HE’S GOT BIG PLANS FOR ME

This is the title of one of the best Christmas gifts I have ever received. My lovely wife put together a binder of Biblical sketch notes that clearly lay out the Old Testament in a way that even I can follow. This resource is a thing of beauty and a timeless work of labor and love. God provides an abundance of resources, so go out and find them. Seek, and you shall find!

Psalms 8 is the focus of this week's message. It caught my attention when a pastor was teaching this one Sunday a few months back. I was so intrigued and inspired by the amount of care and trust God has in us, His creation, that I committed to actually memorizing all nine verses. And with the help of my daughter, I finally did it after a couple of months of fumblin', bumblin, and stumblin' to the end zone. In short, she wrote the first letter of each word that spelled out the complete chapter, verse by verse. I guess this is a well-known method actors use to memorize their lines. Well, it works with the Lord's word even better.

PUT IN WORK & OPEN YOUR BIBLE | Psalms 8 NKJV

O L, O L, H E I Y N I A T E, W H S Y G A T H!
O O T M O B A N I Y H O S, B O Y E, T Y M S T E A T A.
W I C Y H, T W O Y F, T M A T S, W Y H O,
W I M T Y A M O H, A T S O M T Y V H?
F Y H M H A L L T T A, A Y H C H W G A H.
Y H M H T H D O T W O Y H; Y H P A T U H F,
A S A O - E T B O T F,
T B O T A, A T F O T S T P T T P O T S.
O L, O L, H E I Y N I A T E!

Alright, now let’s do a little unpacking!

VERSE 2

OOTMOBANIYHOS, BOYE, TYMSTEATA.

He has ordained strength from the beginning. In Hebrew, ordained means to appoint or establish. Strength refers to might, power, security, majesty, and praise. Through the praise of children and infants, God has established a stronghold to silence and defeat our enemies and avengers who attempt to inflict harm. David's point is that even small children acknowledge and honor God. God has chosen to use the world's weak things to correct the strong.

VERSE 4

WIMTYAMOH, ATSOMTYVH?

Mindful is the operative word I would like to focus on here. He is mindful of us… Yup, every single one of His children. God is always reflecting on the quality of His relationship with us. He is constantly preoccupied with how to deepen, strengthen, and enrich our relationship with Him. So let's do our part and focus on how we can deepen our relationship with Him too. We can do this with prayer, bible study, fellowship, and obedience. I think this is an investment that will bring Him great joy and pleasure.

VERSE 5-9

V5: F Y H M H A L L T T A, A Y H C H W G A H.

V6: Y H M H T H D O T W O Y H; Y H P A T U H F,

V7: A S A O - E T B O T F,

V8: T B O T A, A T F O T S T P T T P O T S.

V9: O L, O L, H E I Y N I A T E!

Simply put, God chose man to rule the Earth and all its creatures. He gave us the responsibility, and he has crowned us with glory and honor as he "made him a little lower than the angels." In this Psalm, David reflects upon God's majesty that is displayed in his creation. That would be us.

It takes all of us.

As I wrap up, it is Tuesday morning, January 2023. Last night I was putting on the finishing touches while watching Monday night football. I was excited for a new faith article for the website and equally excited to share this message with our Most Excellent Way class Tuesday night at church. Then time stood still. I went numb and simply sat in shock. Bills' safety, Damar Hamlin, collapsed; CPR was given, and he was taken to the hospital. I began to pray and turned to God for help. This one hit home with me, but I won't go into specifics. What happened next was humanity at its best, with prayers flooding the airways and the realization that God is who you turn to. He is the King of Kings, and in God, we must trust.

More encouragement came as the network was heading to commercial, still with no word on his condition. I noticed at the back of the end zone were the words "It takes all of us."

After all, “He has big plans for you.”

Thank you,

Be blessable and much love,

Larry

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