“what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet.”
- Psalm 8:4 -

The repeated refrain ‘Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth’ frames the psalm at its beginning and end. The psalmist knew nothing of space, but no astronaut reaching even the remotest planet in the most distant galaxy can move beyond God’s reach. In such a universe, the psalmist asks, what are human beings that God should care about them? They have a status almost equal to heavenly beings, but this status is entirely derived from their relationship to their Creator.

This relationship confers great responsibility:

We are to manage the earth, its creatures and their habitats, on behalf of the Creator. God has made us ‘rulers’ of creation (v 6). Christians need to affirm this sacred responsibility, putting us at the forefront of protecting the environment. But most importantly, we should care for the perishing world due to sin. For this reason, we should share the gospel of Jesus. When the lost one is saved through the gospel, he is restored into the glory of God; he or she lives to bring glory to the Lord God. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Let it not be Lord, that praise should rise to you and I remain silent. I lift my thanks and praise to you.