“Man’s Significance”

Wednesday, February 05, 2020

Man’s Significance

Psalms 8 speaks of our importance. It is easy to get swept up in the process of life. It is easy to think we no longer matter. It is easy to feel, because of age or illness, life passes us by. It is easy to feel passed over as useless. Psalms 8 tells us the high value God places upon everyone, young or old. 

The question, “What is man?”  can only be understood by his relationship with God. The Psalm first tells us of the bigness of God (vs. 1-2).  When we look up in the sky and see the stars, we feel so small. Am I significant at all? Yet, even a nursing baby shows God’s majesty. Even God’s enemies are silenced when we consider His wonders.  The stars and babies both remind us that God loves His creation. 

So, what is man? Is man significant or not?   Man is made a little lower than the angels. While that says, in comparison to God man is little, it also says that in creation man is significant. “Made a little lower than the angels” is not a statement of how low man is but how high he is. He is created by God, not a by-product of evolution and chance. He is made in the image of God, created for God’s glory, created to have dominion over creation. 

Sadly, man lost his exalted privilege. Instead of being a victor and having dominion over creation, he became a victim of creation. Sin robbed him of his full potential. Yet, God still cares. 

This Psalm is also used of Jesus. Jesus came to provide a remedy for man. In Christ, we can become what we lost. We were made by God to be Kings. 

Psalms 8 tells us we have significance. We have great value. We were created high. Even though we lost that exalted position it can be restored through Christ. God’s dream is still available for man.

Action items:

1. Look up at the stars and marvel at God’s mighty power. Just look and see.
2. Stop thinking of yourself as meaningless and insignificant. God made you! The way we see ourselves is the way we will see others.

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