You are amazing!

By Timothy Howe

I am continuously amazed at the creation around us. 

The Tiny World
Yesterday I was looking at  various microorganisms with one of my children for a school assignment. To see how all those bacteria, fungi, and micro-animals  were constructed left me with a since of amazement. The way in which they are vital to our environment and our personal health recalled my attention to the intricate nature of the world around us. 

The Cosmos
When I turn my attention  to the great cosmos, I am struck by the spectacular. The images from modern satellites leave me with a sense of awe. Our speck of dust floats through space, rotating about our star which rotates in our galaxy with billions of more also swirling around. What sights are displayed by craft such as the Hubble Telescope - gaseous clouds larger than galaxies, stars exploding,                  
stars merging together, 
or stars being "born." 


The World
Yet we live in between the infinitesimally small and gargantuan, in a world no less impressive. The vibrancy of the colors of flowers; the power of Iguazu, Niagara or Victoria Falls; the flight of bird high in the air; and the birth of a newborn baby each inspires us and reminds us of the magnificence constantly around us. 

And yet the splendor of this world begins with you. That's right. It begins with you and me, people. How is that? Well, certainly all of creation is amazing, but the scriptures tell us that we are God's most prized creation. 


Read Psalm 8 below.


                      O LORD, our Lord, 
                            how majestic is your name in all the earth! 
                      You have set your glory above the heavens. 
                      Out of the mouth of babies and infants, 
                            you have established strength because of your foes, 
                            to still the enemy and the avenger. 
                      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. 
                      You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; 
                            you have put all things under his feet, 
                            all sheep and oxen, 
                            and also the beasts of the field, 
                            the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, 
                            whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 
                      O LORD, our Lord, 
                            how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

Psalm 8 ESV         

God Transferred His Greatness to Us
This psalm was written by David. You can imagine David the shepherd sitting out in the fields while watching his sheep and looking up at the sky and pondering the majesty of the Lord. The stars would have been a brilliant backdrop when considering the glory of God.


The psalmist acknowledged that creation is glorious, but he recognizes that the creator of that creation is more glorious since He created it. He also proclaims that of all of God's creation humans have a special place because God has chosen to transfer some of his greatness to us by creating us in His image. 


So, Celebrate
This particular psalm actually starts off with a technical term in its introduction. The term in Hebrew is gittith, which literally translates as “wine-press” in English. The phrase could mean “for a wine-press,” “to a wine-press,” “on a wine-press,” “at a wine-press,” “from a wine-press.” The first two possibilities are extremely doubtful. The last three all give the same idea – that the Psalm is meant to be sung while the grapes are being pressed for preparation of wine.


That would make this a harvest song, one full of joy and celebration. Indeed, all the Psalms with this term in the beginning are songs of celebration. The idea is that the song might be sung at the brief time in the ancient daily routine when people were most assured that they had enough. 


So, do you realize how much you are worth? You are amazing. Through out today, when things come along that get you down and cause you to think of the bad around you, remember that God created you special, and that He ranks you as important in His economy. You are not meant to only survive, but you are meant to celebrate. 

Remember,

God is glorious beyond measure.

God has made a glorious cosmos.

God made you His most prized creation.