The Observing Period.
It was a late summer but early evening when the well known Sagittarius Constellation was close to the horizon. This time I put a binocular on a little platform with a reflecting mirror, which was to fast set up and use, although it does reverse the scene with respect to up and down. It was clear with no haze, so I had lots of choices. M22 is one of the largest globular clusters in the sky; M6 and M7 are loose clusters of stars. It took about 40 minutes to observe and sketch the three objects. At this time of year the Milky Way slices the sky from north to south. A few hours after the session I remember going out and looking at the sky changes. Earth’s rotation had changed things quite a bit and Sagittarius was below the horizon, but I got a hint of what the next couple months of evenings would look like since an hour of time passage on one evening is like moving the sky forward a month or so.
The Lesson.
I cannot change the appearance and movement of the sky. That may seem obvious, but God points to his creation of the heavens, earth’s axis, and earth’s rotation in a series of rhetorical questions to Job in verses 31 and 32 of chapter 38: “Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the chords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their season?” The answer is obvious: of course not. One can go further from these scriptures (and others), however, to appreciate the beauty of the sky changes with respect to season that were especially created with motion and characteristics that are designed to be observed. Their beauty is quite astounding. It is no surprise that the prophets use statements about the heavens when they begin to praise God or declare his goodness or justice.
It is hard for an arrogant person to admit that our circumstances and surroundings are known by a personal God, or that our earth and the heavens are created by the same One. Somehow it seems easier for many to say that it is all by chance or some sort of long-standing accident. I have good news for those wrestling with life: God is bigger than you think. His designs are exquisite from the smallest to largest scales. The heavens were designed and placed to be observed to show his handiwork. In a large measure, he ordered them into being for us because they display his handiwork, show his characteristics, and demonstrate his love as we sit on a privileged planet. So, if you are dismayed, I can tell you with confidence: he loves and watches over those who call upon him.
