Background As poems, the Psalms often use vivid imagery that praise creation. But this week’s Psalm about creation is unusual in that is isn’t seeking to praise and understand God through his creation (I’ll pick one of those for next week), but to see how we fit into it all. Like the two creation stories at the beginning of the bible, this Psalm isn’t about how or what, but who. Who created everything, who are we to this grand creator and who are we to his creation?
Reading Psalm 8: 1- 2 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.
Reflection. It is hard to choose just one thing even from just two verses- The Lord is our Lord- we belong to him and him to us. What a marvelous beginning! The glory and majesty in earth and heaven- Lord of all and still ours. Little old us, we belong. The second verse is one that I’ve seen discussions on. Is it that praise, or honoring God is enough to protect even the weakest of us, or that out of the mouths of babes comes truth, or even that when we come to God with faith and praise as children do, then we are doing it right and protected by his grace? Whenever you gain insight from the Psalms, then that is a “right” way to think of it, so what does it mean to you? All together it begins the journey of this Psalm with contrast between the amazing largeness and power of God and the small fragileness of us. Yet we are connected. God made you. God made me. He wanted us! Sometimes we need to strip the rest of it away and remember that.