A Reflection on Psalm 8
The words of Psalm 8 roll through my head playing over and over. I’m on holidays in the Whitsundays. I had spent the past few days relaxing in God’s creation. A much-needed break and time to rest and unwind.
Psalm 8
1 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
It’s the version I learnt as a child that plays on repeat and the beauty of the creation here that continuously triggers the memory of those words. The aqua blue water with darker patches of reef, the islands rising out of the sea, the sand on the beaches, the shades of green of the trees as they sway in the breeze, the white clouds floating past in the bright blue sky. The tide goes out and I walk through the shallow water. It’s some of the clearest I have ever seen, like the most perfect glass, transparent and calm. When it moves it makes the sand below look like its pulsating. I watch fish swim past, some are white, others are outlined in blue. A stingray goes past, it’s a big one, and then a crab, a different shade of blue to the fish. It is stunningly beautiful and I marvel at the majesty of our God who made it all.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
Later as I sit on the balcony watching the colours change as the sun slowly sets, I open my Bible and turn to Psalm 8. I read verse 4 and it reminds me that God, who made all of this beauty, is mindful of me. He is mindful of each of us and he cares for us. Despite our weakness and frailty, he has given his great love to us and created the world for us to use and enjoy.1
Memories come into my mind. There are so many ways that God has shown how he cares for me. His provision, his love, his strength, the peace he gives. These vast swathes of God’s beautiful creation make me feel so honoured that God who made it all also cares for me.
I’m about halfway through reading Psalm 8 when a cockatoo flies up and perches on the railing in front of me. It startles me as it comes towards me, but it doesn’t seem at all frightened. Its eyes stay on me as I stand up and take its photo. After a few minutes it flies off and I sit again and continue reading. My eyes travel further down the Psalm… the birds in the sky, the animals of the wild, the fish in the sea and the other animals in the sea… All of these are the works of God’s hands, parts of his beautiful creation.
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honour.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
The sky darkens as the sun sets and the birds are singing in full chorus. I look out at the islands, they’re darker now, just patches between the lighter tones of the water and sky. My time watching the sunset is finishing and the last verse of Psalm 8 seems like a fitting end to the Psalm and to my afternoon.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
God who made this beautiful place also made us. I use the Psalm to give praise to God, for the beauty of his creation, for his awesome might and power that is evident in the sea and weather, for making me and caring for me. For giving me rest when I need it and time to contemplate the works of his hands. …O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth…
God bless,
Selina
1Wiersbe, W (2004). Be Worshipful: Psalms 1-89. David C Cook. Colorado Springs, USA.
