When I Consider the Heavens...
“Awesome.” “Beautiful.” “Breathtaking.” “Frightening…” These were some of the adjectives that I heard people use to describe the experience of a total solar eclipse this past Monday. Many of us set aside our normal Monday routines and found ourselves in awe of God’s Creation. It truly was a breathtaking experience.
The psalmist David described his own experience of awe, as he took time to look at the skies. David poetically recorded his response in Psalm 8. 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? (Psalm 8: 1, 3-4 ESV)
The first thing that stands out to me about David’s observation is that he took the time to look. We live busy, full, hectic lives, and it is easy to take for granted the beauty and consistency of God’s Creation. While a total solar eclipse is hard to ignore, this is not the only way that God shows us the beauty in His Creation. God is constantly showing us His handiwork all around us, and it is good to pause, notice it, and respond to it. I have been convicted this week that I need to take deliberate time to notice the awesome handiwork of my God.
David understood, when he penned these words, that we certainly should not worship Creation; we worship the One who created it. He overflows with effusive words when he declares, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” The majesty of the skies only adds to His glory. If we take the time to recognize God’s handiwork, it will help us to notice more about Him and the way that He works.
One of the attributes of God’s Creation that I especially appreciate is that He is 100% reliable. It is amazing to me that scientists were able to predict the totality of the solar eclipse in Brunswick to the millisecond. They understood that our Sun, which is 93.144 million miles from Earth, would correspond perfectly with the moon and the Earth in such a way that we would experience several minutes of darkness. The fact that Creation is so predictable – every day the sun rises in the East and later sets in the West – reminds me that my God is a God of order. David describes this as the work of His fingers. You and I are a part of that handiwork.
Another response from David to God’s heavenly handiwork was that he was humbled. He wrote, in Psalm 8 verse 4, “...what is man that you are mindful of him?” What a relatable response to observing the immense sky. The universe is huge, we are so small, yet God is mindful of us! Now that is an awesome thought. The creator God, who made the world and everything in it…knows you by name! What an awesome reminder about an awesome God!
Expectantly,
Shawn
P.S. I hope you are able to join us at the church this evening at 7:00pm for a special time of prayer as we respond to the great things that God has done at Hope this past week. I also hope that you come to worship with us this Sunday as we celebrate the handiwork of God and why it should matter to all of us.
