Why did God create the night sky ... to look like ... that?
The closer I walk with God ... the more I become aware that nothing is really as it seems. Nothing is random either. There are no chance creations. The more complex it appears ... the more likely that it's simplicity holds powerful answers.
God is the master of ... simplicity. It's people who make things so complicated ... and hard.
So on clear summer nights ... cool, crisp winter ones ... and all of the evenings in between ... I marvel at the beauty of the stars ... the planets ... the universe. I am totally enamored with the moon .. especially glorious full moons.
The most recent one offered up a week of brilliant luminoisty. Shining ... clear ... enlightening.
I see the moon.
The moon sees me.
God bless the moon.
And God bless me.
I look heavenward ... on any given night ... to find the moon ... the stars .. all of the universe ... simply there. Sure ... the elements move ... re-position themselves ... as the earth travels through it's orbit ... it's continuous rotation ... season after season ...
... yet ...
... the heavens remain the same ... constant ... from everlasting to everlasting.
There is comfort in the knowledge that the changes in the stars ... really aren't changes ... simply new perspectives ... based on the the weather ... the time of year ... the wherever I am ... now.
Outside ... looking up ... all I see are the lights. Shining.
Behind the lights are stars ... and planets ... and galaxies ... and who really knows what life ... or lack of living ... is taking place ... on the other side ... of those lights.
There are also patches of sky ... that are a little less lit. Dim flickerings ... can sometimes be seen ... if I look really hard. And in some cases, there is nothing but ... dark.
Dark is the absence of light.
Imagine you are taking a plane ride at night. Once the pilot reaches the correct altitude .. you are simply traveling along there amidst the clouds ... above the world as we know it.
From the window, you look ... down. All you see are the lights.
Bright lights. Dim lights. Lights that are flickering ... struggling to stay lit ... or to be seen. Large clusters of lights ... random lights scattered across the landscape ... patches of dark in between.
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| Photo by Paul Henry |
When He looks down on us.
The lights.
He's not seeing the things we find ourselves so focused on. It's not the villages or farms ... castles or caves ... updown or downtown ... or any of the things we've made so important ... the what-we-haves ... or the what-we-have-nots ... that He sees.
From where He sits. It's all the same. Either there's light ... or there's a lack of light.
Pure & simple. He delights in the light. He grieves the darkness.
In the beginning God made from nothing the heavens and the earth.
The earth was an empty waste and darkness was over the waters.
And the Spirit of God was moving over the top of the waters.
Then God said, "Let there be light",
And there was light.
God saw that the light was good.
He divided the light from the darkness.
~Genesis 1-4
Stars have cast light on the comings & goings of the universe ... since time began.
God created the stars ... God created light ... then God created man.
Candles have cast light on the progress of man for centuries. Man created candles to cast out the darkness that surrounds him.
It's better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness. All the darkness of the world can not extinguish the light of a single candle.
God created man. He placed His light within each soul. His light is love. Love is God within us.
We are His candles. The brighter the light ... the greater the love ... flowing through us.
From God's perspective ... the only thing that matters is ... the brightness of the lights.
When He sees a patch of darkness ... He lights a candle. Thousands of candles can be lighted by one single candle flame.
God knows that.
So why did God create the heavens ... to look like a sea of lights ... shifting & adjusting from season to season .. dimming & brightening based on circumstances or conditions? Why doesn't He allow us to see the hustle bustle .. the energy ... the activity ... the wealth or poverty ... behind each star ... defining each galaxy? Why does He tell us to ... look up ... when we are searching for answers ... seeking Him?
Possibly it's because He wanted us to have a mirror image ... a living, constant reflection ... of what He sees when He looks in on us. To give us a clear picture ... a simple visual reminder ... night after night ... of the purpose of our lives.
Clearly ... at the end of the day ... it's the brightness of our light ... the other candles lit ... the glow of the love flowing out from us ... that matters. Nothing more. Nothing less.
We look up to the skies ... seeking God ... & we marvel at the lights.
God looks down from the skies ...reaching out to us ... & He delights ... in the lights.
Pun intended. No doubt.
For delight is ... something that brings great pleasure ... joy ... a high degree of
gratification and satisfaction.
Lights in the world ... delight the Lord.
From age to age ... He remains the same. He's really not terribly concerned with material things ... or technology ... or money ... or power ... or creature comforts. Civilizations come and go ... and kingdoms rise and fall.. Man continues to invent things ... real things ... intangible things ... creations that confuse & distort ... the simplicity of ... what is really important.
Things destroy man ... time after time
The stars move across the heavens ... in deliberate rhythms & patterns ... that defy our understanding. From beginning ... to end ... the celestial wonders of the night sky ... spin & twirl ... travel their paths ... dim & flare ... forever constant ... a reflection of God's perspective ... of us.
You are holy,
great and mighty.
The moon and the stars
declare who You are.
I'm so unworthy
but still You love me.
Forever my heart will sing
of how great You are.
All glory ... honor ... and power is Yours. Amen.
As I move towards .. what's coming next ... I am reflecting on ... the luminosity of my light ...
And it occurs to me ... that the light ... really isn't at the end of the tunnel. It's right here.
Where I am.
It's now.
www.lifelessons-mj.blogspot.com
(c)December 2012
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