Psalm 8

Here I am camping on Lake Cachuma in 2017.

Though I don't do it as often as I'd prefer, I love to camp. I've camped in a tent less than ten times in my life, and I've camped in cabins about the same amount. Whether in a tent or cabin, there is a different rhythm to life when you leave your home and spend time in nature.

When we camp, we don't go to far outside of the city. This can make it hard to see the stars in the sky. We certainly see more than at home, but not nearly as many as we'd see if we camped farther away. A few years ago when I went camping with my church, my pastor showed me an app he had on his phone. He pointed his phone at the sky and the app recognized which constellations we were looking it. It showed me what my eyes couldn't see.

When I look at a star, I sometimes wonder who else is looking at it too. There's a strong likelihood I was influenced by An American Tail. My heart recalls the hope and sorrow with which Fieval sang, "And even though I know how very far apart we are / It helps to think we might be wishin' on the same bright star." David, however, looked up to the sky and thought about God:

I think about the heavens.

I think about what your fingers have created.
I think about the moon and stars
that you have set in place.
(Psalm 8:3, NIRV)

David looked up to the sky and saw it for what it was: God's creation. A few years ago I made a sculpture as part of an art program I was teaching at my son's school. We started with a piece of wood, a metal hanger, pantyhose, and some paint. That sculpture (and I use the word sculpture loosely) will never be on display at the Louvre. It doesn't look like much to most, but it is very special to me because it is my creation. It is something I made. David was amazed that the same God who made the universe also made Him. Just like the moon and stars, we are also God’s creation. In Genesis 1, after each day of creation, we read that what God made was good. But when we read about God creating people, we read that He said it was very good. My sculpture sits in my living room next to a sculpture my son made in that class. My son is also my creation, but when I compare the two, there is no question about which one I love more. My sons are my most special creation.

David was impressed by the kind of love that God had for him. David knew that God thought about him. It's easy to think that God cared about David because he was someone important. After all, we know that David was a king and he did some really cool things.  But he didn't esteem himself above others. David didn’t ask, “Why am I so important to you, God?” No, David knew that God thinks about all people. That includes you and me. He wrote:

What are human beings that you think about them?
What is a son of man that you take care of him?
(Psalm 8:4, NIRV)

It's amazing that any time we need a reminder of God's love for us, we can look up to the sky and see the stars - or at least one really close star during the day.  The signs of God's love are everywhere if stop to look for them.