Knowing the Majesty of God

Psalm 8

We don’t need a dog. There is nothing we truly need a dog for other than maybe chasing the kids around. But we’re dog people, so we love our dog and make sure she feels useful. In a similar way, God is fully self-sufficient, existing outside of humans and without need from humans. He is absolutely majestic on His own, but He loves us and shows us His majesty in relationship to us. God doesn’t need us, but it is clear through this Psalm and countless other passages that He desires us and that he hopes our response is to live in that desire. Hear this: God desires you and wants you to live in that desire, that warmth, that love. You do that by living out the calling God gave you. God is glorified when humanity lives up to its calling. Let’s break this down.

God Glorifies Himself in His Love for Humans

When I look at the stars you set in place, who is man that you care for him (Psalm 8 paraphrase)? We exist at His pleasure and all that is given comes from Him. He did this for us. He wants to be with us, and this is how He wants to spend time with us, by including us on what is important to Him, which is taking care of this world. Our service as believers does not help God in the sense that He needs help, only that He offers us a chance to participate in His work, similiar to us with our dog, so we give her jobs, like chasing the kids or protecting the house. And in her ways, she helps… sometimes. The dog isn’t needed; only wanted. But it feels that love by being needed and having seemingly important things to do. At least important to her.

For the vast majority of people today, a dog is not a need, just a desire. For God, humanity is the apple of His eye, the love worth pursuing, the one He created the world for. It’s desire! His desire is for us. He desires you! He did all of it by His own hand, His power, His ability as God. He didn’t get any help in creating the universe but did it all out of His own power and love. For us! Quite a magnificent giver and a wonderful gift! But He still wants to give humanity a sense of need and purpose, so He gave us a truly important role.

Humans Glorify God by Living Out Our Calling

Our proper response is to go along with Him. God gave humans two major commissions for our job on this earth. Genesis 9:1 (spread out and master the earth): We take care of this earth because that was our original job! Talk about recycling and how it is stewardship, not liberalism. We should care for the environment, not because of climate change warnings, but because it honors what God gave us. Sure, he promises a new earth, but that’s not the point. The earth is a gift for us, we should treat it well.

He then tasked us, His followers, His children, to share His good with the rest of the world. Matthew 28:19-20 (make disciples of all nations): to spread the good news (notice I didn’t say judgment, but GOOD NEWS) of Jesus’ death and resurrection, giving life and salvation to all who trust in His gift. He created us because He wants us and thus gave us work to fulfill us – and not trivial stuff – real, important work! Take care of the earth and share the good news! We do the work in response to Him, showering His love and goodness on us in His desire, sharing His love to others through our actions and words. Therefore, God is glorified when humanity lives up to its calling.

Next Steps

Praise God through your participation in His work. Be a good steward of the earth and of its denizens. Remember that God is glorified when humanity lives up to its calling. Here are some ways how.

1. Mind your waste. How many plastic water bottles do you go through? Consider things you can wash instead of throwing away. Reducing waste shows love for the gift of this earth.
2. Make friends with a non-believer. Don’t try to rush the gospel presentation but be intentional about sharing God’s love with them by being a true and good friend. Let them see your life. Share with them like God shares with us.

The majesty of God is seen in His desire for you. He wants you to respond to His love. He wants you to live in His love. And as 1 John 5:3 says, we love God by obeying His commands. You are important to Him and He gave you important things to do. See that as a gift, because it’s not a burden. Go and conquer!