Wonder
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” - Psalm 19:1
A solar flare erupted earlier this week, causing the Northern Lights to be visible in Boston and throughout New England. With the naked eye, it was difficult to register. You could barely see the dark read, cloud-like shapes—almost indistinguishable against the black backdrop of space. But if you were to pull out your phone and take a few snaps, you gasped as stunning pinks and greens exploded on your screen. Cameras are better at collecting light than our eyes.
Adriana and I stepped out of the house after we put the kids down to sleep and we started snapping photos. It was so stunning that I jumped in the car and drove to the beach to see if I could capture something special there. The above shot was one of my favorites. People were gathered on the shore like busy bees, comparing their captures with glee. It was a surreal cosmic and social experience. But did you know that the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, is the inspiration for the scientific name of the Northern Lights, aurora borealis? The irony is rich. Has anyone ever passed off someone else’s art as their own? I suspect if there was an Aurora, she wouldn’t have the gall to claim the Northern Lights. That’s God’s handiwork. But people in their sin say very stupid things.
The people that I spoke to on the beach were giddy with excitement over seeing God’s fine art, though they didn’t know the Artist. Sometimes we say that we don’t know how to start a conversation about God, but do we not see in moments like these that simply responding with praise is the most natural thing in the world to do? To say to those who look up at the sky in wonder, or at the cascading falls, or up at those stunning peaks, “If these are so amazing, what would it be like to look upon the one who made them?” The most dazzling sights are paltry reflections of the greatness and beauty of God. Let’s start talking like we believe it. The heavens declare the glory of God.
Why don’t we?
