Psalm 8 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 8 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Verse 2Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.
Verse 3When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;
Verse 4what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
Verse 5Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.
Verse 6You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet,
Verse 7all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
Verse 8the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Verse 9O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Devotion
What’s in a name? When we hear of a friend or family member who has given birth, one of the first questions we ask is, “What is the baby’s name?” After all, names are important. Many of them carry with them deep family roots. Our son’s name is Benjamin Joseph. Benjamin, after Benjamin Franklin, one of my husband’s favorite historians of all time, and Joseph, because – well, it’s Biblical, and with two pastors in the house, it’s always good to have a child with a Biblical name.
In Psalm 8, we’re told God’s name is majestic above all the earth. It reminds me of the song, “Jesus, name above all names; beautiful Savior, glorious Lord. Immanuel, God is with us; blessed Redeemer, Living Word.” Not only is God’s name majestic, but God’s name is holy and is to be kept holy and pure. Every time you speak the name of God, I encourage you to think about the depth of that “family” name.
Prayer
Lord God, may we always keep your name holy and pure, for you truly are majestic. Amen.