Listen

You’ve made them only slightly less than divine, crowning them with glory and grandeur. You’ve let them rule over your handiwork, putting everything under their feet—all sheep and all cattle, the wild animals too, the birds in the sky, the fish of the ocean, everything that travels the pathways of the sea. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!

Psalm 8:5-9

Think

When I was in college, my youth leader put me in charge of leading songs for a large group of younger students. Thankfully, I had some other student leaders to help with singing, but I was the only one playing an instrument.

I was overwhelmed with the trust he had in me to give me this role. I was surprised that he stepped back to let me do it, because he was a great guitar player and song leader. Why didn’t he just do it? It was a great learning experience for me, but it wasn’t pretty.

This is kind of how I feel about this passage from Psalms. God puts us in charge of the creation? It’s our job to care for all the animals, birds, fish, and the earth itself? Seems like a big job, and seems like we’re not doing so great.

It suggests that God loves us, trusts us, and wants us to grow. The psalmist’s response is simply to praise, “O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” And returning our attention to God always seems like a good choice.

Chad Senuta

Question to Ponder:

How do you return your attention to God when you feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities given to us to care for creation?

Pray

Thank you, God, for trusting me with important responsibilities. When I feel overwhelmed, help me return my focus to you and sustain me. Amen.

Go

Go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not.

Go in love, for God’s love alone endures.

And go in peace, for that is God’s gift to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ Jesus.