Stargazing: Who's In Control?

 

from Devotions from the Front Porch

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. — Psalm 19:1 ESV

If you only study your immediate surroundings, it may seem that you’re in control of your life. You pay your bills and care for your family. You maintain the lawn and protect your home. If something needs to be done, you do it. If something is broken, you fix it. So when sitting on your front porch on a random Tuesday afternoon, you may feel like the ruler of your little corner of the world.

Or perhaps when you look around, you feel as though you aren’t in control at all. Your world may seem to be spinning out of control because of illness, job loss, or family drama. It could be that fear and anxiety have crept in until you’ve completely lost perspective. You may sit on your front porch on a random Tuesday afternoon and wonder who is in control of your little corner of the world.

If you sit on that same porch late at night, however, the truth is revealed. When the distractions and noise of the day are done and the silent night settles in, you have a chance to be still.

Just a few minutes of studying the night sky will make you realize how very small you are in the grand scheme of things and that you are not in control.

None of us is. Perhaps, at first, that’s scary or overwhelming. But if you gaze a little longer, the hand of the Creator becomes evident. The glory of God is declared through the shining of the stars.

So, whether you’re feeling overly confident or a little insecure about your place in the world, take a look at the night sky. Stargazing will remind you that the God who created the world is in control of it, and He loves you.

Lord, I fluctuate between arrogance and insecurity when it comes to my place in the world. Thank You for the night sky and its reminder that I can trust my corner of the world to the One who created it.

Do you feel in control of your little corner of the world? Or does it feel like everything is out of your control? Tonight, spend some time staring at the night sky and remembering that our very good God has it all under control.