The Heavens Declare

(photo courtesy of my cousin-in-law Charles Baird in Anchorage, Alaska)

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the sky proclaims the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech,

Night after night they reveal knowledge.

~Psalm 19:1-2

My children and I love to gaze at the stars. They ask me more questions than I have answers for (it's been fifteen years since astronomy class!), but I love their enthusiasm and sense of wonder. Sometimes, after the children are in bed, I'll take a moment while pulling out the garbage cans or collecting the laundry to lift my eyes to the skies. Cassiopeia, the Big and Little Dippers, Delphinus the Dolphin (one of my favorites) shine down on me like familiar faces. I search for the Cygnus the Swan, also known as the Northern Cross, in hopes that I would catch a glimpse of the Milky Way. But where I live, it is never dark enough to see the Milky Way. In fact, it is never dark enough to see anything more than the nearer planets and brighter constellations. Nevertheless, Psalm 19:1 comes to my mind every time I look up.

Then my family went with the church staff on a retreat in Capay Valley. We were, as far as I know, out in the middle of nowhere, where mountain lions were still bold enough to run across the hills in the light of day. And there, miles from a city, or even a town, I finally saw the heavens declaring the glory of God. Stars literally filled the sky. The Milky Way marked a thick, dusty road from horizon to horizon. This is what I've been missing for most of my life! Though the stars have always been there, I have been blind to them. But now that I have seen them, I will never forget their presence, despite my inability to see them on a daily basis. And what wonderful knowledge they have revealed to me: that though God is not always visible, He is always present.


(If you would like to see more of Charle's amazing photos, visit Alaskan Pioneer or CK Alaska Photography.)