Stars Speak of God?

Spring air seems to herald us to the great outdoors, keeping us till late hours have past by. Many times, this leads to me craning my neck up to the sky for a glimpse of a twinkling light. Orion or the Little Dipper may wink down or gaze upon this earth.

They show off God’s splendor and power in ways other parts of creation lack. Stars are a tool God uses to speak to us.

Constellations greet me and seem to glisten from above. They posses this almost magical calming quality that many people love. Yet, today in our culture it seems you say the word ‘star’ and people think horoscope. Or if you mention a constellation, you are participating in magic. As a Christian myself, I think diving into this matter is crucial. Can stars actually speak of God, a Creator?

Verses on Stars:

Opening to the book of Psalms, we see many mentions of praise. But in chapter one hundred forty-eight, we stumble onto a verse that reads this: “Praise him, sun and moon; Praise him, all you shining stars.” (NIV)

This is telling us that heavenly bodies offer praise to God. By existing and burning above these literal balls of fire serve a purpose beyond aiding science. Stars praise God. And not only them, but the sun and moon also. They attest to His power and burn for a reason bigger than themselves.

But another question arises from their praise, do stars have value to God? Why would the Word of God speak of stars praising and shining if they held no actual value to the Higher Being? It goes back to the way people stiffen if stars or constellations are mentioned. Instead of being used to guide us to our fates, stars were created to guide us to God. Back to His majesty.

Another Psalm says this, “He counts the number of stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.” (Psalm 147: 4-5) (NIV)

God names stars and not only that, but He counts them. He numbers them and knows every one a special way. The writer of the above verse even points back to God’s power and strength after referencing the stars. Their sheer beauty awakens an awe in the psalmist.

To me, that means when we look to the constellations, it should awaken a childlike wonder in us as well. It should remind us of the powerful One we serve.  And let us not forget that God used a star to lead people to Jesus that eve in the stable. Shepherds and wise men followed that star. So, they are used by God to bring glory. We must not forget.

They serve as a beautiful ever present reminder.

Serving Stars is a Danger

Yes, we should have wonder and stars point us to Christ, but we must admire them with an element of trepidation. We have heard that idols can be placed before God. (Idols also being what we value above God or draw our attention from Him.)

And life is full of idols and things we can place above Him. There is a line between looking at heavenly bodies for beauty and comfort in God’s power or reading stars and their alignments as ways to see the future. This is where the age old warnings of not following deceiving spirits arises. We can lead ourselves into following deeply wrong things. Such as horoscopes or the like.

In fact, the Bible warns believers to not let the beauty of stars turn to worship.

Which means, it is possible and could very well happen. But everything in life can carry us that direction. The difference between letting evil work or good, is your heart and the position God holds over your life. Clinging to Him and being in awe as His child, will keep us from letting celestial beings overwhelm our evil desires. The sun, moon, and stars were all designed for us. For us. God intended for them to point us back to Him. But we must ensure that we let them guide us to Him and not to ourselves.

Its the position of the heart; same as the position of every star connecting a constellation.

Stars are True Mirrors of Christians

Beyond their beauty, what more can glistening beings be? An analogy of us for Christ. Stars appear in the dark and give light and beauty. We see them and feel comfort, feel hope for a future day. Most of how they even make me feel is unexplainable in the most wonderful way possible. (Maybe the romantic in me!) But if we dissect the simple facts of stars, they speak of God. They show us how we are to live for Christ.

Darkness surrounds every star, every constellation, but yet they shine. They are there giving light in a cloudless midnight, or a stormy gale. As Christians, we are to live as a light in this world. We are to shine and be a comfort to others in this evil around, this dense darkness that has been on the earth since the fall of man. And not only that, but just as stars, we are connected.

Our church, our family, the whole body of believers could well be a metaphorical constellation. The outline of Christ. Believers tell His story and His glory here on earth for all the people cloaked in darkness to see. We are also a testament to His power and majesty that touched us.

We shall continue to glance upward every night and let the beauty of the night sky hit harder and harder each time. Every human from history until the end of time will look to the sky at some point and exhale.  I will let the warmth invade me and the sight of the stars leave me, shall I say, starstruck? I believe so. Stars will ever be a testament and instrument of God’s might and ability to weave wonder on every canvas of the earth. Stars are a tool God uses to speak to us.