“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Genesis 1:14).
I was checking out a few websites about the moon. Someone emailed in a question to one site that said, “Why is the moon exactly the same apparent size from earth as the sun? Surely this cannot be just coincidence; the odds against such a perfect match are enormous.” The astronomical site they had written to said: “Believe it or not, it actually is just a coincidence,” I wondered how many coincidences do people want before they’ll use the word “design?”
Other sites use words like “uncanny,” “extraordinary,” and “amazing” to describe the total eclipse of the sun, which is caused by the moon’s size and distance lining up perfectly with the sun. I can’t help but think God is showing us His perfect timing. I have often seen it in my own life; the moon and planets show it in another way.
We always see the same side of the moon, because the moon spins on its axis once in precisely the same amount of time that it takes it to orbit the earth, so we only ever see one side of it. Jupiter’s moons do the same, it’s called being “tide locked” the law of gravity at work in splendid precision. But it gives us the distinct impression that someone is watching the planets, especially earth. The psalmist was in awe “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?” (Ps 8:3-4).
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Ps 19:1–4) I’m so glad that David recognized God’s handiwork in the skies; now it is written for all the earth in every generation to read just in case they, like some astronomers, refuse to see God’s hand in it.
We see in the book of Revelation that “In his right hand he held seven stars” (Rev 1:16). We recognise the power and creativity of the Lord.
And the more we contemplate God’s wonders, we find ourselves jealous for God’s glory; I’m concerned that He isn’t praised. Scripture informs us well before the astronomers do, yet they think they are telling us something we don’t know. It’s no wonder God laughs at them (Ps 2). In the 1920s, Edwin Hubble and Milton Humason discovered that the universe is not static, but is expanding. As the universe expands, it is being stretched out, rather like a balloon being blown up. Isaiah 45:12 and other Bible verses tell us, “My own hands, have stretched out the heavens.” The Bible mentions the word “stretched,” which is the very word cosmologists use to explain what is happening to space-time.
We show our appreciation to our friends who give us birthday greetings, shouldn’t we thank Him who allowed us to be born? We give our compliments to the chef for serving fine food, isn’t something within us grateful to Him who causes food to grow? People would rather read their horoscopes than praise Him who put the stars in place. They have no faith that He who calls the stars by name also has a place for them in the universe. They thank their lucky stars rather than thanking God for His divine providence. Ronnie Barker, the great British comedian, said two words sum up his very productive career: “What luck.” I liked Ronnie but I wonder why the god of luck received praise but the living God received none. God called the stars into place and He also called us. He steers the celestial bodies on their courses; He also has a route marked out for us if we will follow.