Race, Justice and Gospel Music - Seth PinnockSample

Psalms 8

King David was a prolific songwriter in Israel’s history, and many of our Psalms were written by him as worship songs, including this Psalm 8. 

The first seven psalms  reflect on the struggles and injustices several psalmists had with the wicked, and are packed with requests to God - for help, for justice, for answers. In the eighth psalm, David looks up from his troubles and his needs and sings a beautiful ode to the Creator instead. The one who set stars in their course, is the one who does care for the psalmist, and for each of us. 

Through this Psalm we get a glimpse into David’s inquisitive mind contemplating, ‘what is it about mankind that constantly draws the attention of a mighty God?’ How amazing that the one whose glory is higher than the outermost limits of the universe has us on his mind!’ 

It is this thought that such an all-powerful God will consciously be thinking about you and I that adds a romanticism to the Psalm. As we dwell long enough in this thought, we can’t help but get wrapped up in the depth of love God has for us ourselves. Long before the cross, and long before God sent His Son to dwell with us, and die for us - God had a plan in mind to reconnect and reconcile with us. 

We remember, we who were made a little lower than the angels have also been given a song through the gift of salvation that even the angels cannot sing: the song of the redeemed. The dominion once granted us in Genesis 1 to “rule” over the earth, now has been restored in new measures by the blood of Jesus! 

So we rejoice in Christ our savior, for we now walk in the pattern of Jesus, who ruled over the wind and waves, but stooped to lift the little girl back to life in the book of Mark.

Celebrate that God has come down to raise you back to spiritual life, and crowned you with glory. Thank him for the gift given to you to steward this earth well, asking the Lord to show you what exercising this dominion justly would look like for you, and as you listen to Psalms 8, worship God with exuberant praise and those opening words: “O Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!”