The Night Sky

TEMPS AND WHY I MOVED TO FLORIDA

Well, I was laughing the other day about the temperature in Florida compared with the rest of you poor schmucks who lived north of us. As you can see below, Thonotosassa, FL temp at 5:02 this morning was colder than any of the other places I routinely check. Now, who’s laughing? By noontime, though, it was another story.

Place	Temp /5:02AM	Temp/12:19
Thonotosassa, FL	36	68
Corning, NY	46	48
El Paso, TX	39	46
Johnson City, NY	44	44
Lawrenceville, GA	42	57
Lexington, NC	37	63
Milan, TN	49	57
Sunnyvale, CA	51	51
Ulysses, PA	44	38

 

Campsite Improvement

The manager of the park delivered a brand new picnic table to my campsite today -- freshly painted green and very sturdy. And I don’t think I have to worry about tipping over even though it’ll only be me sitting by myself most of the time. Of course, I rarely eat outside, but may have to take it up now that I have such a nice table.

I may even have to break out my unused HIBACHI and cook out. I’ve got some hot dogs in the freezer and they are best when charcoaled.

 

Writing Prompt: Write about the night sky.

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him,the son of man that you care for him (Psalms 8:3,4)."

In this Psalm, when David "considered" the heavens, why did he specifically mention the moon and stars, but not the sun? After all, without the light and warmth from the sun, all life as we know it would cease to exist. Even the moon, which he did mention, depends on the sun for its light.

Since the sun and moon appear to be about the same size in the sky, David probably had no way of knowing that the sun is four-hundred times larger, in diameter, than the moon. However, he had to be aware of the difference in the intensity of light and heat produced by each. He had to know that the sun is more powerful. Why, then, would he overlook the sun, when he "considered" the heavens?

Although we will never know for certain why David framed his words in this way, the obvious explanation is that he wrote this Psalm at night or at least after observing the night sky. Since David was a shepherd, much of his work took place after dark, when the flock was at its most vulnerable. Picture David, standing guard on a cold, crisp night, looking at the heavens. Without the distraction of man-made lights or the sun, David saw the moon and stars and was filled with awe by the beauty and immenseness of God's creation.

In contrast, the sun masks the enormity of the universe and acts like a spotlight for the earth. During the day, its bright light illuminates so many earthly, mundane objects, that we rarely look up at the sky. When we do, the sky, whether clear or cloudy, is like a screen that hides the depth and breadth of the universe.

The sun with its bright light enlarges the people and things around us, until we lose sight of exactly how small and insignificant we really are, especially in comparison with the heavens, the moon, and the stars.

Is it any wonder that David, when considering the heavens, had trouble understanding why God would pay any attention to the tiny, disobedient creatures running to and fro on the earth? Even more amazing to him was that God cared about them.

When I think about the night sky, I think about Mark. He spent a lot of time looking at the night sky not only with the naked eye, but also using binoculars and one or more of his two telescopes. If I weren’t out there with him, he would often rush into the house shouting, “Come look! You can see the moons of Jupiter” or something like that. Viewing the night sky and trying to find objects requires a lot of patience and hard work. Mark was a devoted astronomer and “considered” God’s heavens quite often. He marveled at the vastness of creation and how they declared the glory of the God of creation.

Take some time to check out the night sky in your area. If you can find a place where ambient light is non-existent or very low, you’ll gain a whole new appreciation of the majesty of God.

Until next time…