"Crowned with Glory"
Jun. 10, 2019
When I look at 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, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
~ Psalm 8:3-5 (ESV)
On December 7, 1972, the astronauts of Apollo 17 turned a camera homeward and, from a distance of 18,000 miles, photographed their home planet. That image of earth—with its swirling colors of blue, green, and white—hanging in the vast darkness of space has been called "the blue marble." Although few people have seen the earth from that vantage point, even the photograph may be enough to leave a person feeling rather small and insignificant.
The psalmist, who looks into the vastness of space from his vantage point on that blue marble, is moved to question his own significance. He marvels at the night sky God has created, the moon and stars, and he asks his Creator, "What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You care for him?" In this awe-inspiring universe with its countless stars and galaxies, has God even noticed him? Has God noticed us?
Yes, He has! He loves this big blue marble of a world and the people He created to dwell on it so much that God sent His Son to redeem us—through Christ Jesus "to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven" (Colossians 1:20a). The writer to the Hebrews applies the psalmist's question, and his answer, to Christ. Jesus, the Son of Man, was made a little lower than the angels. He humbled Himself, offering up His life as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Then God raised Him from the dead and "crowned Him with glory and honor" (see Hebrews 2:6-7).
That is the source of our significance on this blue marble world. Our significance is not found in anything we are or in anything we have done, any works we may have achieved, but in what our God has done for us in Christ Jesus. God our Savior is mindful of us. He cares for us. He has, for the sake of His Son, reconciled us to Himself and crowned us with glory and honor. We are His precious sons and daughters. There is no greater significance than that!
THE PRAYER: Almighty God, we give You praise and thanks for the world You have created. In Christ Jesus Your Son we find our significance and one day, crowned with glory in Your presence, we will offer our praise before Your throne. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you see anything divine or godlike in the natural world?
- How has man been crowned with "glory and honor"?
- How can we keep our focus on God's role as Creator when so often the world disputes this and claims otherwise?
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Do you see anything divine or godlike in the natural world?
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