August 2019 Ministry Update (Psalm 8)

Bob Roane

Dear Praying Friends,

Thank you for praying for our outreach ministry! You are a vital part of all we do and I thank God for your partnership. You make it possible for me to take Christ’s hope to people through teaching, counseling, evangelism, and prison ministry. Summer is a great time for serving!

In July we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. You remember Neil Armstrong’s words: One small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind. Many people don’t know that astronaut Buzz Aldrin brought along a tiny Communion kit. Aldrin wanted to express his faith in Christ, so on the moon he partook of the bread and cup. He read Jesus’ words from the Last Supper, the night before His cross, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you…you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”1 Later, before splash down, Aldrin also read from Psalm 8, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars, which you have set in place what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”2 Buzz Aldrin wrote these Scriptures on a 3X5 card that sold at auction for $180,000.

Psalm 8 praises God (Father, Son, and Spirit) as the wonderful Creator and Upholder of His universe. The Psalm begins and ends with a doxology. Genesis 1 tells of the Lord’s creative action and in Psalm 8, David meditates in his present experience on God’s beautiful work. David is amazed at the Lord’s glory reflected in planets and stars and amazed that God loves puny mortals like us and gives us responsibility over His other creatures.

Psalm 8 is quoted 5 times in the New Testament that I can find. Verse 2 is quoted by Christ in Matthew 21:16 as the children praise Him in the temple. Verses 4-6 are quoted in Hebrews 2:6-8 in reference to Jesus’ incarnation (His adding on humanity without subtracting any of His deity). Verse 6 is quoted in Matt 22:44, 1 Cor 15:27, and Eph 1:22 which tell of God placing all things under Christ’s feet.

The more we explore God’s massive universe, the more we realize that we are only specks of dust. Physically we are insignificant, but spiritually we are very important to the Lord. He loves us deeply and keeps His steadfast attention on us who come to Him through Jesus. We are always on His mind. “For this is what the high and exalted One says—He who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”3 Jesus says, “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”4 The Lord invites us and brings us into fellowship with Him.

I use Psalm 8 often in ministry to show people our dignity as God’s image bearers and the humility we should have as we live under His watching eyes. The New Testament fills in the story as told partially in Psalm 8. As our sin-bearer and mediator, Christ humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death on Calvary’s cross to save us. Then “God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at Jesus’ name every knee should bow…and every tongue acknowledge that Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”5 Jesus has begun His conquering work and will consummate it when He returns for us. The Lord’s kingdom is both present and future.

Psalm 8 reminds us entrust our lives to God’s care, calling on Him for whatever we need. We are important our great and mighty Lord, so we need to ask Him to take charge of our lives. And we need to submit to Him. Psalm 8 also teaches us to treat every human being as precious to God and to us, for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”6

I really appreciate your friendship, fellowship, and partnership with us in ministry! Please keep praying for us.

Your very grateful brother in Christ, Bob


From the blog

Blogs posted since our June 2019 update:


Notes:  1 John 15:5.     2 Psalm 8:3,4.     3 Isa 57:15.     4 John 6:37.     5 Phil 2:8-11.     6 Gal 5:14.