Thoughts for the Day

A Psalm of David.

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?

Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honour.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Sometimes we put our head down, often to our smart phone, and get smothered by the grim news concerning the economy, or wars or riots around the world, and forget to look up. In Psalm 8 David extols his praise of God, firstly of His name, and then through His creation, in the vastness and majesty of the heavens, and finally with a God who then concerns Himself with humans that are here today and gone tomorrow, yet He gives us power over nature which involves both privileges and responsibilities.

This morning as I type big fat raindrops are running down the window-pane, that remind me of times as a child I would trace a particular raindrop on its path to the window-sill when I was bored. But last night was a clear night with a pristine view of a half moon, and a veritable shower of stars in the dark sky, while at the weekend the autumnal colour of reds and yellows from the falling leaves in the woods was vibrant. In the meantime the pastures have turned to green again after months of baking heat this summer, and nearby fields have produced great orange globes of pumpkins ready for picking. Even the long-haired cat is a fluffy ball of fur, his coat ready for winter.

Sovereign Lord, how beautiful is Your creation - Praise the Lord!

Lord of the heavens and earth,
we praise Your name
and we bless You for the beauty of creation.
While we toil with heads down,
concerned only with day-to-day events
Your world shows Your glory in its beauty,
and in its intricacy and complexity.
Lift our heads to revel in Your creation this day.
Amen.