It’s So Sweet to be Small
Psalm 8:3-4
“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, the son of man that you care for him?”
Take a moment to think about the most beautiful place you have ever been, the most breath-taking sight you have ever seen. Maybe it’s the coast of Hawaii, the mountains of Colorado, the sunrise on a beach or an African safari. We all have places we’ve been and sights we have seen that we could never forget because their beauty is too magnificent. Even more than the things we see, consider the smells that make you smile, the sounds that bring you joy. For me, the smell of rain, the sound of a congregation singing praises, and the view of a sky full of stars never fail to bring me joy. The song, “So Will I,” by Benjamin William Hastings articulates the true purpose of these things we can never appreciate enough. He writes, “I can see your heart in everything you’ve made, every burning star a signal fire of grace, if creation sings your praises, so will I.”
For the believer it is a beautiful thing to look at creation and know the Creator. To look at the fish in the sea, the colors in the sky and know they reflect the same God that intricately made each of us. The God who knows the names of every star in the sky, made us in His image, knowing the number of hairs on each of our heads. We could live in a world that is dull and gray, lacking unique animals, community, wind and waves, but we live in a world where each day and each place is full of reminders of the one who made you.
I was recently blessed with the opportunity to go to the Galapagos Islands, yes the place where Charles Darwin discovered evolution. One night I was with a group, lying on the beach staring at a sky displaying the stars so clearly you could even see the Milky Way. I laid there listening to the crashing waves and distant sea lion cries, while looking for shooting stars, surrounded by some of the most important Christ-following people in my life. Walking back from this dream everyone started talking about how small a moment like that made them feel. I was reminded of Psalm 8 where it says, “When I look at the 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, the son of man that you care for him?” Who am I to be a chosen daughter of the King? To be cared for, protected, loved, and held by the God of the universe? I sat on that beach staring at the Milky Way, a galaxy so far and full of stars it appears hazy from earth, thinking I am so small. My life is merely a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow, but God chose to create me in His image and send His Son to die for me. And for you! How incredible is that??
My encouragement to you is to pay attention to the beauty of creation around you. The next time you take note of it, remember the worth you’ve been given and how you could never be worthy of that. Remember that man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Remember that even “the rocks cry out in silence” to magnify the Creator. If creation exists to lift Him high, how much more are we called to worship and adorn the Creator with all praise and thanksgiving for loving someone so small.