Awesome
As I was driving to the gym this morning, the pre-dawn sky was crystal clear. The heavens were full of stars and a sliver of the moon shone along with them. The thought occurred to me that the night sky has been the same as it was in the Beginning. Adam and Eve gazed upon the same planets and starts as I did this morning. So did Noah, Moses, Elijah, Job, and Jesus. This morning I was gazing up at it as well. All that I saw and thought of during that short drive can be summed up in one beautiful word—awesome.Just think of it. Nothing has changed in the night sky over millennia. Job and Amos write of Pleiades and Orion. They still appear in the night sky today! The Scriptures are full of references to the moon, the same one we look upon today. Approximately 100 billion people have lived on this planet and over seven billion are alive today. All have seen the same planets and stars hanging in the sky. Think about that for a moment.Has anything created by a human being ever stood the test of time to that extent? We are impressed by things a mere 1000-2000 years old. The orbs that occupy the heavens are far older and yet we see them unchanged from when the first humans gazed upon them.
In this steadfast consistency of the night sky, we see hints of our unchanging God. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NIV) If we meditate upon that, we will find it awesome as well. We all change, don’t we? We grow older and our bodies change with the passage of time. We (hopefully) mature in our thinking and actions as our lives progress. But God stays the same. Though one day everything in the night sky will change, for now and since the beginning of time, the heavens remind us of the steadfastness of God. In an everchanging world, he remains unchanged, not moved by events or trends. No matter what has happened the day before, his mercies are new every morning. No matter your sin, he is always willing to forgive if you are willing to confess it. And even if you are unfaithful, he remains faithful because that is the essence of his character.
Stargazing is an enjoyable activity for many, but we all should from time to time look up at the night sky and allow it to remind us of the faithfulness and steadfastness of God. It is absolutely awesome!© Jim Musser 2019