Psalm 8

Psalms 8:3 (ESV)

[3] When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

[4] what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

[5] Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

When you contemplate the vastness of the universe you begin to realize just how small and insignificant this blue ball is that we call earth. Even smaller is the individual person. There are 7.8 billion people on earth. 1.3 million earths would fit in our sun, not to mention our solar system. Scientists estimate that there could be as many as 100 billion solar systems in our galaxy. Their best guess is that there are between 200 billion and 2 trillion galaxies in the universe. My guess is that creation is bigger than we have imagined. Yet God called all of that into existence by the word of his power. That makes us pretty small. “When I look at your heavens . . . what is man that you are mindful of him?”

Yet God is not only mindful of mankind, but loved us enough to take on the form and nature of humanity in order to save us. In our insignificance God chose to identify with us. “You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” In fact, he put us in charge of all that we see. “You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet” (Ps 8:6). That is the creation mandate that is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. What an amazing thought. How do you respond to a God like that?

In Psalms 8:9 David responded with praise and worship. “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Can our response be any less? Fall on you face; worship God, and put your trust in him for he is mindful of you.