Last week we attempted to answer the question "Where are we?" We began to lay the foundation for this story we find ourselves a part of. Last week we God's desire to be with us; on our belonging to Him and with Him. We rehearsed how beautiful it was for God and man to commune with one another in harmony and peace in a space He provided, a sacred gift called Eden.

This week we will visit some of the same passages for a second pass, focusing not on "where" we are, but on the assignment and responsibility given to us while there.

As we noted last week, David is in utter awe that the God of the universe would even notice us, that we would be special enough to Him for Him to even notice. But it goes even further than our worth and relationship. God has also given us authority and standing.

Humanity wasn't an afterthought, footnote, or cosmic accident. God intentionally crowned us with glory and honor. In doing so He entrusted us with authority, placing this new world He'd created in our hands.

From the very beginning, humans weren't only created as new companions, we were created to rule, not as tyrants, but as stewards and caregivers. We aren't to exploit creation, but to cultivate it, cause it to prosper. We aren't here to replace God, but to represent Him ... as bearers of His image, His viceroys, His ambassadors.

David's Psalm pulls us all the way back to Eden, reminding us of how things were before sin fractured the whole creation. God always intended us to bear His image, to share His rule and reign. The stars above David aren't meant to dwarf humanity, but to frame it and give it scope.

It's easy in our church cultures to get so hyper-focused on our personal relationship with Jesus that we forget we fit into a much larger story; larger than mere survival and "success". We have been created with dignity and purpose, entrusted with properly reflecting God's image and reign in the World.

How does seeing yourself as “crowned with glory and honor” challenge the way you have viewed your worth or purpose?