LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! — Psalm 8:1

One of the true joys of being a parent is experiencing the world again through the eyes of your children. Everything they come across — whether it's a rock, a feather, a flower, a tiny bug skittering across the sidewalk — captures their attention and is an object of fascination. Their world truly is an amazing place, full of wonderful surprises and awesome discoveries.

It's no wonder that the psalm writer says, "From the lips of children and infants, you have ordained praise" (v. 2). Children have an incredible capacity to trust God and to thoroughly enjoy His Creation. They don't come with the same baggage of doubts, past hurts, and reservations that often taint our relationship with God and our ability to praise Him.

This psalm, written in a spirit of praise, begins and ends with the declaration: "O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" In verses 1 and 9, the psalmist, King David, uses the personal name of God that He gave to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 — that is, Yahweh, the God of Israel's covenant. So, despite His majesty and sovereignty over all mankind and all He created, God is personal in His interaction with us.

Through various word pictures, the psalmist invites us to consider God's majesty and glory as expressed in the "moon and stars," the "flocks and the herds," the "birds and the fish," — indeed, all the "work of [His] fingers." We are reminded that in all creation, we are God's finest work — He has crowned us with "glory and honor." He has made us "rulers" over all His work. And to honor Him, we should have a childlike sense of awe and wonder when it comes to all that God has done — and continues to do — for us.

This reminds me of the words of Jesus in the book of Matthew: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (18:3). That doesn't mean we are to be childish, but rather childlike, coming to God in a spirit of humbleness and dependence, and yes, awe.

Consider the world around you today. Then praise Him for His majesty, His greatness, and His love for you — His child.

With prayers for shalom, peace,


Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President