“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalms 100:3 NKJV
Reflection: who made you?
Have been looking at the amazing Banyan tree, how it continually spreads out from one tree by planting new roots coming down from the branches. Not only will the new root help support by holding up the branch it came from, but it will form a new trunk; basically a new tree “child”, planted from above.
There is a beautiful parallel here with how we are made in the image of God above, by God above, and with the knowledge of God above. The psalmist recognizes this, by stating “Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalms 100:3 NKJV Sadly, many people do not recognize God as their creator, but instead follow some lie conceived by the devil. That we are a result of chance. Of a bunch of random events, and not a very intelligent, supreme design.
Once we recognize God being our creator and maker, it also removes the question of whether each of us were just “an accident”, or planned. Paul writes “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”Ephesians 1:3-6 NKJV. Before the foundation of the world is a plan that was made a long time ago, clearly.
What is so amazing to see with a large banyan tree is how one tree spreads out, like a family. New children being born. It is God’s supreme design, we are His children, born of God if we have received Christ and believe in His name. “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:11-13 ESV.
Do we fully recognize God as our maker? That He created us, and not ourselves as the world would like us to believe. Do we give Him the honor and glory He deserves?
The psalmist recognized this long ago, and wrote this beautiful worship of God our maker. “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:1-5 ESV