Starry Night

Last weekend, I took some time to ponder the stars. The night was dark. And the stars were bright. I didn’t appreciate that enough when I lived out in the country. Without the light pollution of the city, you can see so many more stars. It is beautiful and awesome to behold.

Much of the time when people write about the stars, they write about feeling small and insignificant. But I felt that very little. I was struck by the grandeur and how big is our God. Like the Bible says, the heavens and skies really do declare the glory and awesomeness of God.

But the strongest impression I felt can perhaps be understood best with a bit of story:

Perhaps you have heard of brag books. When they officially go by that name, they are usually little photo albums targeted to mothers and grandmothers showing off photos of their children and grandchildren. But we have other kinds of “brag books” as well. It could be a photo album, scrapbook, collection of bumper stickers, a trophy case, mounted animal heads, a web site, an online photo gallery, competitive ribbons and medals, or something else. They all give a way to share a little about ourselves with a bit of healthy pride. The photos can be of children, a vacation, a project completed, an event, or something else important to us.

Imagine God showing you his brag book. He created all kinds of things and said “It is good.” Let’s start with the animals for instance. Consider the variety from alligator to giraffe, spiders to cows, honey bees to elephants, cats and rattlesnakes, and so many more. Even among birds, some can swim under water. Many migrate long distances. In a few cases, strangely, the birds don’t fly at all. Pelicans can scoop up fish. Eagles dive from great heights to catch a fish or field mouse. Parrots can mimic sounds. Owls can swoop silently for their prey. And each animal sings and talks with unique sounds. The variety is incredible.

On the next page, we explore the plants. There are tall pines and redwoods. There are fruit trees and vegetable plants. Many provide food or shelter for animals. There are flowers in all shapes and sizes and colors. Consider the propagation of seeds. Many seeds blow in the wind. Burs catch a ride to new territory. Animal feces bring seeds to new places, with fertilizer. Squirrels bury acorns and forget a few. Bees cross-pollinate to help some plants thrive. God can be proud of the way it all works.

And brilliantly designed weather systems and planet and moon rotations keep it all going. Tides, storms, occasional lightning fires, snow storing up moisture, it all works quite well in the long run.

And then we come to the page about the night sky. There are just billions of stars and planets, galaxies and more out there. And every time humans create a stronger telescope, they discover there is yet more to be discovered!

With all these things, God is justifiably proud. They are amazing. But wait for the next page. He has saved the best for last.

God slowly turns the page and reveals about seven billion people. There is a gleam in his eye as he shares how extremely proud he is of this creation. But you can tell it isn’t like the others. It goes deeper. He explains the difference. He is proud of all the creations. And many of them are grand. But it is only with people that he can love. If they had a personality, the stars might be a bit jealous. They know that we are his favorite.

It is only with us that he can have a meaningful relationship. He can love us. And he can feel the love back. We can communicate back and forth. We can actually choose to partner with him. He can call us his “Beloved”. We can live together forever.

The night sky and all of creation are awe inspiring. But we are the ones he loves.