Lessons from Celestial Lights

“O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:1,3-9

A perfect circle is faintly stamped in the black pre-dawn sky, with white paint thick only on its lower edge, like a fingernail just above the horizon. So many stars twinkle across the black canopy I cannot count or decipher all the constellations. I am agape. A shooting star, now another, streaks its white trail that quickly disappears. This moon, and a bright planet, hold my gaze. What is man, Lord… Who am I, that You would care for me? That You would place these celestial lights before me to make me wonder?

Yet, You have made me, immeasurably smaller, but intricate and in Your image. You know my name, and have set Your limitless affection upon me. You created the heavens to declare Your glory and teach me to exult in all You are. (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 19:1; 139:1-6; Isaiah 49:1)

I learn from Your celestial lights…

… of Your power to create and uphold all things with precision and might, maintaining their balance with gravity, in orbit; suspended, yet held. You are infinitely mighty and strong. (Amos 5:8; 9:6; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3)

… of Your order, Your perfect design and plan that reflect the precision and beauty and serenity of Your character. All is well with You. You have fashioned creation to teach about life, renewal, fidelity, eternity. You designed the stars to be signs of time and seasons. You are an exquisite and remarkable Architect. (Genesis 1:14-18)

… of Your creativity, Your divine tracing of light and shape, twinkle and shine, and the curve of spheres. The skies reveal whimsy and humor and the delight You take in the act of Your craft of making. You are marvelous, and the Purveyor of inexplicable wonder.

… of Your love, the benevolence You hold for Your own. You spread this vast array for the pleasure of our senses, for intellectual marvel, exploration, and discovery. Your faithfulness in spinning our earth, and setting stars for pictures and in place that return again and again, teaches of your steadfastness, Your unconditional love, Your finished work on our behalf, Your fresh and dependable sameness, Your glory. You are a consistent Lover that knows no bounds, and You keep secure and in perfect peace Your beloved children. (Psalm 36:5; 103:11; Isaiah 26:3; Hebrews 13:8)

Lord my Lord, keep me marveling at the heavens, above and immeasurably beyond which You reside and rule. Cause them to continually remind me how tiny I am, and how great You are and always will be.