Devotion for June 21, 2011 – Our Humanity
Photo: Sam Calma (Creative Commons license)
Today's Scripture Reading
Psalm 8
How Majestic Is Your Name
To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.
8:1 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Today's Devotion
"What is man that you should be mindful of him?"
The words of Psalm 8 remind me of the fact that not only is God the Creator of all but God created humanity to have a special relationship with God. God has placed humans in a position of great responsibility:
“You give him mastery over the works of your hands; you put all things under his feet”
What we do matters. How we treat each other and the world we live in has an effect on all creation. We are an integral part of the web of life and it does not matter whether we are rich or poor, man or woman, where we live, what we do matters.
So often we feel that there is nothing we can do that will improve the state of the world, to reduce our carbon footprint, to feed the poor, to care for those in need; we throw up our hands in despair. But Psalm 8 tells us that God has given us a special place in the world, by virtue of our humanity, not our station in life, our wealth or any other factor. We are all capable of forming relationships with one another that exemplify the love of God. We are all capable of forming a relationship with God that expresses our thanks and reliance on our Creator. Our humanity alone is enough to allow us to take part in forging a God-like kingdom in our own daily lives that effects the world we live in in ways that we really cannot fathom in our limited time on earth.
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