Read: Psalm 8
When I look at your heavens . . . what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (vv. 3-4)
In an 1888 letter to his brother Theo, artist Vincent Van Gogh wrote, “For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” There’s something about lying down and looking up at a sky studded with countless celestial diamonds that makes us dream—that evokes wonder in us, reminding us that we are a small yet integral part of a beautiful, ancient, eternal story. Perhaps we love stargazing because it puts us in our rightful place: we are the created, and God is our Creator.
In the Psalms, David often praises God as the creator of the heavens. Psalm 8 invites us to consider the goodness of a God who made the cosmos yet knows and loves us intimately. I wonder if the night-sky covenants God made with David’s forefathers Abraham and Jacob were on his mind when he penned songs of worship to the maker of the stars. It’s striking to me that in 2 Samuel 7, the covenant God makes with David through the prophet Nathaniel was also given at night—a continuation of God’s promise of eternal love and a permanent home. “Who are we to God in the face of such majesty?” David wonders. The answer, as we read over and over in Scripture, is this: we are God’s beloved children.
As you pray, praise the loving Creator who made the sun, moon, stars, and you!
About the Author
Katelyn J. Dixon is a writer and photographer from Auburn, Washington. When she’s not creating, she enjoys exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband Drew and partnering with him in life and ministry.
