“The Hub” and I love to go camping in the desert.
And one of my favorite things to do is sit by the campfire and look at the sky.
It’s fun to scan the sky at dusk, and try to find the first few stars that appear. Before you know it, the sky is FILLED with them – they are EVERYWHERE! You can even see the Milky Way – it looks like a wispy cloud that stretches from horizon to horizon.
When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to study and learn about was astronomy – it still is!
One of the amazing facts I learned about stars is this – the distances are mind-boggling!
Ready for our lesson? (Don’t worry – there won’t be a pop quiz!)
Besides the Sun, the nearest star to Earth is called Alpha Centauri. It lies 4.21 light years away from earth. That means if something could travel at the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles EVERY SECOND, it would take 4.21 years to reach this closest star.
Think of it this way – the spacecraft that holds the record for the fastest ever space travel would take a STAGGERING 19,000 years to reach this star!
So, needless to say, sitting under that beautiful canopy of stars in the desert is an absolutely spectacular, awe-inspiring experience.
And quite humbling, I might add.
I am reminded of these verses:
“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars you set in place – what are people that you should think about them, mere mortals that you should care for them?” (Psalm 8:3, 4)
You know, it’s true.
Staring at the infinite majesty of the skies, it is easy to think that we are nothing to an Almighty God.
In fact, Psalm 147:4 makes this amazing statement: “[God] counts the stars and knows them by name.”
In light of His awesome power, we seem so small and insignificant.
We seem like nothing more than “specks of matter.”
And yet, our God DOES indeed think of us… more often than we can even know.
Listen to the words of Psalm 139:17, 18: “How precious are your thoughts about ME, O God. They CANNOT BE NUMBERED! I can’t even count them…”
Our God, the One who knows the stars by name, also knows my name, and YOUR name, each one of you.
And He thinks about us all the time.
We are “specks of matter”…that matter!
(Join me tomorrow for Part Two!)
BLOG = “Blessedly Leaning On God!”
Hi Sharon,
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! I say, "Amen!" (enough said)
Blessings and peace.
MTJ
Matthew 10:30 (and even your hairs are numbered). Yep, we definitely matter to our Lord!! (and so glad that we do :)
ReplyDeletelooking forward to part two tomorrow!
betty
Great post! I, too, am amazed by God's awesome majesty displayed in every aspect of His creation. I love gazing at the stars and taking it all in. I think I may plan an evening fishing trip with the family this weekend and sneak in some star gazing! Blessings! :)
ReplyDeleteOohhh...I'm so jealous! We go camping a lot, but never in the desert. That sounds awesome. I love star gazing too, and those scriptures you quoted are my absolute favorites. God is so awesome, I can't praise Him enough!
ReplyDeleteI love the verse about God counting the stars by name. I would love to be with you looking at the stars and trying to photograph their trails, have you ever tried that? I've tried a few times with limited success...we have too many lights in our area!
ReplyDeleteIndeed... an awesome thought to rock me to sleep tonight. My God considering me. What joy fills my heart.
ReplyDeletepeace~elaine
PS: Thanks for visiting me and for your encouraging words.
MTJ - Thanks, friend! AMEN indeed!
ReplyDeleteBetty - Yes, even our hairs are numbered! What an amazing God - I'm so glad He loves us!
Shelly - Thanks. Oh, a fishing trip sounds like FUN!! We're thinking of going on one at the end of this month - trout season is almost over here in California. Enjoy the star-gazing!
Deborah Ann - You've really got to go camping sometime in the desert. The absolute darkness makes that sky come alive! I LOVE those Scriptures, too. I agree, God is SO AWESOME!
Anita - I have never tried to photograph the trails of the stars. If you ever get out to the desert, I think that would be a PERFECT place to capture them. There are NO lights out there! Also, though we might not be able to look at the stars together, we are looking at the SAME stars - and that makes me feel like we're together!
Elaine - Welcome! Thanks for stopping by. I agree, these thoughts do make sleep come more peacefully. I loved your wording: "My God considering me..." Yes, He does - what JOY!
BLESSINGS TO ALL OF YOU!
Wow. Just wow. I wonder how many of God's people have sat under the stars over the thousands of years since He inspired those words and thought about the fact that the very God who hung each one in its appointed position and NAMED those stars also numbered the hairs on the heads of each lowly man who has ever sat beneath them.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very stringy sentence, but that's the string of thought that connected in my brain as I read this.
It kind of made my heat thump to think of it.
There was an early astronaut, can't remember which one, who had that same wonder when he viewed earth from space.
As my husband says, the more we know and see about the vastness of our universe, the BIGGER our God becomes, not smaller.
Can't wait for part 2.
And this final thought... so you mean that the Robinson family couldn't have reached Alpha Centauri for 19,000 years anyway? Even if they hadn't gotten LOST IN SPACE? Who knew?
(Sorry, when I hear Alpha Centauri, I always think of my favorite sci fi show... Warning. Danger Will Robinson.)
Debbie,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that you were so well-versed in "string theory!"
Makes my heart thump, too. Sometimes I wonder what it must have been like to see THE STAR - pointing to our Savior. THAT must have been glorious.
I agree with your husband (just on this ONE matter, just this ONE time - I don't want him getting all uppity) - seriously, though, the more my mind is boggled by the vastness of the universe, the bigger God becomes to me, and yet, the closer I feel to him.
No...I'm afraid the Robinsons were doomed. I'm thinking most of them wouldn't have minded being stranded with Angela Cartwright, but she was a bit "snobby" for my taste. And, I think the REAL danger for Will Robinson was that robot...those arms could squeeze an elephant silly!
On Thursday, I'm sharing a little "sci-fi" something on my post - just trying something different. Not sure how reactions will be...
Last thing (for now) - I am SO GLAD that when I look at those stars in the sky, I KNOW that somewhere across the country YOU'RE looking at them, too!!
xoxo and GOD BLESS!