Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
February 5, 2024
Psalm 8:1-9
1 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? 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. 9 LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!
Good Morning! O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
We are a funny lot. We want to take control of so many things that are not ours to control, yet we mess up what we are supposed to oversee. God gave us dominion over His handiwork: the earth, the sky, and everything on it. Sadly, we haven’t done very well.
By our hands, we pollute the air, land, and water, creating a menagerie of problems. We continue to deplete our natural resources, and we don’t care for those unable to care for themselves. We are experts at creating division among people. Not a very pretty resume.
Despite the gloomy picture we have painted, God is cheering us on. God knows that we have within us everything we need to reclaim, refurbish, and restore all we have messed up.
First, we must use our free will to make good environmental choices. Second, we must engage God’s power within us to break down the barriers that stand between us and God. Finally, we must return to the basic commandments to which we are called: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbors as yourselves.
LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!
Gracious God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. When we are lost, You find us. When we are broken, You mend us. We thank you! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: By the grace of God, we are given new life.
God’s majesty endures! Pastor Liz