There is something so aesthetically pleasing in the creation of our planet. I find so much peace and reverence in nature. Beauty in Earth can be found throughout every great work of art and literature. Chinua Achebe, Nigerian author of Things Fall Apart, said that “when the moon is shining the cripple become hungry for a walk.” I find this quotation to be true in my daily life. The night sky is one of my favorite gifts from God. Every night, if they’re visible, I find myself glancing at the stars for moments that seem to take me to another place. Evening offers an allure, stillness, and mystery that are rare.
Growing up, I became fascinated with science, especially the stars and constellations. I first discovered their charm when I was in the fourth grade. My teacher, Ms. Aiken, brought a large planetarium to the school. Each class was given the opportunity to go inside and experience the wonder of our night sky without having to leave the school—it was brilliant. Since then, I’ve learned and seen so much more.
The equator, for example, is the only place on Earth where all of the sky is visible over a single 24-hour rotation of the Earth. However, because the sun washes out the appearance of the stars, we only see them at night. So to get a full view of the entire sky from the equator, you’d need to wait an entire year. I am so excited to experience Ecuador just to get a glance of the possibilities of what it’s like to see the entire sky at once. One thing that blows my mind is that there are some stars that are fixated in their hemispheres, and so can only be seen above or below the Equator. These stars are known as circumpolar. The Big Dipper, one of my favorite constellations, can only be seen in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a part of another constellation known as Ursa Major, or “The Great Bear.” It’s so fun to look at. The Little Dipper, another beauty, contains the North Star. It amazes me that people can use it to navigate their way around the world; how much more lovely than Siri. The sky is a large reminder of God’s glory. We can use it to find our way, just like we can use God to sail ourselves back to our core. It’s amazing how there’s a central force in everything that keeps us all grounded. We have gravity to keep us physically grounded, we have Jesus to keep us spiritually grounded, and we have an axis to keep our earth grounded. Anytime I start to lose my way in life I just remember that the axis will always point to the North Star, just like the Word will always lead me back to Jesus.
My favorite circumpolar star in the Southern Hemisphere is the Crux, also called “the Southern Cross”. It is the smallest constellation of 88, but carries so much elegance and reverence. It is a permanent and simple reminder of God’s omnipresence. The Southern Cross is so appreciated that it’s on multiple flags, it’s mentioned in Brazil’s national anthem, and it’s on a stone in Machu Picchu (Yes, of course I plan to see that stone). After 29 years of my life, I finally got to see it in the skies of Southern Africa. I cried. Like the Southern Cross, in Africa, the people are so deeply rooted in their faiths that it radiates from each individual—always present and permanent.
Another one of my favorite constellations is Orion and his belt. To me it’s just stunning. He is one of the most notable constellations, and can be seen in both hemispheres. My first weekend in South Africa was spent atop of a mountain. The evening sky was as clear and sparkly as I’ve ever seen it. I got to see Orion that night. As I was gazing up, one of the locals, Reinhardt, came up to me and told me a story about a neighboring constellation called Pleiades, mainly known as the Seven Sisters. I had heard of these ladies, but did not realize that they had so much history and folklore surrounding them. The story he was told as a child was that Orion, being a lady’s man, was constantly chasing after them, and because you can only see some of the seven with the naked eye, that meant that Orion had captured the rest. When I got home, I obviously looked up this constellation that I knew so little about—Reinhardt’s story was so intriguing and hilarious to me. I learned that there are many similar stories that go way back to Greek mythology, and they are well-known throughout the world. Flash forward a month later, and I am sitting in Zimbabwe at our new hostel. I begin reading Job, and I realize that these ladies are mentioned, along with Orion and the Bear. Job 9:7-10 says, “He commands the sun, and it does not rise, He seals off the stars; He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea; He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number.” While I’ve always believed that the stars are of Him, I am still so excited and in awe to find the connection in the Bible. Those same constellations are mentioned three more times throughout Scripture—once again in Job, once in Amos, and again in Revelation. In Revelation Jesus’ second coming is described, by John, in a vision he has. Verse 1:16 says that, “He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance [expression] was like the sun shining in its strength.” I absolutely love how poetic the Bible is, and that Jesus will hopefully have stars in His hands when He comes back to Earth. Radiant. It all sounds like a dream.
What happened to the majesty of our world? People used to travel for years searching for new destinations. Explorers would risk everything just to find a way to get closer to God, and to find explanations in nature. What happened to peoples’ child-like sense of wonder? Why is everyone so complacent in what we already know? Why is no one willing to go deeper to find connections between their feelings and God? The people of Africa are so connected to their faith, and I am so thankful to the Lord that I’ve been given the opportunity to experience it.
One of my favorite worship songs, So Will I, by Hillsong United, states that, “… as You speak, A hundred billion galaxies are born. In the vapor of Your breath the planets form. If the stars were made to worship so will I. I can see Your heart in everything You’ve made, Every burning star, A signal fire of grace. If creation sings Your praises so will I.” These lyrics resinate so deeply within my soul that I will never be able to forget to worship Him in all of creation. It can be difficult to praise Him sometimes, especially when life isn’t going the way we had hoped. But we can’t forget. We have all been formed to praise Him, and “if the stars were made to worship, then so will I.”
