It is a cold but beautiful day and we sure need the sunshine to lift our spirits. There are lots of clouds this time of year and it is a welcome change. Each season and each day are diverse parts of Your creation, Father. What a blessing You have given us all!

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

After locking the door upon leaving the house this morning, I glanced behind me and saw that the sky was clear and then I looked straight up. I had not walked into the path of our motion sensor spotlights so beyond the electric candle in the window is was dark. (That’s pretty much the way it is at 5:30 in the morning!) But as I looked up, I was greeted by a spectacular sight!

I am no astronomer, but I do know a few of the constellations – and the Big Dipper is one that most of us can recognize. And there it was in all of its glory shining clearly for all who would look.

I was curious and wanted to know a few details about the Big Dipper, so…I Googled it of course! The first thing I learned was that…hold on to your seats…the Big Dipper is not a constellation! There are 88 of those and it is not one of them! What? It is actually an asterism, a familiar pattern of stars in the sky. Who knew? People more well-read than I am for sure!

I also learned that astronomers measure the sky in degrees – 360 degrees to be exact, and our Moon measures half a degree across. So if you measured from bottom corner of the Dipper to the end of its handle it would equal 40 full moons! Or about 20 degrees.

And one last bit of information, the closest star in the Big Dipper is Megrez at 58 light-years. and the most distant is Dubhe at 124 light-years.

We look at just one spectacular feature of the heavens and are in awe. But hear what the Lord says in Isaiah 66:1 (NLT),

“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Could you build me a temple as good as that?
Could you build me such a resting place?

The earth is His footstool – and the earth is four times as big as the moon! We serve a mighty God! Truly he is more than our minds can even begin to comprehend but, in His goodness and love, He came to live amongst us, so that we could get to know Him and actually have a relationship with Him! And because of His sacrifice on the cross, it is all possible! Praise Him for His everlasting love!

Feb 19th, 2020, Wed, 12:47 pm