"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
Psalm 19:1
"When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-the moon and the stars you set
in place..."
Psalm 8: 3-5
There is a somewhat rare planetary alignment in the sky as I type....and for the next few days.....the best day being Tuesday just after the sun sets. We have a partial cloud cover right now but Mars....with its reddish tint....can be seen clearly just below and to the left of the crescent moon. Venus is so bright that it cannot be missed. Uranus is close to Venus....and Jupiter and Mercury are the hardest to find....just above the horizon.
The following is a post from July 4, of last year
Planetary Alignments....And Their Creator
First of all there is a little bit of a twinge of guilt. At 72 years old....and 5 1/2 years retired now....and up at 4:30 in the morning to view a rare 5-planetary alignment....while in the darkness others are headed off to work....I felt that twinge of guilt at not working.....not doing my fair share....and not bringing home a paycheck anymore. For almost four decades I was up and either going to work at this time of the morning....or returning from a midnight shift.
Even if I was not aware of the rare alignment of planets in the morning sky.....I would have spotted Jupiter right away.....for it was so bright and clear. Mars is always easy to spot because of the reddish hue that it has. Saturn was clearly visible off to the right. To the left of the crescent moon....Venus could be seen. I could not spot Mercury which was just above the horizon....so I got in the truck and drove up to the highest point in our area....and there it was....barely visible to the naked eye.
I'm not even an amateur astronomer as I only go out at night to see the blood moons and lunar eclipses that come up every once a while. So I can't comment on how rare this alignment was because even the articles that I read on it were a bit confusing....and apparently there were two more planets which would have been visible with some kind of telescopic device.
Anyway....it was interesting....and as I was driving back down to my home....I was trying to come up with a word that would describe someone even less knowledgeable than an....'amateur.' I couldn't come up with that word but this thought did come to mind.....totally unrelated to the nighttime sky....but totally in line with these posts of closing in on 14 years.
Man can have many interests in life....man in general here....from simple hobbies to professional abilities....and he/she has to work hard....often over many years....sometimes a lifetime....to really know what they are doing. I love to listen to these folks talk about their expertise. Something like this can be very fulfilling....even often awesome to watch....a virtuoso on a musical instrument for example.....or a scientist....or athlete.....but there are two.....professions or hobbies or whatever.....that one does not have to put in any work at all.....and these people are literally everywhere to be found....experts on politics and God!
As for politics....all one has to do to be an expert in politics....is just....sit there and say whatever comes to mind. There is no hard work involved....no books....just a few minutes reading a newspaper every day....or if you really want to be world-class expert.....listen to talk radio or Tucker Carlson for a couple hours a week.
As for God.....that's even easier....'now let me see....what do I think that God would be like....if there really is a God....and if he is a fair God?' As for God's Word....it's the same thing. There is nothing that requires intense inquiry. And if there is then Joel Osteen or someone has probably already done it for you.
Salvation is as easy to figure out as crossing a street.....doctrine as reading directions on cooking spaghetti noodles.....and prophecy as easy as reading one best-selling book a year!
In reality it is the opposite of these armchair experts. First of all....yes....the new believer in Christ....born again....is already an an expert in one thing.....Jesus Christ is Lord! It is wonderful....this mind of a new believer....a new creation....but that is only the beginning....and God has fashioned it that the blessings and the knowledge of God increase with the years and decades.....and with the all-consuming passionate reading of His Word....and even with the failures and trials that we go through at times.....particularly the trials!
There is something else that comes along with all of this....the need to continually examine oneself....for in ourselves we are frail....but God knows our weak frame....and always provides a way to navigate the storms....through His Holy Spirit.
"The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." Psalm 19:1
