“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1-9 NIV)
When I was a boy, thinking about girls, Mother said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Homespun wisdom I know, but at the time I didn’t truly comprehend its meaning. I came to understand that Mom was pointing beyond the exterior to the interior. It’s not the physical but the spiritual character that determines true beauty.
David, the Psalmist, had considered all things created and didn’t see too much beauty until he looked beyond the creation to the Creator. And as he matured in his faith and appreciation of the Creator, David could see the real beauty in the creation. His awe of the majesty and power of God caused a whole new vista of beauty to develop before him. God’s glory remains far above the understanding of humankind (i.e., above the heavens).
One of God’s defenses against his enemies resides in little children’s voices. The wonder of newborn babies. The purity of an infant’s smile. The joy of a toddler’s laughter. All these speak of God who loved us so much that he gave his only child in whom we can believe and not perish and in whom resides eternal life. His enemies lose their voices before his majesty, seen and heard in little children.
When seriously considering the Creator and his creative power, it boggles the mind to think that He would even consider our humble estate. Yet, He created us only “a little lower” than himself and honored us with leadership authority over his creation. While we may be a step below God, our glory is that God made us a step above all his other creatures.
The excellence and wisdom of all creation’s beauty is not in its physical exterior, but in the Creator who placed us in it. Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the one who beholds God will see true beauty instead of just created stuff. “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Dear Father, thank you for revealing your majesty and glory. Empower us to be awestruck by who you are. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be courageous today in your worship of the awesome God,