Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Cold Stars

I have been hearing a familiar comment in the last couple of weeks. It seems that despite the bitter cold temperatures we have been having lately, many people have found beauty in the stars as they shine so bright on these cold nights. I can't blame them. One look at the North Dakota night sky is an impressive and beautiful display of stellar artwork.

This week I came across an old familiar psalm that speaks about the beauty of the night sky. In Psalm 19 we read:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.”

It seems that the heavens are like a scroll that God lays out to read a great love story to the people of the earth. That story is etched in the stars as though written with light from the very Father of lights Himself. It is as though God had a message to communicate from the very beginning of time, and He took the time to display it in the sky we look at every day.

What is that message? The verses above state that the heavens “declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands”. In the beauty of creation, we are able to see God's creativity, ingenuity, and personality. It's like taking a peek into the vast storehouse of the wonder of God's glory. As fascinating as that might seem, it is the following verses that are most amazing to me:

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

God's declaration of His own glory and His love for the human race is displayed in a “language” that everyone on the face of the planet is able to hear and understand. God knows what speaks to you and I, and He is able to communicate through that means. My wife once wrote a song that talks about the way God speaks to some through the beauty of creation, and for others He uses the blessing of friendship. Some would say that the first time God ever got through to them was through the melody and lyrics of a song, and for others it is the hands of a community that reaches out to help in a time of need. God speaks the very language that your heart hears.

What is God's message? As we have just celebrated in the Christmas season, God loved humanity enough to come down and be born amongst His creation to redeem it from the curse of sin. God demonstrated His love in this way- Jesus Christ died to save sinners and to deliver them from the dominion and power of sin. Since this is true, He invites us to turn from our sin, and follow after Him. He invites us to be a part of the incredible plan He has for this world, and to become more and more like Him every day. He invites us to see His glory, not just in the night sky, but in our hearts as well.