“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” - Psalm 8: 3,4
Over the last year I have been increasingly mesmerized by the stars. Having the ability to see them in their brilliance without the glare of the city lights is something I consider to be a great blessing. Oftentimes I’ll return home in the evening and look up for at least a brief glance. Other times I’ll spend a few minutes staring into the infinite expanse on my way back to the house from closing the gate to the property. It is almost unreal. To know that somewhere far beyond the translucent sky are masses of massive celestial orbs, scattered across the heavens like twinkling stones, emanating light that takes many years to reach our earth, is wonder inducing. I find myself having to check in with reality to make sure that what I’m seeing is actually coherent with existence. No common man will ever reach them, touch them, or see them up close. Hard as we may try, the distance is so far that one would die of old age while making the trip.
Space is a pageantry of nebula, galaxies, comets, asteroids, moons, planets, suns, and quasars swimming in an endless sea of dark space. These luminaries dance all through the night, and then disappear during the day. And to imagine, that all of this was made not with hands or fingers, but with the formation of God’s thoughts and vocalizing. He spoke them into creation. It is anthropomorphic to think that God carved or shaped the lights of the heavens and hung them up like decorative bulbs. But that’s fine as long as we understand the truth. It is how we try to make sense of the handiwork of the Creator. I think that God’s technology is better than man’s, but His receives less and less attention. Humans are distracted. We like stars, but the ones we admire are actors and celebrities. We are amazed with little phones, the internet, AI, and electric cars. We hardly take inventory of the fact that if the Lord turned off the sun for just a moment, all life would cease. Peering into the sky is like looking through a screen into the most complex and intricate of systems ever made. Governed by eternal laws that cannot be broken, the seasons, days, months, years, gravity, tides, light, life, everything, is directed by some inalterable, highly accurate, invisible rule. Let us not overlook the fact that time, math, astronomy, the arts, history, science, many of the great disciplines, have their foundation and grand expression in the emergence of the elements of the sky and nature in general.
But there is something even more amazing than all of this. When God looks past the glow of the sun and moon and the stars, He steadies His eyes, squints, and captures a glimpse of that which is more significant to Him than these revolving fiery marvels. When the Lord sees the planet, He does not care so much for the flights of birds and the migration of whales. He is not intrigued by the instincts of a predator or the chaos of storms. None of the natural things make His immense heart beat. What then is it that stirs His longing soul? You. Me. He gazes to get a view of humanity. And not that we are any great wonder in comparison to the celestial matter that has been around longer and that will outlast us. However, we are His special and prized creation. And, we are the lost children of the universe. Therefore the everlasting love of God pursues after His human family with relentlessness. He is mindful of us. When we look up, He looks down. We see what He has made, He sees the broken fragments of what He has made. We long for Him, He longs for us. So much so, that the only Son exited heaven and found Himself on earth, bound to splintered planks of wood. He died as a human, because of humans, for humans. All to demonstrate that having all of the magnificent glory of the universe means nothing if God does not have us. Be encouraged my friends, God has a mind full of you. Is your mind full of Him?
I’m hoping that one day soon we can have teaching series on the wonder of God in space. But we will be blessed this weekend as Pastor John Miller breaks to us the Bread of Life. He will speak God’s heart to our hearts and I pray that you will prepare all week for the worship gathering coming up this Sabbath. May you experience the glory and Christ.
Pastor Dean