea that Almighty God, Creator of the Universe cares what happens in our lives is a stumbling block for many people to believe in God. That he would dare to lower himself to become human is a deal breaker for many others. As we see, it was a mystery to David in the Psalms as well.
In the end, it is something we take on faith – and live as if it were true – and see how it changes first our self-image, and then every other relationship, even our relationship with life itself.
The challenge to faith is the same one before us as it was some 3000 years ago for David. When we decide to take up the challenge, the next natural step from awe and wonder, is praise.
Has this been it stumbling block for you to think that God could be both Creator and Saviour? How might it change your life if you dared to try it on in faith? What might you lose?
