The sketch below could have been done in a hundred places. I just happened to be near Marshall, Texas in a campground on what could have been a pristine observing night. However, the light from the town and the lights in the campground obliterated the view of the heavens. I could count less than 30 stars to the Northeast, but as I looked at the sky and the conditions I felt compelled to record the scene. Later, scriptures came to mind that made the observing session make sense. Here is the observing sheet before I continue the story:
The scene is a classic part of the heavens that stretches pretty high in the sky from the north, near the constellation Cassiopeia, to the east, near Aldebaran. Only the most dominant stars in the constellations could be seen against the ghostly lighted line of pine trees. Normally (on a dark night) this section of the sky would show hundreds of stars to the naked eye. I pondered the scene for a few days as I thought of the intention of God from creation to provide night light from the stars and the moon (Genesis 1:14-19) but that is not good enough for a fearful society. We want light in seemingly dark places. I suppose it provides some peace of mind and avoids a little crime, but the dominant effect is to obliterate the very heavens God intended to point to His handiwork and some of his attributes.
From a larger perspective, God points to a battle between light and darkness quite often in the scriptures. He repeatedly uses light and darkness to describe the spiritual condition and predisposition of men’s hearts. In short, outside of God’s work in our soul, we love getting away from God or simply dismissing Him altogether. In other words, we tend to sin. To want our own way is fundamental. Men generally do not want to lean upon God; they want to lean on their own understanding. So the words of the first few verses of John sum it up: people don’t come to God because they love darkness. Darkness in this case is God’s definition of our propensity to have our way instead of God’s way. So, we produce our own light, in a sense. We produce a lot of it…carrying on in the pleasures and cares of this life. Things that have a sense of God we tend to avoid or kill. The heavens are His handiwork. We have made enough light to obliterate His signature in most places. We find activity or material things or pleasure to crowd up our schedules to keep us busy, so our souls stay hyped with one thing or another instead of trying to find peace for our souls in God. So He is right: we love darkness.
But in His mercy, He makes a way for us to turn to Him through Jesus Christ–to find the quietness of soul and the real light that we need instead of the artificial light we try to produce with our frantic activities. When a soul is at peace, the eyes of our mind see differently. The heavens come alive with his signature but so does the earth. His created things take on a different tone. The colors and detail and complexity of His work around us becomes more obvious.
The next time you go outside to look at the sky at night, turn out the lights and let your eyes adapt to the dark. Consider that the signature of God’s work, as I have stated, is in the heavens–just as the scriptures have stated. If your soul is at peace with God, you will enjoy the scene. If it is not at peace, consider the battle between light and darkness that I have described. If you have avoided God, consider turning around and facing Him on the inside and asking Him to change you forever. If you are willing, He will do it. The heavens will never be the same again when you look at them.
