When I look at your heavens…

By: Lisa Van Houten

For thousands of years mankind has looked up to the expanse of the night sky and echoed David in Psalm 8: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him?”

This week astronaut Victor Glover looked down from those heavens to Earth, and gave his answer to that question: “I read the Bible, and I look at all the amazing things that were done for us who were created,” – as he then marveled at the oasis which our loving God created for man in the vast emptiness of space.

“You guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos. I think maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special, but we’re the same distance from you, and I’m trying to tell you, just trust me, you are special.  In all of this emptiness, this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe. You have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together.”

Glover’s statement that each individual on Earth is special is not reflective of the modern-day notion of self-centered, self-esteem ideology where everyone gets a trophy; but rather points to the significance which every human being holds as one who bears the Imago Dei – created in the Image of God. That divine spark within us bestows upon on each person a dignity and sacredness no matter one’s station in life.  Our worth comes not from ourselves, but from God alone – and that thought should not only humble us, but cause us to glorify our Creator.

Psalm 8 continues on to make that same point: “Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands. … O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

However, there are those in defiance of their Creator who are enraged that a NASA astronaut/scientist is giving glory to God. Atheists posting online have made comments such as: “Disappointing amount of religious [expletive] being spouted by Artemis II astronauts.” “It was making my blood boil. … It honestly depresses me that religion is still so prevalent in the year 2026 and among scientists.”

Yet Werner Heisenberg, German physicist and pioneer in quantum mechanics, once stated: “The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.”  Or as famed scientist Louis Pasteur said: “A little science distances you from God, but a lot of science brings you closer to Him.”

The atheist’s denial of our Creator God who continues to reign over His creation is not only delusion, but also reduces life to devoid of meaning and purpose.

For much of his career before his death, the famous agnostic scientist, Carl Sagan, was involved with an on-going project called SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence).  The project uses numerous satellite dishes pointing to the sky listening for signs of intelligent life.  SETI scientists say they’re listening for a pattern of dots, beeps, etc. – something cyclical or repetitive. They say, “Nothing like that happens randomly in our universe.  A pattern, simple or complex, always indicates design.”

Yet, they don’t need to listen for dots and beeps, but merely look to the heavens which reveal galaxies formed in mathematically precise spirals and to the earth around them, teeming with complex patterns and design – all which give irrefutable proof of God.  Our own bodies are awe-inspiring complex designs, including the most amazing pattern imaginable in a single strand of our DNA.

Atheists think that dots and beeps will prove intelligent design, but willfully ignore the display of a Creator all around them.  And it is a willful denial. “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”  (Romans 1:20)

Several years ago, a tweet from the Atheist Forum circulated online, stating: “CHRISTIANITY:  Belief that one God created a universe 13.79 billion yrs od, 93 billion light years in diameter (1 light year is approx. 6 trillion miles), consisting of over 200 galaxies, each containing ave. of 200 billion stars, only to have a personal relationship with you.”

I’m sure the Atheist Forum thought their post was a clever mockery of Christian belief in a Creator, who also is a personal, loving God.  However, their post unwittingly declares exactly that.  God is bigger than it all, and yet He knows each one of us. We can see the awe-inspiring expanse of the universe, yet can also have a personal relationship with the God who created it and us.

If they want proof, all they have to do is look up: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)  Or, in the case of astronaut Victor Glover, look down.

But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you.  Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?  In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.  (Job 12:7-10)

The universe declares God’s power and majesty, yet His love is personal, caring for the smallest details of our lives.  He is infinitely vast, yet not distant.  He calls the stars by name, yet knows our names too.

Before Artemis II lost radio communication as they traveled on the dark side of the moon, Victor Glover’s last radio message included this reminder to every Earthling: “Christ said in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all that you are.”

Every single person is given that same command – “to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  May that be our response to our loving Creator, the maker of heaven and earth.

 

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