As I Look At The Stars

"If the soul could have known God without the world, the world would never have been created." - Meister Eckhart

Tonight I took my dog for a walk down to the marina, and there was totally taken aback by the wonder of creation. Getting away from the noise and lights of the city as I ventured to the end of the dock, I gazed in awe as the largest, most golden moon rose slowly over the horizon into the night sky. Its golden orange radiance was reflected across the still waters of the lake. Gazing out across the lake, it appeared that I was looking into a deep void, as the dark waters appeared to merge with the night sky. The only light came from the moon, and the countless stars that were visible on this clear night. I sat there at the end of the dock gazing into the sky, filled with a great sense of wonder and awe of God's creation. I tried to rationalize this feeling in my head, but there were no words to describe how I felt. For what seemed like the first time, I took notice of the wonder and beauty of creation, and thought that the night sky alone is proof enough that there is a God. All human forms of art pale in comparison to the majesty and splendor of creation.

I think that as we go through our lives, we often become so caught up in our daily lives that we fail to stand in wonder and awe of God and who He is. We may even become so absorbed in church related activities that we lose focus of the real reason for our faith. I believe that it is essential that a person take some time out of their busy lives to simply marvel in the glory of God. In his book Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller writes:
"Too much of our time is spent trying to chart God on a grid, and too little is spent allowing our hearts to feel awe. By reducing Christian spirituality to formula, we deprive our hearts of wonder."

The psalmist seemed to understand better than anyone the wonder of creation. He did not attempt to understand it, he was simply content to live in constant awe and wonder. He writes:

1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because

of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and

the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man

that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you

put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that

swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

(Psalm 8, NIV)

These were some of the thought running through my mind as I sat there, but they were cut short by the whining of my dog, who had had enough sitting around and was anxious to head back home. Although brief, this experience is one that I am not likely to forget anytime soon.