Last night our church youth and friends joined for an overnight camp-out on the church lawn. After an eventful time setting up tents and a few rounds of capture the flag, we gathered for devotions and communion around the fire. Our youth leader spoke for a few minutes, then it was my turn to share devotions and the gifts of bread and a little grape juice. One of our former youth even shared a short skit. It was after all these words were spoken and symbols shared, that the most significant testimony to God occurred – we looked up.
Our region was blessed with a night with one of the clearest skies in quite a while. Even with the parking lot lights on, the stars were numerous and vibrant. If you stepped away from the fire and shielded your eyes from the glare, you could even see the cloudy light that is the Milky Way Galaxy. It was stunning.
One of the adults, a retired Navy officer began to share his experiences with the stars throughout his life. He told us of the first time he saw the night sky from the darkness of a ship upon the sea. He went on to share how their beauty spoke to him many times during his service and even how he learned to navigate by those same stars we were enjoying together.
A 16 year old girl, who has great passion for God, came up to me and said, “Pastor, how can anyone look at the vastness of the sky and its beauty and not know that there is a God?” I smiled and confessed, “I have no idea.”
The revelation was not new. The Psalmist wrote:
“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.
There is no speech or language
where there voice is not heard.” (Psalm 19:1-3 NIV)
The skies do speak. They witness to their Creator. They tell of order and beauty; function and creativity. Something of the vastness of the heavens speaks to the greatness of God. As we stand gazing into those skies we resonate with what we see, knowing that we too are a part of God’s great creation and instead of feeling insignificant, we know that in the wonder of it all, God knows us by name.
Tonight, I invite you to pause long enough to look at the skies and let them speak truth to you. Even if they are overcast, even if storms hide the rest of the heavens for a season, even then the heavens declare the majesty, wonder and creativity of God.
What did the skies say to me last night, you may ask. Just this simple, yet profound truth – it is a good thing to turn off, or look beyond the lights of this world to see the light of God.
