Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

Minding my life

Tuesday, February 8, 2005

Psalm 8:4-6
What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet.

What a piece of work! Is man.* When Shakespeare put these sentiments into the mouth of Hamlet, his prince continued on in despair, describing depression, his sense of failure and loss. In his own mind, Hamlet certainly did not measure up to what God had planned for his life.

The psalm, written by David long before he too felt the terrible bite of sin and betrayal and death, places man at the pinnacle of God's creation and does not apologize for it. This Biblical song calls me to rejoice in my senses, my intellect, the power of my words, and my ability to control the world around me.

This is what God has for me; this is what he wants for me. But my experience with myself and the world is generally much less exultant. God made me for glory and honor; I settle for so much less.

Climbing back up the mountain toward God, I frame the final words of this song (verse 9): "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" With these words firmly in place, all the rest will come together too.

Lord forgive me for reaching too far alone, and not nearly far enough with you. I stretch out my arms again!

* "What a piece of work is man!
How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties!
in form and moving, how express and admirable!
in action how like an angel!
in apprehension, how like a god!
the beauty of the world!
the paragon of animals!
And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?
Man delights not me; no, nor woman neither,
though by your smiling you seem to say so."
--From Hamlet (II, ii, 115-117) and (essentially) from Hair (the 1968 musical)

Devotions Archive

Minding my life

Tuesday, February 8, 2005