Psalm Book PDF

In reflection on Psalm 8, Daniel weighs David’s response when he looks at the vast heavens and realizes his own smallness, and yet the greatness of being God’s delight, in being an image-bearer of God himself. Daniel echoes this reality: “The bigger the universe is, the less significant we could be or the more significant we could be. That's the feeling at play there.” Daniel recognizes that looking into that night sky, just as reading this ancient text in the Psalms, does something real to connect him to the past, just as simply looking up at the stars does. “When we look at the night sky, we’re looking back in time. The further we look, the further back in time we’re looking. We know that light is traveling at the speed of light–one of the few universal constants. Light, being both a wave and matter, behaves uniquely. So when we see the sun, we’re looking back in time about eight minutes. When we see a planet, we’re looking back minutes or hours, because it’s taking that long for the light to travel to us from that point.” Daniel marvels that when we look at certain stars, we’re looking back several thousands of years. He remarks, “Those are the kind of concepts I’m talking about that just bend our understanding…As Christians, we talk about eternity, we think about eternity, we think about our lifespans and it’s impossible to look into the heavens without confronting the reality of time” in ways that make us awestruck by the timeless Lord who invites us into a future with no end. While not everyone will share a desire to grow their knowledge of amateur astronomy, both King David and Daniel Sweeney make a great case for why everyone should take the time occasionally to look up. He shares that in the very least, it “increases our amount of awe, when looking at the amazing depth of creation.” Daniel also shares how it has grown him in patience, as much of this hobby requires waiting for the right conditions in visibility and tracking variables. Which of us doesn’t hope for ways to grow our patience? Some hobbies seem so intellectual and unknown to us, we hardly know where to begin, but just as Daniel shares how grounding astronomy is for him, his entire hobby remains grounded. Daniel still prefers his handheld binoculars to any other tools, something most of us already have around. He prefers a quite primitive website to keep him aware of night-sky conditions to any apps available. He still wonders if it’s worth it to be outside, looking up during cold weather. And he’s utterly aware that he will never grasp a portion of the mysteries of space and sky. Yet, it’s this realism and groundedness that keep him impressed by the simple sunrises, something that, by God’s grace, happens each morning. He adds, “I have also always really appreciated the moon. Sunsets, too, are astronomical events. The moon can put on such a show… seeing the moon just coming up when it looks exceptionally large, those are stirring moments.” Even the normal rhythms of the sun and moon are enough to keep him gazing and invite us in to do the same. Perhaps it was David's younger days watching sheep by night that taught him to turn his gaze upward and ponder the wonders of the Lord. For Daniel, it wasn’t until his mid thirties that God lifted his eyes upward. But whether we’re teaching our children or ourselves, Daniel’s simple encouragement has room to grow a love of the heavens in each of us, “Watch the sunrise! Take the time to sit and just watch. It might take thirty minutes. Take it in. We could all use a little more of that…Take the time to observe His creation and enjoy it.”