What is man that you are mindful of him . . .
It is a great question that the psalmist asks in Psalm 8. I imagine that it is a question that each of us has asked at least once in our lives: “Who am I that God takes notice of me and cares for me?” As we all know, reality is that, as far as holiness is concerned, we are far removed from God. Speaking strictly as human beings, God is everything that we are not, and vice-versa. He is majestic and holy and perfect in every way. On the other hand, humanity is lowly and depraved and flawed. It is nothing new to say that God’s patience and mercy toward us is wholly undeserved. What God gives to us is beyond our comprehension, and beyond our ability to explain.
As God’s creation, we are his constant concern. In ways that we cannot understand, he watches over us. With the devotion and care that is expected of a loving Father, God seeks our protection and our growth toward him. His concern for us is not idle, either. On the contrary, God is active and vigilant. He never rests in the pursuit of help and holiness for us. “He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep,” wrote the psalmist in Psalm 121:3-4.
It is this One that we worship today, of course. Considering all that God continues to do for us, let us give back to him in kind. We will never measure up, of course. Yet we can be confident in the eternal worth that God has placed on all of us.
–Ricky