Psalm 8

Nicknamed

Posted on by Betsy

Do you have a nickname? I go by Betsy, but that is not my real name. Born Elizabeth Ann, my mother nicknamed me Betsy for several reasons. First, it is a common derivative of Elizabeth, along with Liz, Beth, Eliza, etc. It was also the name of Betsy Palmer, an actress she admired. But the selling point was that my sister, who is four years older, had developed an imaginary friend whom she called Betsy. Parental wisdom suggested that naming me for her friend would ease the transition of a new baby in the house. Unfortunately, it did not.

The name and names of God is a fascinating subject. By understanding the origin of these names, we tap into the different aspects of God’s character. God is our Elohim, our Strength and Power. God is YWYH, the great “I AM.” He is Yeshua and Emmanuel, God with us in the form of Jesus. He is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord Who Provides.

Who is God to you?

In today’s psalm, David wrote that God’s name is “majestic.” Think about that for a moment. Merriam-Webster defines majestic as “an impressive largeness proportionate to scale, without sacrifice of dignity or good taste.” It’s the reference to largeness and scale that piques my attention. David described God’s glory as being higher than the heavens and reminded us that the moon and stars were set in place by God. With the vastness of these images firmly planted in our minds, David then writes “what are human beings that you pay attention to them?” (verse 4). What, indeed?

That God would create the universes and still be mindful of us is nothing short of miraculous.

Psalm 8 (Common English Bible)
Lord, our Lord, how majestic
    is your name throughout the earth!
    You made your glory higher than heaven!
2 From the mouths of nursing babies
    you have laid a strong foundation
    because of your foes,
    in order to stop vengeful enemies.
3 When I look up at your skies,
    at what your fingers made—
    the moon and the stars
    that you set firmly in place—
4         what are human beings
            that you think about them;
        what are human beings
            that you pay attention to them?

God’s care and consideration of human beings comes with the responsibility of caring for all of his handiwork. Indeed, the beasts of the field as well as the field itself are under our supervision. As we look at our policies and practices concerning the meat processing industry, the effects of pollution on our waters, and the increasing threat of climate change due to carbon emission, how well are we doing with the stewardship of God’s gift?
5 You’ve made them only slightly less than divine,
    crowning them with glory and grandeur.
6 You’ve let them rule over your handiwork,
    putting everything under their feet—
7         all sheep and all cattle,
        the wild animals too,
8         the birds in the sky,
        the fish of the ocean,
        everything that travels the pathways of the sea.

Our challenge today is to make one small change that could have a majestic effect on God’s creation. Can you choose paper over plastic bags, or better yet, carry canvas bags for your groceries? Can you refuse a plastic straw? Can you commit to eating a vegetarian meal once a week? Can you bike to work tomorrow instead of drive? How about getting into a carpool so that fewer cars are on the road?

God trusts us with the majesty of creation. May we be worthy of that trust.
9 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!

Majesty in Flight by Michelle Robertson

From the Mouths of Babes

Posted on by Betsy

Last week I received prayer concerns for several babies who had been born too early. A clergy friend asked for prayer for her granddaughter, who was born by emergency C-section at 33 weeks. A church member asked for prayer for a cousin’s baby, who was born weighing just over five pounds and requires surgery. Seeing pictures of newborns fully hooked up in the neonatal intensive care unit brought back memories of my twin grandchildren, who spent the first two weeks of their lives in a NICU. Today, they are thriving, healthy, ORNERY four-year-olds and I pray that every baby on our prayer list ends up just like them. Please Lord, make it so!

I had just finished praying for these babies when I read today’s lectionary passage from the book of Psalms. Look for David’s reference to babies:

Psalm 8 (New King James Version)

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants, God has ordained strength. What a wonderful concept! Can you imagine these tiny babies singing praises to God as they receive the tender care and ministrations of well-trained intensive care nurses and doctors? The beauty of this passage takes my breath away. As they lie there with their eyes taped shut, ventilators helping them breath, feeding tubes down their noses providing sustenance, and multiple monitors strapped to their little chests, they are busy singing praises to their God as they wait. Oh, my, yes!

David continues his own words of praise as he contemplates God’s creation:

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

As we wait through life’s trials and tribulations, we can sing praises to God regardless of the situation, hardship, challenge, or threat that we face. We are ordained with strength! God has made us just a little lower than the angels. All life is precious in God’s sight, and we are crowned with glory and honor.

This undeserved status is a gift from the One who told the stars and the moon where to sit. We are so loved by God.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

And with this crowning of glory comes responsibility for the works of God’s hand. We must care for God’s creatures. We must care for God’s earth. We must do everything we can to ensure that the tiny babies have clean air, unpolluted seas, and a healthy planet to raise their own babies. It is our job to take care of the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. How are we doing?

How will you respond to this today? Will you pray for the tiny babies? Will you change your habits to ensure a healthy world? Will you support your local SPCA?

God’s name is over all of the earth, from the smallest baby to the biggest whale in the sea. May all life rise up and sing praises to his name!

9 O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

The Paths of the Seas by Michelle Robertson

Crowned with Glory

Posted on by Betsy

Most of us are familiar with the beautiful images of the earth from the photographs taken on the various Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space missions of the 1960’s and ‘70’s. To see our beautiful blue planet from such a perspective is breathtaking. Oh, how I envy the angels their view!

The first photo of the earth was actually taken many years earlier.

On Oct. 24, 1946, soldiers and scientists at White Sands Missile Range launched a V-2 missile carrying a 35-millimeter motion picture camera which took the first shots of Earth from space. These images were taken at an altitude of 65 miles, just above the accepted beginning of outer space. The film survived the crash landing because it was encased in a steel cassette. (Spacecenter.org)

Seriously, thank God somebody thought about a steel cassette.

In Psalm 8, we get a word-picture of the majesty of the earth from the Psalmist’s perspective. Imagine how he stood on the desert sands of Israel and looked up at the sky every night, contemplating the nature of God. This is what he was inspired to write:

Psalm 8 (Common English Bible)

Lord, our Lord, how majestic
    is your name throughout the earth!
    You made your glory higher than heaven!
2 From the mouths of nursing babies
    you have laid a strong foundation
    because of your foes,
    in order to stop vengeful enemies.
3 When I look up at your skies,
    at what your fingers made—
    the moon and the stars
    that you set firmly in place—
4         what are human beings
            that you think about them;
        what are human beings
            that you pay attention to them?

Ah, the question. With all that you have created, what are we, that you would even pay attention to us? With all the violence and hatred in the world today, how have you not given up on us?

God’s love for humanity in that regard is nothing less than stunning. That God could spin all the universes into place and still care about where you left your car keys is nothing short of unfathomable.

5 You’ve made them only slightly less than divine,
    crowning them with glory and grandeur.
6 You’ve let them rule over your handiwork,
    putting everything under their feet—
7         all sheep and all cattle,
        the wild animals too,
8         the birds in the sky,
        the fish of the ocean,
        everything that travels the pathways of the sea.

So the next time you are feeling down about yourself, having a rough day, and questioning your self-worth, consider with what high regard God holds YOU. You are his beloved! He crowns you with glory and grandeur. He imparts his majesty to you, and thinks about you all the time. Someone once said that if God had a refrigerator, your school picture would be on it. Imagine that!

Ponder all this next time you look up at the stars.

9 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!

Photo Credit: NASA’s Earth Observatory