Saturday,
November 30, 2019
FEELING SMALL!
Ps 8:3-6
3 When I
consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which
thou hast ordained;
4 What is
man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou
hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory
and honour.
6 Thou
madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all
things under his feet:
I am blessed to be a Texan and I mention that to remind you
that Texas has more visible stars than other states filled with tall buildings
that clutter the sky. The lights of the boulevards often make it impossible to
see the glory of the heavens. No such competition hampered the heavenly view of
the psalmist. With the sheep at his feet (see verse 7) and the blanket of stars
overhead, David began to consider God. Above the immensity of the heavens,
David imagined God looking down upon man.
Nothing makes a man feel small like
the enormity of the starlit heavens! The most hardened doubter begins to consider that maybe
there really is a God and if there is a God then what is my duty toward Him?
These thoughts make one feel smaller still. Why does this God care for and
provide for such a small speck as man?
David used two wonderful words to
describe God’s care for man. The first is the word “mindful” in verse four. This word is
the Hebrew zakar and it means “to mark so as to be recognized.”
Imagine God looking down and wanting to isolate you from all the rest of
creation. He places a mark upon you. With this mark He can track your
whereabouts and observe your circumstance. But this is more than a tracking
device. It is a mark of possession and ownership.
The second word is also in verse
four
and it is the word “visit.” Here
David specifically alludes to God coming down to be with man. This is the
wonder of Christmas! God came down but not just down. God came down to lowest
man. He was born in the humblest circumstances so that he could meet man eye to
eye. Such condescension is too full of wonder for expression. So, John 3:16
describes the love of God with the tiny word “so.”
If you are feeling abandoned by God don a jacket and go out under the
night sky. Look up at the wonder of the work of His fingers and understand that
God has placed a mark upon you. God has not lost you in the crowd.
He knows who you are and what is happening in your life. He came down to visit
you in your humanity so that he might lift you up to sit in heavenly places.
(see Ephesians 2:6,7)
Wondrous
God, I am overwhelmed and encouraged that you think on me. I know that you will
never lose sight of me or forget my needs. I know that you are rich enough to
pay all my debts and strong enough to defeat all my enemies. I know that I am
loved – but I do not know why. Thank you, Marvelous Lord. AMEN
