Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/markthall

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Lift Up Your Eyes

This morning, as I was driving to town for supplies, I tuned into a talk radio show. The host was interviewing Terence Dickinson a renowned and much published science writer and amateur astronomer. Mr. Dickinson has recently written a book about the loss of the night sky in most of urban Canada. Light from our expanding cities and suburbs has made it very difficult to see the night sky like it should be seen. As an example, most interested observers of the night sky are not able to see the beauty of the Milky Way Galaxy. Those who live in more rural areas in Canada have a much better view of the stars. Our country home is situated where light pollution is not the least bit evident and I am quite simply in awe when I step away a few hundred feet from the house. The night view upward on a clear night is undeniably breathtaking.

Terence Dickinson has gone to great lengths to enjoy and study the night sky where it is most accessible. He has travelled the world to observe it from the best possible vantage points. He described this morning the view from a remote high altitude desert in Chile. He was outside the observatory on site when the music of Mozart could be heard as the large telescope doors opened. Apparently the professional astronomer in the observatory has a penchant for Mozart played on a very powerful stereo system while he works. Mr. Dickinson describes the emotions he felt as he listened to the music and looked up into the crystal clear and black night sky. The effect of the visual and auditory splendour was so great that he fell to his knees in awe. He was speechless and unable to even stand up given the power of the majesty before him.

At this point the radio host asked the obvious question that most listeners were wondering. He asked if the experience had a spiritual element for Mr. Dickinson. He answered in the affirmative, but quickly disappointed this listener. He said it was spiritual in the sense of the unparalleled beauty and the many unanswered questions concerning this universe that we may never fully comprehend. It is spiritual to him in the sense of wondering if others are out there looking for us. In other words it is very spiritual to him within the sphere of exciting and beautiful scientific study.

When I walk with Marley our spaniel friend into the open fields behind our home on a clear night, I am in absolute awe at the size and grandeur of the universe before me. The prophet Isaiah sums up my thoughts with the following words found in Isaiah 40:26.

26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

When I look up into the night sky, I cannot imagine any other conclusion than my God created all of this. Who or what else could have done it? He brings all of these stars out each and every night. He has named each and every one of them and never in all His power and might even forgets one of them. When He calls them, all are present and have been since He created them. The night sky was there before I was born and will be there long after I am gone from this earth.

I fall to my knees at the power and majesty of the view, not because of the intrinsic and awesome beauty of that view, but because of the power and greatness of my personal God.

(Comments, corrections, suggestions or rebuttals are welcome. My email link is contained in “About me: view my complete profile” to the right of this page or use the comment section below which requires that you have a Google account.)

2 comments:

  1. I was on the road quite a bit last week, and heard the same episode of Quirks and Quarks. Like yourself, I was disappointed that Terence was only awestruck by the vastness and beauty of the universe, but didn't consider the author of it all. How loud must the shout of nature be to get man's attention? My mind to turns to
    Job 12:7-12 which reminds us that all of creation speaks of Him.
    One of my favourite things to do at the cottage is for Millie and I to sit on the porch swing and simply look up and shut up and to all at once feel so small ( but not insignificant, because we are afterall the object of God's affection ) knowing that in the vastness there is a place prepared for me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amen! Thank you so much for adding to my blog. I recently heard a CBC show on Darwin which left me feeling just the same. How can they miss the author and the creator?

    ReplyDelete