Recently I read and studied Psalm chapter 8.  Verse one and the ending verse (nine) frame the whole chapter.  “O Lord, our Lord. How excellent is Your name in all the earth.” NKJV.  It starts with the praise of God and ends with the praise of God. 

As Christians, we sometimes have trouble knowing of the majesty of God.  We don’t understand what a privilege it is to be able to come to God at any time.  We are so removed from His pureness that we cannot comprehend how so much lower we are. Yet, His Son died for our sins.

So much of mankind knows nothing of this praise.  They know nothing of His power, pureness and love for man.  There is no love or any desire to understand God.  They don’t believe and only think of Him as a swear word or not being real, if they think of Him at all.

In verse 3 we read.  “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained.”

Bike riding on the trails that have been created where trains once traveled, is a very enjoyable pastime.  At times during the ride, this verse and others come to mind.  It is so enjoyable to feel the wind, the warmth of the sun, to see the trees and flowers that are along the way; and see and hear the birds and animals.  Whether it is spring, summer or in the fall there are always a variety of flowers all along the way and beautiful ponds filled with frogs, insects and other things.  Truly, God has created a beautiful place for mankind to live.

Verses 4-8 praises mankind, that was made just a little lower than the angels.  It says, “You have crowned him with glory and honor.”  It states that we have been made to have dominion over the work of Your hands.  It tells that all things have been put under our feet. His great creation was entrusted to us.  The creation that He put so much love into and then put so much love into adding mankind to take care of it. 

Then mankind fell.  We began to sin and rebel against the Lord.  We became disfigured and lost the majesty that we were to have.  The relationship was broken and we became enemies of God.  Then, in Gods love for us, He sent Jesus to pay for that sin.  Our relationship was restored to all who will confess and ask for forgiveness and ask Jesus into our heart and life.  The new physical body will have to wait until God restores that at the end, but the pure enjoyment of nature and knowing Gods love is here for the asking.

Sometimes we get caught up in life, we take our eyes off God, we try to live our life our way and fall out of fellowship.  We try to walk in both worlds.  It never works; we just get upset and frustrated with life and maybe even start blaming God for our situation in life.  We need to remember, just as this chapter says, the greatness of God.  How we were created to be much better than we are and God longs for us to once again live for and rely on Him for our very life.

We all need to take time to reflex on our life and our relationship with the Lord.  When we are in step with the father, not only is everyday life easier to bear; but we can fully enjoy what God has given us here on earth.

In Christian Love

Dale Heminger