For Man

“The heavens, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men.” Psalm 115:16

Lately I’ve been intrigued by the heavens. I never studied astronomy, and I don’t know the names of the stars or constellations. But last night my husband and I happened to come upon a documentary on the making of the Hubble telescope, and towards the end it showed many images of the cosmos that were sharp, clear, and colorful. It was mind-expanding to consider how much God had made that we are unaware of.

This morning, I saw some images taken by astrophotographers who take photos of heavenly images. There are nebulae, gasses, close-ups of our sun and planets, colliding galaxies, explosions, and stars and suns without number. The “scientific” explanations for the causes behind these astronomical wonders never credits God as Creator. The new James Webb Telescope, launched on Christmas Day, 2021, is looking for “first light.” I guess they are hoping to see when God created light (but they won’t call it that).

God made what we call “deep space,” and Scripture says He made it for Himself. Man is just now finding it—or some of it—but it is His. It will never belong to man, no matter how many photographs we take or how much we are able to explore it. The heavens are God’s dwelling place. That beauty is His to enjoy. Right now, He is sharing some of the wonder of it with us, and it should put us in holy awe of Him.

On the other hand, the earth He has given to man. There are wonders here, too, and we have explored much of it (but surely not all!) Precious gems under tons of rock and dirt. Underground waters. Caves, tunnels, caverns, canyons made by “nature.” And who has found out all there is to see in the deep oceans? Who has seen all the creatures that dwell on the earth with man? All you have to do is watch some of the science shows to get a glimpse of how animals and insects eat or reproduce or see or hunt. It boggles the mind—but He gave it to us.

I think God is happy when we discover the wonders He scattered around for us to find. Like a small child who comes across an unexpected shell in the sand, we can express our surprise and enjoyment to Him. We can take what we have found and show it to others, saying, “Look at this!”

Lord, open our eyes to Your wonders all around us. Life isn’t boring—rather, it is one grand adventure after another when we have our hearts open to You. Thank You! Amen.