Stopping to Consider…
Last night was rough. Just a few hours after I fell into a deep sleep, my eyes popped open.
I tried everything I knew to do to go back to sleep but…at one point, I gave up, slipped out of bed, picked up my book, and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
For the next hour, I read while sipping hot water and waiting for tiredness to catch up with me.
Eventually, it did, so I picked up my book, and moved to the stairs, glancing out the window on my way up.
I noticed a dim light in the dark sky above our neighbor’s house, so I stopped to consider it.
I watched as little clouds of darkness slowly moved in front of that faint light, darkening the sky completely.
Is that the moon? I wondered. Of course, it’s the moon, I reminded myself, what else could it be?
So I stayed a bit longer and sure enough, the misty light peeked out momentarily but quickly disappeared, the darkness obscuring the light again.
The moment felt sacred somehow. Unable to move away, I stood mesmerized. A quiet little dance was happening and I was there to behold it!
Still enchanted this morning, I told my walking pals all about it.
Even later in the day, the mysterious little video plays in my mind.
The sky has been on our minds lately because, of course, just a few weeks ago we experienced the eclipse of the sun. And yesterday we got talking about the moon’s eclipse back in 2022. (I wrote about it here if you’d like to revisit another little encounter that I had with the night sky.)
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King David wrote in Psalm 8:3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You set in place…
David’s “stopping to consider,” led him to deeper questions. He wondered, What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
I guess he wondered why God would care for people when the universe was so magnificent. I wonder that myself sometimes.
But Genesis 1 reminds us that God created us in His image, and filled us with the breath of life. His love for us is immeasurable. I can’t comprehend it and David couldn’t either so he concluded with praise:
LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
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As I stood at the window last night, the intrigue of the movement of the clouds around the moon made me say a simple, Thank you, God!
Within the respite of His beauty, I believe we can trust Him, knowing His hands are big enough, His love vast enough, and His awareness precise enough to cover all our heartbreaks and fears and to bring us peace.
Tish Harrison Warren writes in Prayer in the Night, “…in a regular practice of prayer….we learn to watch for what is all around us every minute - mercy, beauty, mystery, and a God who never ceases to wait and watch with us.”
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As we ponder the mysteries of the night sky and appraise our small dot on this planet’s surface, let’s keep looking for Him, to find Him ever present and looking for us.
I believe that we will find ourselves worshiping the One who gives us the precious gift of life and calls it very good.
We can only turn toward the heavens in praise and wonder that He knows our name and continues to call us to a love that is so wide and long and high and deep, that it surpasses knowledge, and goes straight to the heart of faith given only by our beautiful God Himself through Jesus. (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Now that is something to consider!
A Slow Practice:
On Tuesday, April 23rd, we can view The Pink Moon, the fourth full moon of 2024. You can read more about it here.
Would you step outside sometime on Tuesday evening? Taking a lawn chair and a blanket or coat to keep you warm, look around until you spot the moon. Settle in and consider its simple beauty. Feel the night air, breathe in the freshness of the grass, and listen to the night sounds.
Let yourself consider the moon’s distance from us, our smallness, and the vastness of the dark sky.
Whisper a prayer to our dear Creator of this immeasurable universe… the one He allows us to peek at from our tiny spot here on the earth.
Can you sense His nearness?
Would you ask Him, What are human beings that you think of us, mere mortals, that you care for us?
Better yet, whisper: Who am I, God, that you think of me, that you care for me?
Listen for His response and rest in the vastness of His loving presence.
Breathe it all in. Feel the joy.