One of the things I love most about living in our Southern Arizona home is the night sky. There is hardly a night when the clouds obscure the brilliance of the stars.
I wonder what it was like for the shepherds to be on that hill side when the angels filled the night and announced the birth of Jesus. How long had the wise men of the East studied the night skies, watching, anticipating the star that would lead them to the Christ child?
When I look up at the star studded heavens I can’t identify the different constellations. I don’t know the names of the stars – it takes me a while to find the big and little dippers. But what I do see is the immensity of my God.
“The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies announce what his hands have made. 2 Each new day tells more of the story, and each night reveals more and more about God’s power. 3 You cannot hear them say anything. They don’t make any sound we can hear. 4 But their message goes throughout the world. Their teaching reaches the ends of the earth. The sun’s tent is set up in the heavens. 5 It comes out like a happy bridegroom from his bedroom. It begins its path across the sky like an athlete eager to run a race. 6 It starts at one end of the sky and runs all the way to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.” Psalm 19:1-6 ERV
King David, who wrote this Psalm, saw the same thing in the heavens that we see today and he knew they were teaching each one of us, without words, that God’s glory is everywhere. They speak to us on a daily basis giving us the message of God’s power and provision.
God teaches us about His faithfulness by what we see in the heavens. I used these verses yesterday but they tie in so well with today’s thought that I had to share them again.
“17 Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. 18 God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.” James 1:17-18 ERV
The planets, the stars, sun and moon all reveal God’s faithfulness. He made the lights in the sky; those lights cast shadows as they move through the sky and those shadows change but God never does! He is constant, He is always the same. He is always giving good gifts to us.
God, the Father, isn’t looking for ways to punish us. Quite the contrary, He is looking for ways to bless us. I hope you will take time to study the night sky. It’s not possible to count the stars. The impossibility of that task is a lesson of God’s infinite love and provision.
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Said the night wind to the little lamb,
do you see what I see
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king,
do you know what I know
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere,
listen to what I say
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
listen to what I say
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light
The King of heaven, came as a child to bring us goodness and light!