The Night Sky

READ: PSALMS 8:3-4; 19:1-4; 90:1-2; 139:5-12

"Do you ever get tired of it?” Clara asked her best friend Harriett as they watched the acrobats flip through the night sky. Fire cascaded in fountains of blue and orange from the mouths of fire-breathers. Parrots squawked, lions prowled, and dancers spun in dizzying circles.

When Clara was a little girl, she loved the color and noise of her people. She loved the adventure of growing up on the road—sleeping in the back of a wagon or in a tent pitched outside sparkling city gates. There were always new people to meet, new foods to try, and new places to see. But lately, she desperately wanted a home with four sturdy walls and a solid roof, somewhere she could retreat to when the world felt too crazy.

Harriett didn’t answer, but held out her hand and said, “Come on, I have something to show you.” She led Clara away from the noisy crowds, through cobbled streets lit by glowing lanterns, and into the countryside beyond. Clara breathed in deeply. The lights and sounds of the circus didn’t reach them here. When they crested the top of a hill, Harriett said, “Look up.”

Constellations of stars blazed above them like glowing paint splattered on a massive canvas. The moon hung like pounded silver amidst the brilliance, still and steady and radiant. Clara stared up in awe.

“My dad told me once about the Creator,” Harriett said, “the one who made the stars and the moon. He told me that even if the world changes, and we change inside of it, the Creator stays as constant as the night sky.”

Clara felt tears welling in her eyes. She desperately needed someone like this Creator, someone still and stable in the wild kaleidoscope of her life.

“Do you think,” she asked, “the Creator would care about me? Do you think He could be like a home for me?”

Her friend didn’t answer, but she didn’t need too. Suddenly Clara could feel a strong, steady presence all around them, wrapping her up like a blanket and holding her tight beneath the star-strewn sky. • Margaret Bellers

• Does God’s presence feel like a safe, secure place to you? Why or why not?

• Does your life ever feel as chaotic as a circus? While circuses can be fun sometimes, we all need stability in our lives, and we all need time and space to be still. God can provide that stillness and stability. He has no beginning and no end—He was there before the heavens, and He will endure after they pass away, because He created them. And God desires a relationship with His creation. In Jesus, the Creator Himself took on flesh and bones to dwell with us and, ultimately, to be a home for us (John 1:1-3, 14; 14:23). God loves you so much that Jesus died for you. And then He rose again— so now, if we’ve put our trust in Jesus, His Holy Spirit indwells us. Jesus is with us every moment, offering stability in the midst of the chaos. He will return one day to renew the heavens and the earth. Then we will finally see Him face-to-face, and we won’t ever feel overwhelmed or unsettled again. In the meantime, God invites us to spend time with Him, remembering His greatness and resting in His love. Consider taking a moment to sit in His stillness today—maybe even go outside if you can—and just focus on God’s presence with you. You can talk to Him about whatever is on your mind, or you can just be silent with Him.

• If we know Jesus, God is our refuge in times of change (Psalm 46:1). He wants to help us navigate these times, and He provides direction through His Holy Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church). Who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to when you’re struggling, like Clara talked to Harriet in today’s allegorical story?

For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. Psalm 33:4-6 (NIV)