Read:
‘The moon and the stars, which you have ordained’ (Psalm 8:3)
Think:
I remember realising, some years ago, that I was the only person in our household old enough to remember the first Moon landing properly. I can still recall the wonder of hearing those words from the first astronauts as they stepped out into an unknown world.
The mysteries of the sky still amaze and bewilder me. When I am outside in the dark and look up at the stars, I have little idea which constellation is which. If I notice a particularly bright light, I am never quite sure whether it is a star or a planet.
Perhaps that is why I find it easy to imagine God, with delicate fingers, placing each point of light in just the right place. Whether that is a sign of faith or simply evidence that I am a little unhinged, I will leave you to decide.
For me, the mechanics of physics do not diminish that picture; they make it even more remarkable. The precise laws that hold everything together seem both unimaginably vast and astonishingly delicate. The more we discover about the universe, the more there is to wonder at—and perhaps the more reason we have to pause, look up, and give thanks.
Our own bodies are every bit as carefully constructed, but they are so familiar to us that it is easy to take them for granted. If you struggle to see the delicacy of God’s design when you look at your face in the mirror, turn off the lights and look out at the night sky—or go and stand outside in the dark and look up. For all we have done to damage the world around us, the design is intricate and wonderful.
A Prayer:
God, when we look at the stitches in a fine piece of needlework, we wonder at the skill of the fingers that created it. How much more do we marvel at the stitches with which you have sewn together the earth, sea and sky, and all that is in them. We thank you for revealing yourself to us, and pray that our response may be worthy of the Creator’s art. Amen.