Weeks leading up to April 8, 2024, photos of an arc shaped line across the map of North America flooded social media, the news, and the internet. Most days, most people pay no attention to the heavens, except maybe to consult the “weather” for what to wear, or to promote a “save the earth” agenda. What’s different about this? A full solar eclipse is visible over the United States.
The moon obscures the sun as it passes by. This means that visually, for a window of time when it is usually bright outside, there’s darkness along that path. Other places, where the eclipse is only partially visible, there’s still difference in the amount of light. Planets may also be visible in the sky. But why the fascination with it?
Could it be because it is something different? Something that we don’t often see? It doesn’t happen everyday. There’s much we could glean from this experience that would have an awesome effect on us every day of our lives. In many ways, this can be more than a cosmic event.
Faithfulness of God
For starters, I pray that it makes us think about the fact that the sun rises every day, takes its path, and sets. In this we see consistency in the sun, moon, and the stars. I pray that many will recognize, and many will remember, that there is this consistent order because there is a faithful Designer and Creator who spoke them all into existence by the power of His word. And the same God of all creation who exists outside of this world and the universe, involves Himself in it intimately.
People used to believe that. So many people now don’t know this truth. Too many have forgotten it.
Many of the mathematicians and scientists who plotted the paths of the heavenly bodies believed that God created the universe. They “operated within the Christian worldview that argued that the world was rational and beautiful because the God who created it was rational and beautiful, and that we (as rational creatures) could understand God’s creation.” (Sunshine 2009)
What happened to humanity?
We forgot God. Relegated Him to a fairy tale. Stopped teaching about Him. Stopped believing. Forgot Him in our daily lives. Hostility toward Him and those who speak of Him increased.
Do we even give thought to facts anymore? Were the earth closer to the sun, life would not be sustainable. If we were the slightest bit further from the sun, we would freeze. If the orbit of the earth were to change at all, planets would collide. We are at the perfect position in the universe for the nurturing of life.
God did that. It is past any probability that this could happen by chance.
Creation Points to God
The same God who did all this… can be known. Scripture tells us that “the heavens declare the glory of God.” It tells us the power God in creation – how it shows us that there is a Creator – God. It is evident. And we are without excuse.
“That which is known about God is evident within them; For God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
Rom. 1:19-20, NASB95
Who were the “they?” He’s speaking about the unrighteous who suppress the truth in unrighteousness – which describes so many people today. We turned our back on Him, and like the darkness that covers the earth during an eclipse, suppressed the light of truth. Our hearts and minds are darkened. We’ve become a culture of darkness and death, instead of one that celebrates and nurtures life and light and truth.
Like the moon, which is designed to reflect the sun’s light, will do for only a brief time today …we try to obscure the True Light of the world. But the sun is still there. It still shines. And even more so, God is. But do we reflect that Light as we are created to do?
Even within the Church, we so often miss that the creation is part of the gospel. We have been created for His glory, not our own. We were created to worship – Him, not ourselves or any other part of creation, nor anything we venture to make ourselves.
We’ve been deceived, just as our parents were. Adam & Eve bought the lie that we could be the makers of our own destiny – we could be like God. And just like that, sin entered the world. And death through it. It affected ALL of creation. This is why there’s sin and suffering and hate.
But God…
God came to redeem us. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. His death paid the price. His resurrection proved His Deity and His words to us – both the Old and New Testaments. Paul, once a persecutor of Christians, once His eyes were blinded by the Light of Christ, was not ashamed of this. He recognized the gospel that was preached from the time of creation. In one of his letters, the Apostle Paul states:
“…for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (everyone else). For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; As it is written, ‘but the righteous man shall live by faith.’ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God…” (see verses 19-20 above).
Romans 1:16-19a
He follows that with:
“for even though they knew God they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”
Romans 1:21-23
I encourage you to continue reading Romans 1.
The Heavens Declare!
“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanses declaring the work of His hands. Day-to-day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run its course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens; And its circuit to the other end of them…”
Psalm 19:1-6a
“The heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge.”
Psalm 50:6
“The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples have seen His glory.” Psalm 97:6
Psalm 97:6
Look Up!
When is the last time you went outside at night and just looked up at the stars? When was the last time you thanked God for His beautiful creation, including His crowning touch; human beings made in His image and likeness? Will you be thankful for the consistency of the sun, moon, stars? More primary, Do you recognize and acknowledge God as Designer and Creator and ruler over all the earth?
That’s huge. To truly recognize this must lead us to also acknowledge that, as the Designer and Creator, He sets the rules. Just look at the path of the heavenly bodies! He is worthy of all glory and praise. He has the final word in everything.
Notice I did not say here that we give the final word to Him. These are truths that are the reality, whether we believe them or not. It’s like denying that the earth is rotating, and the sun is shining, or that they are on a set path. These are things that tell us that God is God, and we are not. We need to stop thinking and acting as if we are.
The earth and all it contains – is His. (Ps.24:1; Ps.89:11; 96:11; 1 Cor.10:26)
“By Him (Jesus) all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1: 16- 17
Worship God
If we look around… certainly if we look in our own mirrors and hearts… We would notice that we tend to worship whatever is available and tickles our fancy in our culture, or even from other cultures around us. And we would certainly have to put “self” on the altar of gods as the ultimate worship grabber. Even if we call ourselves worshippers of Jesus, we tend to mix that with worship of other things not of God. That’s not true Christianity. That’s called “syncretism.” In that way, many are so much like the ancient Greeks!
In the scripture account of Paul’s visit to Athens. The people there were always listening to new things and would worship many things. Paul sees all the altars to different gods in the Areopagus. Yet, it’s as if they instinctively knew that there was an “unknown God.” So as not to anger Him or offend, they built an altar and labeled it as such; “To an Unknown God.” Paul explained to them who this God is and what we must do to know Him. He offered the hope of forgiveness and purpose in this life through Christ.
“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’… God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
Acts 17:24-28, 30b-31
Ponder and Remember
Remember these things as we wonder at His creation. Also remember that Scripture tells us the heavens and the earth are being preserved, but will one day be destroyed with fire…intense heat.
God promises a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells. Peter, the disciple who once denied Jesus three times and experienced God’s transforming power of forgiveness, now admonishes us to be people of holy conduct and godliness. (2 Peter 3) This is possible only in Christ.
Ponder as you observe and experience created things. They should lead us to seek God. Surrender to Jesus – Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father (God) but through Him. (John 14:6)
Remember… He created everything with purpose – the heavenlies with purpose – YOU (and me!) with purpose. He is the one who determined us to be alive today, in this time and place. And He has purpose for us here in this life. The early discoverers of the paths of the heavenly bodies knew these things. Glory to God!
Will you discover something of eternal significance today?
Eternity Set in our hearts
Eternal life begins the day one is born again. Yes, for those born again, we will one day be free from everything sad and bad, and the pain and suffering that was brought on the entire world through sin. We have that hope, and we will not be disappointed in that hope. But He came that we may have life (John 10:10)… to make all things new(2 Cor. 5:17; Rev.21:5). That life in Christ begins when we are born again. We’ve already been born by flesh – but we must be born again – of the Spirit. (John 3:5-6)
I’m astounded at how many do not realize that we were created for eternity. Where will you spend it? Today we are either the walking dead (worse than Hollywood’s version) or we are walking by the Spirit. (Rom.8:5) It depends on what you do with Jesus. There’s so much more I could say and so many blanks to fill in. But…
What will you set your mind on today?
Ponder these things. Remember. Seek God.
Worship God!
Works Cited
- Sunshine, Glenn S. Why You Think The Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home.Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.
- Bible quotations are from the New Inductive Study Bible, NASB95 version