Great Plains Daily Devotional for 9/27/2020

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
    Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
    mortals that you care for them?

Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

I love photography. When I was a kid, I remember taking my dad’s camera to go around the house and take pictures of whatever I could find. Most often it was pictures of my stuffed animals. When I finally got a camera of my own, I’d take pictures of friends or my backyard. I loved having a physical reminder of vacations or celebrations to look back on years later. Now, many of my images are of places I’ve visited all over the world and looking at the different places, from temples in Jerusalem, to the coast of Oregon, brings me great peace. Since traveling is out of the question, these images now become my escape. I can look at them and travel to the mountains or hillsides all around. And too, in these I am reminded of the beauty God places in the earth. For we get to live in such a beautiful world filled with diverse climates and landscapes.

Capturing the beauty of the earth in the various photos will continue to be one of my loves. And so how can we continue to capture the great work of God present every day in our lives? Perhaps it is through the images, but also the friendships or solace in nature. As the psalmist proclaims, “O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

 

Prayer for Reflection

Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16
Phillipians 2:1-13
Matthew 21:23-32