Co-creating Trust and Flourishing – Psalm 8

A text – Psalm 8

¹ O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
²     Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;
⁴ what are humans that you are mindful of them,
    mortals that you care for them?

⁵ Yet you have made them a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

A reflection:

God is the Creator of all things, and thus the ultimate ruler over all things. That is what this psalmist is struck by. The glory (or weight, as we might translate it) of God’s creation is so big, so much, that a little mortal being like myself will and should feel small among the stars and planets and even among the creatures of the earth. Yet God has a special relationship with humans. God loves us and knows what we can accomplish.

Glory and majesty translate to weight on the holy scales. God = very heavy. Human being = very small. Not much majesty. That’s just how it is. And yet, the psalmist says, humans have been placed in a responsible position. We have dominion over other parts of creation. We have to make decisions about them, care for them, protect them. In-chargeness is about more than giving commands. It’s about seeing that they thrive. It’s how we want anyone placed in charge of anything to behave – not just giving commands but making choices so that everything thrives.

This week our texts have told us that those most vulnerable must be protected. If we have power in certain situations, we had better use it to help people to thrive. To flourish. We make choices for our children. We are in charge. But we do our best to make those choices that nourish them and help them bloom. Everything we have power for must wisely make everything we have power over flourish. And when we do that, we praise God in our actions, because God has placed us in that position and helps us flourish. Creation is on-going. A daily activity of God. And if we take our human calling seriously, we help to co-create a trustworthy world.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for being our Creator. Thank you for everything you made and continue to make, every day. Thank you for entrusting us with responsibility. Help us to always remember that responsibility and carry it out for the flourishing of the world around us. Help us to remember our calling.  Amen.