I love the opening phrase in Psalm 8. You might be familiar with it because there is a very popular praise song that opens with it: “ O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” You can probably even recall the melody! If you are familiar with the song, you don’t even need the words to identify it. It’s a very upbeat song! Once you hear it, you won’t forget it.
God is the great composer of the universe. He writes the music! He is the creator and the sustainer of all that and the world declares in song. That the heavens declare (sing out) the glory of God is a common theme in the Psalms. But this verse adds a new dimension to the expression. It’s one thing to hear the music but it’s another thing to know the words.
Notice that the Lord is “our Lord.” The singers are expressing a personal relationship with this majestic creative, sustaining God. It’s not an expression of seeing the grandeur of creation and acknowledging the existence of an intelligent designer, but of knowing him in a personal way. It’s not just an intelligent, designing force over nature, but a personal one as well. He’s not an inanimate force! He’s a personal power of kingly authority over our lives. To say we have a personal relationship with Jesus means that we intentionally acknowledge his leadership in determining our every behavior.
Someone illustrated the difference between knowing about God and having a personal relationship with Him by comparing it to those listening to an orchestra. Everyone hears the music, but only those familiar with the words that go with the music understand the mind and thinking of the composer.
The universe, nature, is the music! But Jesus is God’s living Word. Once you hear it, you won’t forget it.
Chuck
Memory Verse: Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. (Psalm 1:1)