“What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:4-5)
God is worthy of all glory—we were reminded of that yesterday. Today, we read another song on this theme. “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1)
In this psalm, the poet marvels not only at God’s greatness, but also at His attitude toward us humans. Given that the Lord is so full of majesty, how remarkable it is to see that He crowns us humans with honor and glory ! We are mere mortal beings—the psalmist is well aware of this. And yet God shares His honor and glory with us. He places a crown upon our heads and entrusts us with responsibility over His creation.
In response to this great gift from God, the psalmist repeats his earlier exclamation: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:9) He realizes how blessed he is and praises God for it. Unfortunately, there are also people who react very differently. Their high position makes them so arrogant that they completely push God aside. They want to be in charge of their own lives—and preferably also of the people around them. They claim God’s position for themselves.
How do you see your place in the world? And how do you see your position in relation to God?