Psalm 8

Teaching Notes

Psalm 8

1 O Lord, our Lord,

    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

    Above the heavens.

2 From the lips of children and infants

    you have ordained praise

because of your enemies,

    to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,

    the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

    which you have set in place,

4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

    human beings that you care for them?

5 You have made them a little lower than the angels

    and crowned them with glory and honor.

6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;

    you put everything under their feet:

7 all flocks and herds,

    and the animals of the wild,

8 the birds in the sky,

    and the fish in the sea,

    all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,

    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 

A question to ponder in response to this Psalm:

Is the prayer of your heart “O Lord, my Lord, how majestic is your name in all my life”?

 

Questions for small groups or personal reflection: 

  1. How does a high view of God and his “majesty” help us gain perspective on our lives?
  2. This Psalm shows us the majesty of God right alongside his care for humans. He is seen as both big and lowly/present. How do these two realities build your faith?
  3. How does knowing this about God change your heart?
  4. In what ways have you seen the big-ness and majesty of God in your life?
  5. In what ways have you struggled to see it?