Late Winter Moon

Good morning, on the cusp of a real warm-up: I nearly jumped out of bed this morning when I remembered that it was going to (possibly) reach 40 degrees F!

But it was still dark, then, and though the early morning air was warmer than it has been, everything was still frozen. Everything, that is, except the sky.

The moon was overwhelmed by the clouds. He looked so small out there, and the sky seemed so dangerous. The clouds were moving fast, and I was trying to balance on a pile of ice while avoiding the icicles that were hanging off the roof behind me. I steadied my hands against the railing of the deck to try to get a clear shot, but it was too late for that.

Confetti (who formerly hissed) climbed up and pretend-fell off the railing, trying to get me to “save” her (she won’t let me pick her up, but it’s OK if I “save” her when she’s falling). And with all the racket she made, our other fuzzy friends came crowding in for some attention, all while I was focused on the moon.

There is something about the early morning when the moon is still in the sky. The dark begins to lighten, and turns from deep electric blue to fantasy baby blue. The pastel colors of winter sunrise steal across the sky, more orange in the east, with shades of pink and lavender tinting the sky to the west. There is nothing like a sunrise in all the earth (except the sunset). The arrival of the sun is the “really big show” of the day, and the view for every single person is unique–plus, it changes moment by moment. Think of what an amazing gift that is!

How wonderful that we can see in color, and how thoughtful of God to make color part of the world! I know God will have some surprises for us when we meet Him one day, but look at all the surprises He gives to us now! We barely have the perception to be able to know what He has already given us. (Because you know there are many more things to discover!)

So I warned the frisky, late-winter moon to be careful, but he just kept going. Maybe he is too big for his britches, I thought, and doesn’t want to listen to me because I am so small, and just one among so many staring up at him this morning. . .but no.

The moon obeys God, just as he has since God placed him, along with the sun and the stars, there in the sky. And the moon doesn’t care about what stories I make up about him. He doesn’t give a fig about Democrats or Republicans any more than he cares about Baptists or Catholics. He will ignore the orders of a Russian the same way he will ignore an American. But the moon single-mindedly obeys the order that God gave him in the beginning, and he continues to obey until he hears differently from God.

“And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night and He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:16 – 18)

“He appointed the moon for seasons; the sun knows its going down. (Psalm 104:19)

And God points to the moon as an example of His faithfulness. When God made a promise to King David that his throne would be established forever, God compared His covenant to the obedience of the moon, the “faithful witness in the heaven.” (Psalms 89:37)

The moon is a faithful witness. The moon bears witness to God through steadfast obedience. The obedience of all the heavenly bodies points to God and glorifies Him.

“Praise ye Him, sun and moon: praise Him, all ye stars of light.” (Psalms 148:3)

The stars don’t get distracted. All the crazy that happens on this earth can’t stop the moon or the sun from obeying God. They serve only one Master. And so they go on.

That makes me thoughtful. I pray that when you look around, you will let this amazing earth spill its secrets about God to you, too. Have a beautiful day, my dear friends! I hope it’s sunny where you are.