Looking at the night sky

Earlier this week I spent some time out in the yard at night to gaze at the stars. August is a good time of year to do this. It is not too chilly when the sun goes down below the horizon. Moreover, a special event takes place. It’s called the Perseds meteor shower, this increases the chance of you seeing “shooting stars” in the night sky.

I have a reclining lawn chair called a zero gravity chair that tips you back horizontally so you look directly at the sky without craning your neck. So, I am out from about 10:00 to 11:30 p.m. soaking in the beauty of the night sky hoping to see many shooting stars. Unfortunately, the Perseds doesn’t really peak until about 4:00 a.m. so I am too early to view at the best time. I do manage to see 2 small glimmers of meteors. They were so faint that I could barely see them.

Just as I was getting ready to put things away and go back into the house, a brilliantly bright shooting star blazed right over my head and traced the whole horizon of the sky. I stopped dead in my tracks and just stood amazed at the beauty of what I had just encountered. My thoughts went directly to the creative beauty that God has made the universe to display his majesty and glory. He is the one who caused this beautiful meteor to enter the atmosphere just at the moment I was heading into the house.

Could this be just a coincidence?  That is a possible explanation; however I can’t help but think that God did this to display his majesty in real time to me personally. It’s not that I am a big deal to God that he would do this for me. No, I am small, He is the one who is big. He is the creator of it all, I am just a spectator of this beauty. Having said that, I know that God is a relational God. He desires relationship with his people who are a part of His kingdom. My response to Him is that I am thankful to be alive and to witness his creative power.

The heavens declare the glory of God. Night after night, they speak to pour out His majesty.

Romans Chapter 1 starting in verse 19 states “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools.”

I believe that looking at the stars is a powerful testimony of the goodness of God.