The Heavens Proclaim the Glory of God… September 11, 2007
Posted by joshspiers in Thoughts.trackback
A few days ago my aunt sent me an email a which contained the 10 images that astronomers voted were the best taken in the past 16 years by the Hubble Telescope. I just got around to reading the email tonight, and I have to say that I was simply amazed. I have always loved looking at the stars, and I have spent quite a bit of time browsing through pictures taken by the Hubble Telescope and other telescopes, but these were some of the most amazing pictures I have ever seen.
The first thing that I did was to get on-line and make sure that the email was legit. We all know that many (if not most) of the emails that get forwarded around have only a little truth in them. It just so happens, though, that the images contained in this email are legitimate. Not only are they legitimate Hubble pictures, but they were in fact selected as the top 10 pictures from the last 16 years.
So once I verified the pictures I started thinking about Psalm 19, which starts off by saying:
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
– Psalm 19:1-4
Who has never looked up at a night sky and stood in awe of the glory of God? I have to say that I feel sorry for the atheist or agnostic who looks into the night sky and asks, "Is this all there is?" I look into the night sky and stand in awe of the Creator who formed it. I look into the sky and am amazed that the One who could create such beauty would humble Himself and initiate a relationship with me.
Have you ever heard the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words"? Well, such is the case here. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. I could keep typing words describing the night sky. But why should I bother? Instead, I will just share the pictures, with a prayer that you will fill the same amazement that I do when you look at them, and that you will stand in awe of God’s craftsmanship.
(Click on the images for a larger view.)
The Sombrero Galaxy 
The Ant Nebula
Nebula NGC 2392 (a.k.a. "Eskimo") 
Cat’s Eye Nebula 
Hourglass Nebula 
Cone Nebula 
The Perfect Storm 
Starry Night 
Two merging galaxies (NGC 2207 & IC 2163) 
Trifid Nebula (a birthplace for new stars) 
I imagine you aren’t surprized to find out that most of the scientists who worked on taking these beautiful pictures just see the laws of nature at work here. In fact, its the workings of the natural world that produce a child’s smile, a fragrant and beautiful flower blossom, or multiple galaxies on a photoplate. As Isaac Azimov asked decades ago, “Why should we be surprized that we appreciate the universe, and the forces of nature that formed us?”
My question would be, “If the heavens really do ‘proclaim the glory of god’, why do we need the bible to explain it all? Or even, why do we need faith?”
Interesting images, and even more interesting questions from Big Ed. I personally am not surprised that the majority of scientists don’t see the creator behind the creation. When I travel to a big city I don’t live in there are many times I marvel at some of the beautiful buildings I see in the downtown areas. I see some incredible beauty and architecture but not once I have I stopped to look at the plaque outside the door or in the lobby of the building. That plaque I’m sure would tell me a little about the builder…if nothing else I would know their name. The universe itself screams out their is a creator….and judging by the creation…..a creator full of glory. How can anyone marvel at the glory of creation and not transfer that glory to it’s creator? It’s easy…….we worship the creation instead!
In a way we DON’T need the bible to explain it all. Even the Bible tells us there is no excuse that all have witnesses God’s glory through his creation. In a sense that is all we need. But is that all we should want? We should feel so enamored with the beauty of creation that we want to learn about its creator. That is what the Bible is for. Picking up the Bible we can learn more and more about the creator….we can go from “I know about him…….to “I know him personally!” Most people just care enough to read the plaque. myself included for many years.
I believe in the words of a scientist who declared “It takes more faith to believe that the entire universe came about as a result of a big bang than that it was painstakingly crafted by a Creator”
I did a little bit of Astronomy, and I tell u I almost majored in Astrophysics if not that the Lord restrained me.There is no way someone can sincerely believe in the non existence of an infinitely wise and intelligent Creator after viewing these pics.
May this same God who dwells beyond the galaxies and who shines brighter than the entire galaxies put together cause his light to shine in every heart that is still darkened by Sin, Amen.