Let's meet Habakkuk

 

I hope that you will read all three chapters of Habakkuk this week. Right now, if you haven't read chapter one, do me a favor and pause -- read that first chapter and come back! 

We don't know a whole lot about Habakkuk. Scholars tell us he was probably about thirty years old, and they say he was a contemporary of Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Not that he knew them personally, but he lived at approximately the same time period. They also have pinpointed that he was about ten or fifteen years older than Daniel.

When Habakkuk saw the terrible wickedness of Judah, and how they were all heading off the cliff of immorality, like lemmings rushing over the edge, he prayed. He asked God to do something. He probably had in mind that God could raise up another good king to lead the people in the ways of God. 

But Habakkuk should have listened to my grandma.

"Be careful what you pray for."

Little did Habakkuk know that God's answer would come by way of a hated nation that was hostile to Judah!

In the first four verses of chapter 1, Habakkuk cries out to God about the wickedness of the nation. Then the Lord answers him in the remaining verses of the chapter.

Habakkuk lived in very stressful, confusing times. So do we! Habakkuk knew where to go for answers; his book is only three chapters long, but he gives us an awesome strategy to use . . . in the first chapter, we see him ask God for answers. Chapter two finds him waiting. And chapter three finds him praying. 

Some people think the minor prophets are just not books that they want to invest a lot of time into. What in the world could a dusty book of prophecy about wayward Hebrews tell me, they think. 

Au contraire!

Habakkuk is actually a pretty modern book! He raises some of the same questions that we hear people asking today! 

Young and old, people are troubled today, and wrestling with questions. Young people, especially lately, have become disenchanted with life, and they even want to end their lives. They trudge from therapist to doctor and back again, looking for answers, getting prescriptions for drugs, and trying to find meaning and purpose. They feel that God is silent, unmoved by their plight.

Habakkuk looked around and saw a lot of what we see in our world today. Sexual immorality. Idolatry. Robbery. Power-hungry people. Looters. Thieves. Murderers. Political corruption.

Wow.

In the beginning of the chapter, Habakkuk expresses his sorrow and his frustration. 

“How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save?” (v. 2).

As he looked around him, Habakkuk wanted to know, how long will You let this go on? Perhaps a mother praying for her wayward son might wonder that. Perhaps a parent praying for a sick child might wonder why God is silent. 

We cry out to the Lord with the psalmist . . . 

Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1)

In addition to our human response to what we think is unanswered prayer, we look around and see increasing wickedness. How many of our cities have experienced looting, violence, and evil? How many people are affected by the break up of the nuclear family? How many adults and children are impacted by the evils of pornography?

Habakkuk saw wickedness and perversion around him. He saw destruction and violence. Things seem to be totally out of control.

So, we can identify with Habakkuk in his conversation with God, no? We can empathize with his questions, with his frustration, too. 

I expect that he wanted to hear a word of comfort from God, don't you? He wanted to hear that there was a good king on the horizon. Or a charismatic, engaging religious leader that would turn the people back to God.

Well, God, DID answer him . . . yep, Habakkuk, I've got this. I have plans that will take care of all these problems. 

“Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told” (v.5).

Whoooo hooooo! Sounds great, right?

Sounds like God will send a great leader, or send a spiritual awakening in the religious community that will spill over and lead the people back to God.

Well, God is going to send something, but it's totally unexpected! Let's dig into that tomorrow!

Prayer requests

 

Whether it's cancer, cataracts, or crisis, God is in control. This will be one of the themes that we will find in our study of Habakkuk.

I told someone recently that I just don't know how I would face things without our Father God. Treatments, fears, frustrations . . . how do people do it without the Lord? 

There are times that we feel strong in our faith. We know that we know He is with us, as I heard a pastor say some years ago. But then the side effects come. The wait in the lonely radiation or chemo room. The seemingly interminable wait for bandages to come off our eyes. The long nights of chronic pain pile up. Whatever health issue we are facing, there are times when it just seems too much to bear.

We may wonder, "Is God really in control?"

Well, the answer is definitely "Yes!"

God is in charge. He does not enjoy seeing His children suffer. He weeps when we weep, and He hurts when we hurt. And He knows that this health issue has thrown a "monkey wrench" into our plans and our lives. It's brought us face to face with the fact that WE are not in control. 

Here's a verse that is well worn and sometimes misquoted:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

There is nothing that happens that God can't use. Good things. Bad things. Hurtful things. Doctors making mistakes. Test results that disappoint. Low cell counts. Chronic pain.

God wouldn't be God if He could only use some things for good. If He could only use some things to work out His purposes. But He is in control. And He can use every stupid, or evil, or destructive thing to work good -- just as easily as He can use the good stuff.

If we could see the purpose He was working, it might be easier to handle things, no? How in the world do we work our crises into good things? We're just hanging on by our fingernails! The beauty of it is this: it's not our job to figure out how He will shine through us to help someone else. It's not our job to know how He is changing our lives and our souls and to help with the process. That's His job. He can use our crises, our health, our chronic pain, or whatever we are facing, to draw people closer to Him in ways we might never know. He can use these things to mold us into the people He wants us to be. All we have to do is hang on tightly to His hand!

Our Father knows what is good, and He knows that we need that good. He will bring blessings from these burdens, and hope from these hardships. Resting in His arms, we can be assured that our situation has purpose -- God's purpose is for His glory to be revealed in us.

I hope that if you are walking in a valley today, you will post a comment and allow us all the privilege of praying with you. If you are rejoicing on the mountaintop of answered prayer, please encourage all of us by leaving a comment to tell us.

Let's pray.

But I don't like THAT answer!

 

Have I got your attention? 

(grin)

I put that title up there to be an attention-getter! 

We've been studying now in the Psalms for a few weeks . . . several times we have been reminded to take our problems to the Lord. That it's ok to have questions. It's ok to be bummed out. (For a bit.) 

But that the real solution is to cry out to God.

To be assured and to be confident that He will hear.

And He will respond.

He will answer.

But what if I don't like that answer?

Is that shocking to you?
Are you surprised that I would post that?

I'm being honest here. Transparent. Real.

And I'm talking about my own experiences, and perhaps yours, too. 

In my studies, I recently re-read the book of Habakkuk. Now, I'm not going to get carried away with discussions on which way we should pronounce the man's name. 

HA-Buh-kuk.

Ha-BAKK-uk.

Makes no difference, really. 

The reason we are going to study this "minor" prophet is that there's a lot here for us. And I got a feeling that I couldn't shake off . . . . the feeling that this was what the Spirit wants us to camp out on for a while.

In my own life, recently, there have been some things that have shaken my world. And that may have happened to you, recently, too. Even the most faithful and fervent believe may look up to the heavens and say, "Lord, why?" 

Why me?

Why now?

This is not how I thought it would be, Lord . . . 

It's the kind of question that has been asked by every generation. If we are honest, we all ask it sooner or later. The godliest of believers have sometimes wondered about the "mysterious" ways of God. Human suffering is a problem, and until the Lord returns, it will continue to be a problem. 

That's where our study of Habakkuk comes in. Let's dig deep into this tiny book, OK? 

This book was written just before the bottom dropped out from under the people of Judah. 
Uh oh.

Still looking for Habakkuk?

It's in the Minor Prophets section of our Old Testament, between Nahum and Zephaniah. They are not called minor or major because of any difference in importance! Just because of their size -- the five major prophets take up many more pages in our Bibles. Habakkuk only contains fifty-six verses divided between three chapters! 

Now, there's another difference in Habakkuk, other than the length of the book . . . . when we read Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others, we read messages FROM God to His people. Positive messages, negative messages. Habakkuk, though, is a record of a conversation WITH God. 

Let's look at the background of the book, too. The year, according to the scholars, is 605 BC (or somewhere close to it!).  King Josiah (who was a good and godly king) died in 609 BC. You would think, perhaps, that he would have changed some people, and left behind a wonderful legacy. You'd think that they would have learned something . . . 

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. (II Kings 22:1-2)

What's that?

Is it a herd of lemmings, dashing en masse off a cliff? 

No, that's the whole nation of Judah rushing pell-mell into corruption, idolatry, and the immorality that they'd been following for many generations. They unfortunately did not learn a thing from good King Josiah.

It was as if the entire nation of Judah had no use for God . . . 

Hmmmmm. Does that sound like any country we know of, today? (grin)

Let's read the first chapter of Habakkuk and then gather next time to discuss. 

Who's with me? 

Friday slowdown

 We are so blessed to live on this beautiful earth that God created!

Finishing Psalm 8 study

 

Another important "take away" from our studies in Psalm 8 is that we should teach our children (or grandchildren, or nieces or nephews....you get my drift!) to love, fear (reverence) and serve God as the only way to make our lives here on earth count.

So many young people today are especially troubled. They wonder if there is any real significance to their lives. They question what they are "here for." When we have a close relationship with Jesus Christ, our lives are not only important, they have eternal significance!

 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,  while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (II Corinthians 4:16-18)

The wonder and majesty of God's creation should inspire us to be good stewards of what He has made. Modern folks may worship the creation, and not the Creator, but we should not neglect the fact that we are stewards of the environment. We should be examples of how to balance the needs of mankind and the preservation of the environment. 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)

Although Ezekiel was given this message for the prophets who had fallen down on the job, these verses give us a good picture of our responsibilities to the animals and habitats of the earth:

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.  (Ezekiel 34:2-5)

Psalm 8 also reminds us that we should take pleasure in whatever work God gives us to do.

 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:7-8)

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.  That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)

And lastly, make certain that we enjoy our Father God through His creation: get up from the couch and at least look out the window! If you are able, take a walk. Take a hike. Enjoy the wonders that He has made!

Concluding thoughts

 

I'm hoping that we have had some good studies on this psalm. The most important indicator of that is how we can apply what we have learned to our everyday lives.

Have we learned some things from David's song? 
Or have we been reminded of things we already know?

I think the first application is that this psalm should humble us. We can marvel at our majestic Creator, and be amazed at His grace and love  - He cared so very much that He sent His Son to be our Savior.

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all." (I Chronicles 29:11, NASB)

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Hebrews 1:3)

This psalm should also teach us the value of each and every person as beings created in God's image. We must treat other people with respect. This means opposing racism, and condemning hate and ridicule. In growing more like Christ, we will leave behind our old ways of looking at other people, and of judging by their appearance.

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (I Samuel 16:7)

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

Another lesson from Psalm 8: we must stand firmly against abortion. We cannot allow God's amazing and awe-inspiring creations to be treated as so much trash. A mere eighteen days from conception, just a bit more than two weeks, a baby's heartbeat can be heard on ultrasound. The only difference between that baby in the mother's womb and you and I, is time. We cannot continue to stand by as children are killed simply because they are inconvenient. Murdering these babies (because that IS what abortion is) is a horrific sin that we must confront.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

For You formed my inward parts;
         You wove me in my mother’s womb.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
         Wonderful are Your works,
         And my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:13, 14)

Rescue those being led away to death,

and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.

If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,”

does not He who weighs hearts consider it?

Does not the One who guards your life know?

Will He not repay a man according to his deeds? (Proverbs 24:11-12)

Psalm 8 should also inspire us to stand against the absurd notion of evolution, which denies that we are created in God's image.  Evolution is just a way for sinful people to attempt to avoid their Creator! It is one of the biggest frauds that the devil has ever imposed on the human race.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17)

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

We'll conclude our study tomorrow.

Prayer requests

Do we sometimes wonder how to pray for others?

Is it difficult sometimes to know what to say?

Sometimes we don't even know what to say when we are praying for ourselves.

Paul prayed a very simple prayer for the people in the Colossian church.  

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 

 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 

 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 

and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:9-12)

That's different from most of the prayers that we pray for other people, no?

There's no mention of health, or financial needs, or deliverance from difficult situations. Paul prays for the believers' spiritual needs. His prayer is one that we can pattern our own prayers after. By all means, let's continue to lift up those who we know need God's touch of healing. If we know their finances are stretched tightly, let's ask His blessing for them. 

But at the same time, I think it's important that we remember some of the things that are of vital importance in our Christian lives. Things that can help us deal with sickness and disease. With budgets stretched taut as rubber bands . . .

Are we asking God for answers and expecting them to arrive at the speed of our smartphones? Paul wasn't burdened by the feeling that answers needed to come quickly -- he never gave up speaking to the Lord about the Colossians. He had supreme confidence that God would hear; he also knew that spiritual growth is not only vitally important, but it grows slowly. In fact, it's a lifelong process!

Do we sometimes make a simple appeal in our prayers? "Lord, bless so-and-so."  Do we truly care about the people we are praying for?  Then let's keep our eyes (and our prayers) focused on the things that God desires for the ones we pray for . . . that they will know His will, that they will walk worthy of Him, and that they will receive His strength and power.

Again, we should talk to the Lord about physical or emotional concerns, but let's not overlook our need for spiritual growth. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, gave us an example of the kind of prayer God longs to answer. His desire is that we become more like His Son.

If you have a prayer request today, I hope that you will leave a comment so that we can pray with you. Let's be warriors in prayer, and let's be patient, knowing that God answers prayers in the absolute best way, and in the absolute best timing.

Let's pray.

He has crowned us

 

As believers, we often hear about crowns.

In the Old Testament we read about kings and queens who wore crowns. In the New Testament, we read about crowns, too.

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (II Timothy 4:8)

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)

When I was growing up, our minister of music had a favorite joke he loved to tell. He said in his home town there were churches on many of the street corners downtown. In the summer, the windows would be open to catch any breeze as the services or singing went on. He said if you walked down the street, you could hear the singing easily - the Methodist church would be singing, "Will there be any stars in my crown?" and the Baptists would be singing, "No, not one." (Grin)

But I digress.

The Bible reveals that it's true: we will have crowns in heaven. I'm not certain if David knew that when he wrote this song, but let's look at our next verses:

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 

 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 

 (Psalm 8:3-5)

All of us have had the experience, I believe, of looking up into the vastness of the night sky and feeling awfully small. David did - he saw the moon and the stars and said they were the work of God's fingers. Then David thought of how small he was. How teeny-tiny! Can we say "puny"? How about "insignificant"?  I'm not being mean . . . the Hebrew word used here for "man" emphasizes the frailty (ie., mortality) of man:

You turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.” (Psalm 90:3)

As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. (Psalm 103:15)

Our earth is located within a solar system that includes a sun, other planets, and dozens of moons.  All of this is within an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way, one of perhaps 100 billion galaxies in the universe. The Andromeda galaxy, which appears in our sky as a fuzzy, cigar-shaped "smudge" in the fall, is actually 2.5 million light years away. That may sound incredibly far away, but it makes Andromeda so close that we can see it in the night sky. What we can't see is the galaxy's "halo" around it, which actually is nudging against our own galaxy! 

Compared to the vastness of the universe, as David says, what is mankind that God thinks of us, much less that He cares for us!

In spite of our insignificance, though, God has crowned us with glory and majesty - He has assigned to us the role of ruling over His creation. 

Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! 

 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 

 All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, 

 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. (v. 5-8)

David is referring back to Genesis, where God created man in His image and likeness. In the same book of our Bible, God assigned to man the task of ruling over the rest of creation, which David takes the time to list. I guess David could have simply pointed out that we were created by God, just like the animals were created, but instead, he points out that we were made a little lower than God. I think he was pondering the fact that we are created in God's image. At least, before the fall.

The writer of Hebrews used much the same language, after quoting from the psalm:

But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:9)

He was making the point that for a time, Jesus had been made lower than the angels, so that through His death He could accomplish our salvation. 

Psalm 8 is fulfilled in Jesus, Who restored to us what Adam had lost.

Since the fall, mankind has accomplished remarkable feats in gaining dominion over God's creation. Just think about the wonders of modern medicine, and the conditions and diseases that can now be cured. Think about the wonders of modern astronomy, and the telescopes and satellites that allow man to peer far beyond the borders of our own galaxy.

But all of these accomplishments are marred by sin. In our pride, we humans boast about them and we do not acknowledge that the abilities to think, to reason, to explore, and to discover are all given to us by God. One would think that we would have learned from the builders of the Tower of Babel! But no, modern man uses science to proclaim his independence from God. With a few more breakthroughs, we will know just how our universe "came to be." With a few more advances, we can cure all our diseases and live forever.

Oy vey.

But science can't reconcile us to God. So God sent His own Son to provide the sacrifice for our sins. So David tells us to worship our holy God because even though we are puny and insignificant, He has graciously thought of us and cared for us.

Even though we marred His image and likeness through sin, God has restored us in Jesus Christ. Through Him we are again crowned with dignity and glory.

No wonder David ends the psalm with a triumphant, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"

Friday slowdown

Let's find time to worship God, to think on and praise Him for His majesty!

 

"Out of the mouths of babes"

 

Babies are indeed marvels, aren't they?

Have we ever thought about how the Lord displays His power and yes, His majesty in wee babes?

We're looking at verse two today:

From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease. (v. 2)

This is such an interesting thing that David says to us. 

Let's dig in!

David knows that in spite of all the evidence surrounding us in God's creation, there will be some who don't "get it." In spite of all God's glory that is so easy to see, there will still be adversaries who oppose God. They are much more interested in being the rulers of their own lives, don't ya know? There is just no place in their lives for a sovereign God.

Hmmmmm, I know some of the ways that God deals with enemies such as these. What is David bringing to the discussion?

Well, let's try to understand what he is saying in verse two . . .  I saw a quote on the internet that was attributed to John Calvin. He said that the "process of conception and birth of an infant displays God's splendor so clearly that even a nursing infant brings down to the ground the fury of God's enemies." Now, I don't think that in the 1560's, John Calvin knew a whole lot about the complex biological processes that take place in a mother's body as her child is conceived, develops, and is born. Calvin was simply observing the wonder of a newborn baby!

In fact, I don't see how anyone could look at a baby and say that it happened by random chance? How can they deny the Creator?

We are expecting our third grandchild to be born in October. At present, with the health issues we are working through, this is a special joy for us. The process of birth is just as special - in fact, it's amazing! Sometime around nine months after conception, the baby's brain sends a hormone through the placenta and into the mom's pituitary gland. It's a complicated chemical with an uncomplicated message: "I'm ready!" All of the baby's complex systems like the lungs, heart, nervous system and more are ready to make it on their own, outside of the womb. The bones of the baby's skull have not yet fused, so that it can be just pliable enough to pass through the birth canal, and as birth begins, the baby's adrenal glands add a shot of stress hormones, to help the baby cope with his or her delivery.

Breathing? No, not yet - if the wee babe breathed too soon, it would suffocate; if it waited too long, it would suffer brain damage. And so, there is a complex process where the baby won't breathe until it clears the birth canal. And just before the mother and child separate, the newborn gets a last boost of nutrients through the umbilical cord, nutrients that the placenta stored for that moment. 

The wonder of new life and the cry of the newborn are a testament to God's strength and power!

Another way that children show the majesty and power of God, and bewilder His enemies is by praising Him. Scholars tell us that the Greek translation of the Old Testament often translated the Hebrew word "strength" as "praise." Remember on Palm Sunday, as Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem? Then He healed the lame and the blind in the temple. The Bible tells us that little children saw these events and shouted praise:

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant (Matthew 21:15)

Indignant. Such a perfect word for the chief priests and the scribes. (Grin) They did not like what the children were saying, because just as the crowds had affirmed earlier, their cries of praise pointed toward Jesus' identity as the Messiah. In fact, Jesus responded to them and chided them in this way:

 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “ ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” (Matthew 21:16)

Can't you just see the high priests then? They must have been apoplectic! In his book, "Psalms," James Boice explains that when Jesus identified the praise of the children with Psalm 8, He validated their words and showed them to be proper. Not only that, but He interpreted their praise as directed not to a mere man, but to the "Son of David," the Messiah. They were praising God, because Psalm 8 says that God has ordained praise for Himself from children's lips. Look at this translation:

From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger. (v. 2, Berean Study Bible)

And how about this one:

You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. (v. 2, New Living Translation)

Oh my. I'm sure they "got" the implication, aren't you?  To silence "enemies and all who oppose you." A not-so-subtle phrase for them to chew on.

So, the Lord displays His power and majesty, says our friend David, in seemingly weak infants and children. He overcomes His enemies by the marvel of their creation and their birth, and also silences them by the praise that they sing in their simple faith.  I guess we could summarize his point by saying that we should worship the Lord in just the same way. 

Lord, help us to praise You as we ought!

"Everything just evolved!" (Yeah, right!)

The sheer joy of it:

O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! (Psalm 8:1)

What can you say about verse one? I mean, it is like when you take a person to see the Grand Canyon, or perhaps Niagara Falls, or the California redwoods . . .  the best thing you can do to enhance their consideration of such wonders is to just get out of the way and be quiet! 

Words can't do this psalm justice!

We can (and should) worship the Lord because His name is majestic. He is majestic. What He has created is awe-inspiring.

The first word up there that is translated "Lord" is the Hebrew word, Yahweh. It was so very sacred and special to the Hebrew people that by the third century before Christ, it was considered unacceptable to utter His name. They would say "Adonai" or "Elohim" instead, since The Name was considered too holy for men and women to speak. It's actually made of four consonants....brush away your cobwebs, now, that means letters like b, c, d, t, etc. Kinda hard to say that, no? So they placed vowels in between; those are a, e, i, o, etc. Keep up now! (Grin)

Anyway, it's God's covenant name, and stems from the verb "to be" in Hebrew. The first time we have record of Yahweh being used is when God revealed it to Moses at the burning bush. 

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ (Exodus 3:14)

It's a beautiful name, pointing to God's eternal existence. He doesn't depend on anyone else because He is the only un-created being in the entire universe!

The second "Lord" in the verse above is the Hebrew word, "Adonai" and that means sovereign, lord, master, or ruler, depending on the context. It seems here to refer to the authority and the exalted position, the majesty of God. We could say that David is saying, "Oh eternal and covenant God, our personal ruler and sovereign!"  God is both eternal and separate from His creation, but amazingly, He has condescended to offer a covenant relationship to those who will accept His authority in their lives.

Majestic . . . the Lord displays His own majesty in the earth and the heavens. The word brings to mind snow capped peaks and yawning chasms, fields of green and growing things, those redwood trees, and thundering waterfalls, too. Perhaps Paul was thinking of this psalm when he wrote to the Romans:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20, NASB)

And there's not just a lot of proof in our natural world; there's a lot of proof in our own bodies! There is enough evidence of a Creator to convince anyone willing to think about it that we are NOT the end result of a random process of evolution!

Our brains have ten billion (with a "B") nerve cells coordinating our functions, both voluntary and involuntary. Our eyes have over 100 million receptor cells in each retina - and that is only one layer of the five that enervate our retinas! This system of brain and eyes makes billions of calculations per second and transmits them from the optic nerve to the brain. 
Our temperature regulation? We are hardly like the reptiles, who need to regulate their body temps by sunning on rocks or staying in the shade -- our skin has more than two million little sweat glands, and that makes about three thousand of those per square inch!

Our hearts? Ah, that's the involuntary work I mentioned . . . our hearts beat an average of seventy times per minute. Some humans are in good shape and their heart beats fewer times each minute. My resting heart rate is fifty-three. (Polishes nails on shirt) Other folks may have a consistent rate of eighty or eighty-five. But do we need to tell our hearts to beat? Nope. God designed us so that our hearts are what is called involuntary muscles . . . He designed our bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons to support us. We could go on and on, talking about our lungs, our senses, our immune system, and more. 

And yet, some people persist in saying that we evolved in a random process over many millennia. 

Yeah, right!

If we look beyond our puny selves, we see the complex balances at work in our world, with the water cycle, the photosynthesis cycle of carbon dioxide and oxygen, and more. We look beyond our own skies to see the vastness of outer space. 

But supposedly intelligent people see all of these and then attribute it all to "nature" or "random chance." Seriously?

Truly the Lord has displayed His majesty in all the earth and in the heavens!

Worship His majesty and His name!