Today is an exciting day in the world of astronomy. NASA has been tracking the long anticipated transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the sun. This awe-inspiring event happens no more than thirteen times in a century, last having taken place in 2006. For this reason, perhaps, videos and images such as the one below abound this day on the internet.
What a picture! The smallest planet in our solar system (remember, Pluto was ignominiously kicked out of the illustrious planetary pantheon a few years ago) up against the massive bulk of the sun itself! The comparison/contrast is amazing! The one so minuscule and the other so gigantic! The one so lifeless and the other so vibrant! The one so dark and the other so bright!
As I sat looking at this image, I could not help but be reminded of the scene which unfolds in the sixth chapter of the Old Testament Book of Isaiah (Verses 1-8). The prophet states:
1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah heard the angels testify that the whole earth was full of God’s glory! Elsewhere, the Bible speaks of the earth singing and the heavens declaring the glory of God. By this, I believe it means that they testify to their Creator through their splendor.
Now, I do not know if heavenly spheres can actually speak, let alone think or feel in the same sense that human beings do. But if they can, then surely diminutive little Mercury feels much the same as once Isaiah did!
But Isaiah was confronted with more than just the majesty and awesomeness of Almighty God that eventful day. He was confronted with his own inadequacy as a result! And yet, the very same God Whose majesty so humbled Isaiah also chose to extend him grace! Thus, Isaiah found a whole new sense of worth through the cleansing and subsequent new standing he received from God that day!
Think about it. Without the qualities of the sun, there would be no solar system. Without the sun’s gravity, there would be no habitable zone for the planets! Without the sun’s heat, there would be warmth for the planets, and thus no atmospheres, no weather. Without the sun’s light, there could be no photosynthesis, and thus no plant life to sustain animal life on any of the planets, including right here on the third rock from that sun!
The point is this. Due to its gargantuan size, the sun has an imposing presence that makes the planets revolving around it seem pitifully insignificant by comparison. Nevertheless, these planets all owe their very existence to the sun. Indeed, any planetary qualities they may possess are clearly due to the influence of their enormous heavenly benefactor, around which their entire existence revolves.
And that is a perfect picture of our relationship to God! Without Him, we simply would not exist. Without His sustaining power, our lives would spin out of control! Without His warmth and light, we would be cold, dead, and lifeless! In short, without Him, we would enjoy no life at all!
Little wonder that Isaiah felt compelled to submit to such a gracious God! Little wonder that he also felt compelled to go out and serve that same God! Would that you and I do the same!
SOURCE: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-provide-coverage-of-ma
y-9-mercury-transit-of-the-sun.
What a picture! The smallest planet in our solar system (remember, Pluto was ignominiously kicked out of the illustrious planetary pantheon a few years ago) up against the massive bulk of the sun itself! The comparison/contrast is amazing! The one so minuscule and the other so gigantic! The one so lifeless and the other so vibrant! The one so dark and the other so bright!
As I sat looking at this image, I could not help but be reminded of the scene which unfolds in the sixth chapter of the Old Testament Book of Isaiah (Verses 1-8). The prophet states:
1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah heard the angels testify that the whole earth was full of God’s glory! Elsewhere, the Bible speaks of the earth singing and the heavens declaring the glory of God. By this, I believe it means that they testify to their Creator through their splendor.
Now, I do not know if heavenly spheres can actually speak, let alone think or feel in the same sense that human beings do. But if they can, then surely diminutive little Mercury feels much the same as once Isaiah did!
But Isaiah was confronted with more than just the majesty and awesomeness of Almighty God that eventful day. He was confronted with his own inadequacy as a result! And yet, the very same God Whose majesty so humbled Isaiah also chose to extend him grace! Thus, Isaiah found a whole new sense of worth through the cleansing and subsequent new standing he received from God that day!
Think about it. Without the qualities of the sun, there would be no solar system. Without the sun’s gravity, there would be no habitable zone for the planets! Without the sun’s heat, there would be warmth for the planets, and thus no atmospheres, no weather. Without the sun’s light, there could be no photosynthesis, and thus no plant life to sustain animal life on any of the planets, including right here on the third rock from that sun!
The point is this. Due to its gargantuan size, the sun has an imposing presence that makes the planets revolving around it seem pitifully insignificant by comparison. Nevertheless, these planets all owe their very existence to the sun. Indeed, any planetary qualities they may possess are clearly due to the influence of their enormous heavenly benefactor, around which their entire existence revolves.
And that is a perfect picture of our relationship to God! Without Him, we simply would not exist. Without His sustaining power, our lives would spin out of control! Without His warmth and light, we would be cold, dead, and lifeless! In short, without Him, we would enjoy no life at all!
Little wonder that Isaiah felt compelled to submit to such a gracious God! Little wonder that he also felt compelled to go out and serve that same God! Would that you and I do the same!
SOURCE: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-provide-coverage-of-ma
y-9-mercury-transit-of-the-sun.