When I consider your heavens

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,

The moon and 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 honour                               Psalm 8: 3 – 5

I can imagine David staring up at the moon and stars, marvelling at the beauty of the Milky Way and was blown away that the Creator of this beauty knew and cared about him.  Have you ever stood under a really dark, clear, night sky away from all the light pollution of our cities and towns and like David marvelled at the incredible beauty of the starry host?  It is truly amazing!

Today there are radio telescopes that can pick up images from farther and farther away in space of the most awesome ‘clouds’ of stars and planets.  If man were to travel to the edges of what is the known universe, it would take thousands of light years.  Yet there is so much more – all created by our God. 

Like David it makes us think, 'what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?'  The phrase ‘mindful of'’ literally means remember and remember does not mean call to mind something that is forgotten  but rather to express concern for someone and to act with loving care towards them.  So when we think we are just one of billions of people on a minute planet of a tiny solar system in a corner of a small galaxy and wonder if we matter?  The answer of course is ‘yes’.  We are loved so much that the Creator of all that we marvel at, sent his own son to die for us so we can know him and spend eternity with him. 

When we gaze up at the heavens, we can be overwhelmed by the greatness of our Creator God and feel so insignificant.  God however has graciously made us in his own image to rule over creation on his behalf. We are not to exploit, waste or spoil the creation but to care for and use it for God’s glory and purpose.  What a privilege it is to be one whom God considers and is mindful of and as David said, God has crowned us with glory and honour. We are not an insignifcant dot in the vastness of space but a treasured and valued child of God.