(Originally published on March 24, 2020)
Reading: … the Creator of Heaven and Earth. (The Apostle’s Creed); Psalm 8
A Psalm of David.
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!
Reflection: I hope that you also have your favorite parts of the Bible, places where God speaks to you anew in various seasons of life. Yesterday, I wrote about how Psalm 8 is one of those places for me. I often read it when my life turns into chaos. I imagine how David, who went through so much and whose life often resembled chaos more than royal comfort, wrote this psalm to remind himself of an important truth. That truth is that his God, the God of order, establishes order from chaos with His creative power.
God, our Lord, is clearly presented as worthy of praise in the first and last verses. Why? His authority extends throughout the earth. He is above all creation – He overshadows it. He is the one who defeated His enemies in creation – the forces of chaos that resisted the establishment of order and structure. Then He speaks of the stars in the sky, the animals, birds, and fish that God created according to their kinds, and assigned clear domains in which they continue to dwell to this day. The earth belongs to the animals, the sky to the birds, and the waters and seas to the fish. And as His special representative with royal authority, who will rule over His creation, God has appointed man created in His image. Chaos was defeated in God’s creative act, and man, the crown of creation, was given the task of representing the Creator and maintaining the order that was established.
The beginning of yesterday was more like chaos than anything else. In the morning, after learning about the earthquake in Zagreb, I contacted my friends who live there to check if they were okay. Most of them spent a good part of the day in their cars or outdoors in fear of another earthquake. Along with the crisis caused by the coronavirus, earthquakes have caused considerable panic, and a large number of police officers, firefighters, civil protection personnel, and volunteers have been working hard to prevent things from getting out of control. These days, the possibility of a scenario in which things could get out of control to the point where a state of chaos would arise in some parts of the world is often mentioned.
Do you feel that fear, panic, confusion, and chaos are creeping into your life? In such situations, it is good to remember that our God is a God of order. He overcomes the forces of darkness that want to create a state of chaos in our lives. In Him, we can find the much-needed security and peace in these difficult and challenging times.
Prayer: Use the words of Psalm 8 today and turn them into your personal prayer. What will that prayer look like?
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended into hell, on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.