Capture the Stars

Capture the flag stands as one of my all time favorite games to play.  So a few nights ago I joined the ranks of the youth when they played the game.  Sometimes, I run fast, snag the flag and become the temporary hero of the game.  At other times I run, get caught and sit in ‘jail.’  I wish I could say I was the ‘hero’ a few nights ago but instead I found myself in ‘jail’ with several other teammates.

We waited together for one of our teammates to ‘jailbreak’ us but no one came for quite some time.     

However, we occupied ourselves with something greater and more majestic then the game.  Above us the stars blazed like sparks of diamonds in the vast, dark expanse.  Even the Milky Way hung across the sky like a hazy glaze of caramel clouds.  It was a very clear night out in the countryside, one that I’ve not seen in quite some time.  Usually I am able to see a handful of stars in a given night in Erie, PA.  But a few nights ago, the twinkling diamonds richened the vast darkness.

So while in jail, I noticed a couple of youth lying on the grass gazing upwards. So I followed suit, laid down on the dew dropped grass and fixed my gaze to the heavens beyond.  A couple of other youth joined us.

I readily confess that I do not know all the constellations but I do know a few.  “There’s the Big Dipper,” I informed some of the younger youth.

“Where?” One of the boys asked me.

I pointed at the constellation that hung slightly in the northwestern sky.  “See the three bright stars.  That forms the handle.  The four underneath it form the cup.  If you follow the bottom two of the cup you will find Polaris, the North Star.”  Once again I pointed and they saw it.  Though I could not see their faces, I heard expressions like “Oh there it is!” or “Wow, that’s cool!”

“I’m always reminded of the chapter in Isaiah 40 where God instructs us to look up and see all the starry host.”  I said, trying to create a teachable moment.  Though by this time someone attempted jailbreak but was caught.  The moment of teaching had passed. 

While some look to the stars for their fortune or future found in horoscopes, whenever I look to the stars I am always reminded of how great God is and how small I am.  Consider a few examples from the Bible:

God asked a weary, worn out man named Job, “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt?  Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs?” (Job 38:31-32).  In other words: “Job you can’t do this.  I can.  I am in control.” 

In a Psalm of praise, David admires God’s handiwork in the heavens: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, human beings that you care for them.” (Psalm 8:3-4).  Though God is great and created all the stars, he also cares for all of our needs.

And God declares to discouraged nation: “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One. ‘Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: who created all these?  He who brings the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.  Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing’” (Isaiah 40:25-26).  There is no one like our God!

There is no need to look to the stars for our horoscopes or fortunes.  The stars along with rest of God’s creation declare that God is God and there is no other!  You can capture the flag but I’ll take the stars instead!