I don’t look up enough. I think God wants me to look up a lot and gaze at the sun, moon and stars. God made them to be for signs and seasons, and for days and years. In order to use the stars this way requires a lot of observation. Civilizations throughout history have observed the heavens and invented systems and used them for measuring seasons, and making maps to find their way. To make use of this inherent functionality of the stars required them to look intensely, observing and recording over long periods of time. Not only did they have to observe, record, and analyze the stars in order to understand there function, once they established these systems, putting them to use required people to look at them all the time. I suspect that God has an ulterior motive in requiring us to spend so much time star gazing. That is, to make us remember Him. When I stare up at the night sky, full of stars, I cannot help but to feel my own smallness.

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?” Psalm 8:3-4

Coming to grips with my own smallness also leads me to praise God for His greatness and grandeur.

“[It is God] Who alone stretches out the heavens and tramples down the waves of the sea; Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south; who does great things, unfathomable, and wondrous works without number.” Job 9:8-10

“He who made the Pleiades and Orion and changes deep darkness into morning, who also darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the LORD is His name.” Amos 5:8

But as one who lives in the modern world I don’t often look up at the sky. That’s because I have all sorts of gadgets and documents that allow me to measure time, days, seasons and years without ever having to look up. In fact, if I had to rely on the moon and stars for this information I’d be in trouble, because I am astronomically illiterate.

Since I don’t know how to read the sky, and I have other tools to meet my need for measuring time, I don’t regularly look up at the sky. I wonder how much my lack of star gazing is affecting my awe of God. If being struck by my finitude and amazed at God’s infinite nature is part of God’s intent for the stars – my lack of looking will abrogate this effect in my life. Therefore, in the same way that my modern sedentary job requires me to artificially exercise by going for a run to stay physically healthy, I should also make myself go outside on clear nights and spend some time looking up. If I don’t get my fill of the stars out of necessity, I should probably star-gaze out of humility – or rather, for humility.

Lord I want to be filled with awe at your grandeur and majesty. Teach me and help me to use all available means of grace to get that awe into my soul, even such simple means of grace as looking at the stars and praising you, the maker of heaven and earth. Amen.