Cosmic Thoughts: Looking Upward

This post will skim the surface of the depth of the cosmos. Because that is where the true depths of the mysteries of life seem to be.

I love astronomy both as a science and an art form for those who aren’t astronomers by profession.

Astrophotography is super cool, taking the light of the heavens and collecting it to form images from light-years away.

The universe seems to be made to be observed by us humans.

A question many Christians ask is, “Why did God create all the heavenly bodies out there in a place so gigantic it boggles the mind?”

I believe the answer lies in the glory it brings to God, showing His power to mere humans like us.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1 [ESV]).

The infinitely powerful Yahweh created an almost infinite (or perhaps infinite) cosmos to show how infinite power works.

There are worlds out there that are made of pure diamond, or worlds where molten rain falls down on ground that is perpetually magma.

There is also the question of life beyond this planet. There are many worlds where the planet orbits the star in the habitable zone, and traces of liquid water might be found there, if not a massive ocean.

Many Christians limit God’s creativity to just the Earth and a lifeless universe.

But the Bible is full of encounters with beings from beyond this world, called angels.

Where do they live? Considering the ancient world considered the heavens above us as the abode of the gods, it begs the question on whether these beings originate from other worlds in our universe, or if they are ethereal alone. Regardless, they are from “out there.”

There are trillions upon trillions of stars above us, which condense into galactic structures that form filaments like a giant cosmic web of matter.

The heavens will never cease to awe me.

There are extensive light-year structures shot out of black holes, cosmic oceans made up of quadrillions of water expanses the size of Earth’s oceans just floating out there, and stars bigger than solar systems.

Did God create it all for nothing, or will we be able to explore out there before the Second Coming of Christ?

My personal theory is that when the New Heavens and New Earth arrive, we won’t be bound to this planet any longer, seeing as our immortal bodies would be able to handle being up there.

The vast distances are begging for us to cross them, even if our generation isn’t the one to do it.

Some nights I sit out and watch the night sky; on other nights I’ll look deeper into the cosmos with a telescope or binoculars.

There is something inherently moving and poetic about the wonders of the night sky.

Sometimes we need to take a minute, admire the surrounding creation, and find ourselves within a moment frozen in time.

I don’t have the answers to the many perplexing questions we as a species have about what might be out there that we haven’t discovered yet.

But I know THE answer, the One who created the heavens, Jesus Christ.

The modern world can be busy–we’re not always able to stop.

Yet, it is healthy for the mind and soul to look up once in a while.

Blessings to you as you ponder the King of the Universe’s elaborate creation and the mysteries it holds.