Scripture:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalms 19:1
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
For context for this devotional, go to: https://webb.nasa.gov/
Reflection:
“Space…the final frontier.” Those iconic 4 words were made popular by a 1960’s science-fiction television show called Star Trek. Captain Kirk, of the starship Enterprise, used those words to launch the ship’s crew as they embarked on a 5-year mission “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no one has gone before.” As I write these words, I can almost hear these words being spoken with the theme song playing in the background!
Space is immensely fascinating. It is so incredibly big and vast, with so many moving parts, and yet, it moves in amazing precision that speaks of perfect design and function rather than random chaos. Gravity, the engine of space is an imperceptible force, yet it moves giant planets and vast solar systems at incredible speeds in amazing harmony with one another.
With the launch of the James Webb space telescope last year, NASA has been able to get some incredible new and vivid pictures of the intricacies and the beauty of space. Amazing beauty can be found in comets, asteroids, moons, planets, and the vast array of stars and galaxies, especially as they are contrasted with the black void of interstellar space.
Yet as incredible as each of these individual entities may be on their own, seeing them in harmony together is what makes space so indescribable. For space, the whole is truly more beautiful than the individual parts.
Pictures of space illustrate to me that God is both “Bigger than Big and Closer than Close.” His perspective is vastly different from ours. He has created beauty in the smallest of atoms and the largest of galaxies. Everywhere we look, He mixes the large and the small, the dark and the light, the chemicals and minerals to create variety and beauty.
As I sit and ponder, all of this challenges me as it comes to my very limited perspective on pretty much everything. The images of the vastness and beauty of space caused me to realize that I have a very, very limited understanding and perspective. My view is certainly not God’s view, my understanding is not his understanding. That is why I need to pray. It is only when God grants me a larger perspective on this world and my part within it, that the beauty and design of God’s greater plan can be seen. I have come to realize that it is my lack of perspective on just about everything that keeps me in the dark. A limited perspective only steals the awe, inspiration, and awareness of a great creator God, and His purposes both in my life and His great work in our world.
King David was right when he penned the Pslam “The Heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
May the Lord grant us a greater perspective.
David
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