When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man, that You take thought of him? And the son of man, that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and you crowned him with glory and majesty! You made him to rule over the works of Your hands; You put all things under his feet... O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
Here's the balance we need; not to think too highly of ourselves, lest in our pride we usurp God's place, but, also, not to think too lowly of ourselves, lest in our unworthiness we never take hold of God's provision, purposes and promises for us. We can humbly wonder, "What is man, that You take thought of him? And the son of man, that you care for him?", or we can joyfully wonder, "What is man, that You take thought of him? And the son of man, that you care for him?" I think David kept this tension as balance. It helped him to remember his place, knowing that though God crowned us with glory and majesty over nature, the LORD is crowned with glory and majesty over all. This is a right view of our place before God. This is a healthy view of our place before God. It causes us to take heed to our responsibility to each other, to the created world, and to our LORD. Our place with each other, rightly understood, causes us to respect and regard one another as equally precious in the sight of God, and we treat each other this way. Our place with God's creation, rightly understood, causes us to appreciate and care for His creation, and we tend it this way. Our place with the Creator, rightly understood, causes us to worship God, exclaiming, "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!" And we serve Him this way. In a world that is off balance because it refuses to know its place, God's people are God's equilibrium; the stabilizing force that keeps the world from its own destruction. This is the force of the gospel. Is it any wonder that Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15)?
Here's the balance we need; not to think too highly of ourselves, lest in our pride we usurp God's place, but, also, not to think too lowly of ourselves, lest in our unworthiness we never take hold of God's provision, purposes and promises for us. We can humbly wonder, "What is man, that You take thought of him? And the son of man, that you care for him?", or we can joyfully wonder, "What is man, that You take thought of him? And the son of man, that you care for him?" I think David kept this tension as balance. It helped him to remember his place, knowing that though God crowned us with glory and majesty over nature, the LORD is crowned with glory and majesty over all. This is a right view of our place before God. This is a healthy view of our place before God. It causes us to take heed to our responsibility to each other, to the created world, and to our LORD. Our place with each other, rightly understood, causes us to respect and regard one another as equally precious in the sight of God, and we treat each other this way. Our place with God's creation, rightly understood, causes us to appreciate and care for His creation, and we tend it this way. Our place with the Creator, rightly understood, causes us to worship God, exclaiming, "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!" And we serve Him this way. In a world that is off balance because it refuses to know its place, God's people are God's equilibrium; the stabilizing force that keeps the world from its own destruction. This is the force of the gospel. Is it any wonder that Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15)?
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