Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? (Psalm 113:5)
STARS YOU CAN SEE WHEN IT GETS REALLY DARK | an ANALOGY FOR THE VALUE OF BEING ALONE WITH GOD
Sitting on deck of our fishing cabin in Crested Butte this summer taught me something I’ll never forget. As I sat in the quiet by the river behind our cabin I reflected on one of the most epic days of fly fishing I had ever had. There are so many things God revealed to me through the professional guide I was shadowing, but on this night the fishing experience took a back seat, and I noticed something else.
As I looked up in the darkness I could see the glory of the night sky and stars. It took me off guard how many stars shone brightly above because usually those same stars are obscured by lights in the city where I live.
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40:26)
GETTING PAST OUR NUMBNESS BY PAYING ATTENTION TO GOD’S WORD
The daily clutter and pressures of our lives often blot out an awareness of God’s presence. God hasn’t changed, just as the sky hasn’t changed. Just like the stars at night, he is always there, inviting me into his presence to be honest and real with him. I realized that I’m often unaware of him because of the “light pollution” of my life. And it’s usually when I bravely venture out to be alone with God and pay attention to what he is speaking to me through is Word that I begin to see more clearly.
RELATED POST: WORSHIPPING GOD IN THE CATHEDRAL OF THE WILDERNESS
Have you ever had this experience? Being quiet or alone with God might sound intimidating to you, but I can assure you, just like the surprise and wonder of seeing the brilliance of the stars when I go away from the comforts of town, you will also be pleasantly surprised by God when you have the courage to abandon your clutter, your agenda, and your to-do list, to be alone with him. God wants us to regularly have eye-opening sighs of wonder when we look at him, like we experience when we see the stars above immersed in the utter darkness of the night.
REFLECT & TAKE ACTION
- Name some of the things that are creating “light pollution” in your life right now?
- Decide to get away for a few hours in the outdoors to enjoy some solitude with God to hear his voice and see his character with fresh eyes through observing the beauty of his creation.
RELATED POST: What a Starry Night & Blank Trail Sign Teaches About Asking,”Why God?”
