By: Curtis Evelo | September 25, 2023
Look Up
In Psalm 8, David writes: “When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place, what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him ?” (Ps 8:3-4 CSB)
And in Psalm 19, David states. “ The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge.” (Ps 19:1-2 CSB)
As I ponder these verses, I can’t help but think these Psalms are shouting at us to look up at the night sky and consider. Consider? Consider what? Well, I am going to try to get us all to look at the night sky a little differently.
A Window of Opportunity
Up here in Northwest Montana, the seasons are changing. The long summer sunny days are shortening, and the cooler evenings and brisk mornings are taking over. The fruit trees are all done producing fruit, and the bulls have been pulled out of the herds. This is a window of opportunity for me to have a little more time outside when it’s either dusk to dark or early morning before the glow of sunlight and the sunrise.
And because of that opportunity, I get to see the darkness of the backdrop revealing or, even better explained, “showing off “ the glittering and glowing stars in the sky. The nights or early mornings tend to have a clear crispness to them in the early mornings, especially as you walk around and watch the stars reveal themselves differently from different areas on the ranch.
In fact, there are times we travel to my dad’s ranch, and my son and I can enjoy that night sky with my dad in the evening or early morning. At that moment, there are three generations looking up at that dark backdrop. It is a powerful moment when we, as a family, are sitting under the same sky David the psalmist was writing about.
My Consideration
When I consider Psalm 8, following David’s example of observing the night sky, I, too, feel very small and inconsequential. I am amazed that the God who has created such vastness and huge distances between us and those stars would even be aware of me, a tiny human being in the grand scope of things. Maybe we’re supposed to feel small. Maybe we’re supposed to feel the weight and scope of how big and grand God is. And how even the promises God gives us seem small. Yet coming from this big and grand God, we are comforted they will be completed.
Consider Abraham
Abraham was given a promise by God that his descendants would be more than the stars and the sand on the shores. And God goes on to promise that all the nations on the earth will be blessed because of Abraham’s obedience. As Abraham looked up to the night sky some 4000 years ago, he saw these same night skies as we do around the world. Let that sink in, and let it stir up your soul. We share a connection with Abraham, not only sharing the same stars, but we are recipients of the blessings given by God. It is an awe-inspiring thought that we look up and feel small, and Abraham no doubt felt the same. Yet he believed God for a blessing he never got to see fully.
Consider David
Writing these Psalms, David makes a connection that God created the night sky. He shows a way for us as humans to recognize something special about the stars and the dark backdrop they hang in. The more advanced we get with the technology of viewing the outer limits of our solar system the more we see God’s wisdom and fine tuning. The latest telescope that was created only reveals our deeper desire to create a better one. David 3000 years ago looked up at the same stars as we all do and was moved to write songs of praise and worship.
Let’s All Consider
We share that same connection with Abraham and David, but we can look back at their stories and see the failures of these great men documented in the pages of scripture. But we also see they were men who ultimately turned and trusted God with their future. I think it is time for us as believers to look up at the night sky once again and trust that the God that holds all of those stars can hold us and fulfill the promise to see us through.
About the Author
Curtis Evelo is a cattle rancher at the E6 Hereford Ranch in St. Ignatius, Montana. He is the Co-Host and Producer of the Bellator Christi Podcast. He often teaches and speaks at his church, Cornerstone Faith Center in St. Ignatius. Curtis provides a common-sense approach to Christianity as he contemplates the wonders of God’s creation in Big Sky Country. Curtis serves as an Assistant Vice President of Broadcasting at Bellator Christi Ministries, a contributor, and the co-host of the Bellator Christi Podcast. His research interests include Jewish studies in the New Testament, Old Testament typologies, and studies on free will.
