When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:3-4 (NIV)
The verses that David penned so long ago are a testament of his awe at the overall majesty of God. God set the heavens with the span of His hand. Let’s think about that for a minute. Look at the span of your hand. Spread your fingers wide. The span is the tip of your thumb to the tip of your pinky finger. With that in mind, breath in the fact that God set the heavens with the span of his hand, meaning, the Universe fits in the palm of his hand! Combine that thought with a few scientific facts:
- With the naked eye, one can see 5,000 stars…on a clear night,
- With a 4-inch telescope, one can see about 2 million stars, and
- With a 200-inch mirror of a great observatory, one can see a billion stars.
- The universe is so big that if one traveled at the speed of light, it would take 40 billion years to make the journey.
Wow!
Now consider the next verse. This is where David’s true awe and wander take shape, “what is mankind that you are mindful of them…” David didn’t question or doubt God’s love for him, he only wandered why a great big God would be mindful of him…of such a small human being.
Let’s look at the definition of mindful. It means to be conscious or aware of something. A better explanation: to be mindful means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surrounding environment. For one to be mindful, one must be intentional.
Like David, we should rest in the assurance that God knows us, sees us and hears us. He is always thinking of us. Because of this, I can I look around at all that is happening in the world today, and know that nothing is taking him by surprise. All of society’s events are pieces of a greater puzzle… a puzzle whose picture only God can see. It’s ok if only He can see it because we know He is mindful of us… He’s got this!
My prayer for you today, my friend, is that you never lose the awe and wonder of God that David writes about. If you don’t have it, never had it, or have lost it because of a personal situation, I pray that you will open your heart and mind to the love of God. He can bring you a peace and strength that passes all understanding.
You will truly be standing in awe and wonder!
One last thing, during your journey of today, go back and read the full chapter of Psalms 8. Pray the words. Take a moment and journal your thoughts.