The words of the eighth Psalm concerning the excellency of Jehovah's name, acknowledged in all the earth, with His glory set above the heavens, and strength brought by Him out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, and the enemy stilled by Him, is not yet fulfilled. That day is yet to dawn. It will come. When the sons of God enter into the liberty of the glory (Rom. 8), then shall the groans of creation be hushed, and man shall rule for God in subjection to God on this earth. "But now we see not yet all things put under Him." No, on this earth is disorder and suffering; neither is it in man or for man to put the crooked straight, nori’s it for the Christian to dwell with a broken heart on the power and misery of sin, as if he should remedy this world's condition.
God has other purposes in view for His people, and that we may enter into His purposes we need gaze upon the beautiful sight to which the sentence following that which speaks of the disorder on earth, re-addresses our hearts, "But"—as if turning for the moment the eye away from the present unruly scene of earth—" but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor." (v. 9.) Order and honor prevail in the glory on high.
There sits the “same Jesus," who became a man on man's behalf, who was made a little lower than the angels—yea, for the suffering of death. What words in which to speak of Him—the suffering of death! Not death simply, but its suffering also: for such was His precious will and love for us.
We do not see on earth what the people of God would behold. The Father's kingdom is not yet come, His will is not yet done as in heaven, so on earth “but we see “the comforting, the invigorating sight, Jesus in heaven, crowned with glory and honor. Occupation with the sin and misery of earth distresses and burdens the heart; looking to Jesus where He is occasions freshness and joy to the soul, calms the spirit, and restores its heavenly balance.
We cannot rectify the world—we are not even called to the effort—but we are called to care for the sorrowful and the tried who are about us. But in order to effectively do this—that is, to do it in the power of the Spirit of God—we need truly to be able to say from our hearts, “But we see “Jesus where He is!