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Good Heavens! Even the Stars Worship God!

Good Heavens! Even the Stars Worship God!

Good Heavens! Even the Stars Worship God!

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise Him from the skies! Praise Him, all the armies of heaven! Praise Him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! Praise him, skies above! Praise Him, vapors high above the clouds! Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued His command, and they came into being. He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked… (Psalm 148:1-6).

SCIENCE FACT: Atoms, the building blocks of all created matter on the earth, are all comprised of impossibly small particles that have synchronized movement. They have an innate knowledge that enables them to cooperate in a natural “dance.” God created them with the ability to move together faster than the speed of light. Electrons move so fast that an electron could race around the earth in eighteen seconds. Scientists have discovered that each atom is “extremely turbulent,” that these particles in the atom “move and interact endlessly.” Surprisingly, these particles all seem to “vibrate coherently.” This discovery of coordinated movement in the atoms suggests that there may be a mysterious intuitive consciousness even at the cellular level in all of creation. Evidently, even inanimate objects have movement and are animate at that basic level.

“We summon the whole created order to praise God, eliciting a Spirit-given impulse that lies already at the heart of the world. It is only in Christ that the created order is put right and set on the path to transfiguration.” (Rev. Reardon, Christ in the Psalms, regarding Psalm 148). 

The great Christian novelist Flannery O’Connor once suggested that we need to discover “a way of reading nature that includes the most possibilities.

(1.) The movement at the cellular level is a form of creaturely self-expression; this “self” is foreign to human experience or knowledge;

(2.) The synchronized movement of the electrons and protons are their form of dancing, of rejoicing, of being expressive according to the way God created them;

(3.) Each cellular particle of every part of creation is vibrating with joy in praise of their Creator, rejoicing in its own existence, and dancing to God’s rhythm;

(4.) All of creation has been blessed to have its own relationship with God; each creature has its own unique way of communicating with God, even at the level of the atom’s inner particles; nature has its own “language” that God can understand;

(5.) Since all of creation is able to “groan” (Romans 8:19-22) under the fall’s curse, creation is thus able to rejoice, now and with the future restoration;

(6.) God’s creation is mysterious to humans to the point that it contains elements that are at the same time fact and symbol, reality and imagination, flights of natural fancy that are so elegant and “perfect” that they must be true;

(7.) Trees are clapping their hands at the subatomic level, expressing joy in their own way, unbeknownst to humans; trees clapping and hills singing are a “living reality” according to Christian poet and scientist Virginia Stem Owens;

(8.) The following may be literally true, and not a mere metaphor, or picturesque language, or poetic license:

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?… Where were you when the morning stars sang together,  and all of God’s angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:1, 7).

“You know, of course, that when everything was planned and set in motion, a cheer went up from one end of the cosmos to the other? You do know, don’t you, that the secret of the universe is a shout of joy? You’re aware, aren’t you, that ecstasy is the cornerstone and foundation of basically everything?(Mike Mason, The Gospel According to Job).

“Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’ Let the sea roar and all its fullness; let the field rejoice, and all that is in it. Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth.”  (1 Chronicles 16:31-33).

“Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout for joy, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Israel and glorified Himself in Zion!” (Isaiah 44:23).

The Song of the Three Young Men. Many Bible translations include this extraordinary passage of the three faithful young Jews, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego, who were thrown into the fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar in the Book of Daniel, starting in chapter 3, verse 23. This amazing song was in the Greek Septuagint, and this portion below is quoted from the RSV. These young stalwarts of the faith are calling on all of creation to praise the Lord God, even as they are standing in the furnace. Included below is a portion of their Song that relates to the heavens and stars and aspects of the cosmos. They also lifted up their call to earth and everything on it to praise the Lord in other parts of this lengthy Song.

23 “Now the king’s servants who threw them in did not cease feeding the furnace fires with naphtha, pitch, tow, and brush. 24 And the flame streamed out above the furnace forty-nine cubits, 25 and it broke through and burned those of the Chalde′ans whom it caught about the furnace. 26 But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace to be with Azari′ah and his companions, and drove the fiery flame out of the furnace, 27 and made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind, so that the fire did not touch them at all or hurt or trouble them.

28 Then the three, as with one mouth, praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace, saying:

29 “Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers,
    and to be praised and highly exalted for ever;
30 And blessed is thy glorious, holy name
    and to be highly praised and highly exalted for ever;
31 Blessed art thou in the temple of thy holy glory
    and to be extolled and highly glorified for ever.
32 Blessed art thou, who sittest upon cherubim and lookest upon the deeps,
    and to be praised and highly exalted for ever.
33 Blessed art thou upon the throne of thy kingdom
    and to be extolled and highly exalted for ever.
34 Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven
    and to be sung and glorified for ever.

35 “Bless the Lord, all works of the Lord,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
36 Bless the Lord, you heavens,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
37 Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
38 Bless the Lord, all waters above the heaven,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
39 Bless the Lord, all powers,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
40 Bless the Lord, sun and moon,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
41 Bless the Lord, stars of heaven,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
42 Bless the Lord, all rain and dew,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
43 Bless the Lord, all winds,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
44 Bless the Lord, fire and heat,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
45 Bless the Lord, winter cold and summer heat,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
46 Bless the Lord, dews and snows,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
47 Bless the Lord, nights and days,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
48 Bless the Lord, light and darkness,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
49 Bless the Lord, ice and cold,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
50 Bless the Lord, frosts and snows,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
51 Bless the Lord, lightnings and clouds,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.”

The Scripture seems to take seriously the idea that all creation is able to rejoice, to praise God and worship Him, from the furthest star in the sky to the smallest creature to the kings of the earth. As author and writing professor Laurel Lee once wrote, “Some things have to be believed to be seen.”

“May none of God’s wonderful works keep silence, night or morning… Bright stars, high mountains, the depths of the seas, sources of rushing rivers. May all these break into song as we sing to Father, Son and Holy Spirit! May all the angels in the heavens reply, Amen! Amen! Amen! Power, praise, honor, eternal glory to God, the only Giver of grace. Amen! Amen! Amen! (Egyptian Orthodox Doxology, 3rd century).

 

 

 

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