Bible Society of South Africa
Francois Sieberhagen

The bigger picture – Day 1

Through my lens

Bible text(s)

Psalms 8

4what are human beings, that you think of them;

mere mortals, that you care for them?

5Yet you made them inferior only to yourself;

you crowned them with glory and honour.

Psalms 8:4-5GNBOpen in Bible reader

From time to time, I have the privilege of looking at the world through the lens of my camera. It is surprising to see how the bigger picture suddenly becomes much smaller, when taking photos of people and the environment. However, it is true that this smaller picture can remind you of so many memories when you look at it afterwards. Suddenly, the small picture is not so small anymore.

It also happens when we think of events in our lives. We forget about so many things that happened over a long period and then, suddenly, we remember images and memories that were made.

Sit still for a moment and think about your life since the day you were born until today. What do you see? What do the images look like?

There will be pictures that will make you smile broadly; maybe, you will even laugh out aloud. There will also be the pictures that will make you sad and you will remember sorrow. There will be pictures that remind you of failure, disappointment and those that will make you feel ashamed. These pictures can easily make us forget about the bigger picture. We can easily forget the context in which these memories were made and what happened in the end.

The psalmist also experiences many of these mixed feelings, but then he concludes that God is in charge in spite of everything. God reigns and allows things to happen for the glory of his name. This is why the psalmist praises God. In addition to this, God cares for someone who is a speck in comparison to the big universe. You are important in the small picture, but with a very special place in the bigger universe.

Even though you might feel small and caught up in the small picture today, remember you are part of God’s bigger picture.

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