by June Friesen
How often does one consider that the moon plays an important part in the creation plan of God. We readily admit that it is the greatest of heavenly lights in the night sky and when the moon reflects the sunlight in all fullness in the dark we are blessed and amazed and possibly at times even in awe. Did you know that in the very beginning God told us the purpose or at least one or two purposes of the moon?
Genesis 1:14-15 – God spoke: “Lights! Come out! Shine in Heaven’s sky! Separate Day from Night. Mark seasons and days and years, Lights in Heaven’s sky to give light to Earth.” And there it was.
Here we see the origin of the seasons – I remember when someone explained to me some of the working of the universe such as the impact of planets in the solar system as well as the placement of the stars, moon and light and their activity. I was fascinated by the power that the sun and even the moon have in the solar system as well as on our home planet the earth – and how little credit we give to the moon and how it affects certain things. Another Scripture gives us some more recognition of the reason for the moon and the sun.
PSALM 104: 18-20
The moon keeps track of the seasons,
the sun is in charge of each day.
When it’s dark and night takes over,
all the forest creatures come out.
The young lions roar for their prey,
clamoring to God for their supper.
When the sun comes up, they vanish,
lazily stretched out in their dens.
Meanwhile, men and women go out to work,
busy at their jobs until evening.
As a child growing up in the northern hemisphere I had a love-hate relationship with the moon. I lived on a farm where we had chickens who had free range of the yard during the daytime except in the time of deep winter snow and cold. The chickens generally were wise in the fact that when it got dark they all gathered in their chicken house. However at dark someone, and usually that someone was me, had to walk to the chicken house and close the doors to keep them safe from predators such as racoons, fox and/or skunks. Even though the moon may have been shining, a large light on a high pole somewhat illuminated the yard and I even having a flashlight – I was not always so trusting of what I may meet on this assignment. When the moon was shining in fulness it could appear quite a bit brighter yet it also seemed to cast shadows that I did not find particularly comforting. I sometimes wonder now as an older adult if someone had explained to be the incredible purposes that the moon served, and not just that it was a light of some kind at night, if I would have had a greater appreciation for the moon and the light that it gave me.
The moon is important to the earth for several reasons according to the study and writing of Elena Stone:
“The Moon is important to our planet and life on Earth because of many reasons, including:
- The Moon’s magnetic field shielded Earth from the effects of the Sun’s radiation.
- The effect of the moon in the tides of the ocean might have helped create the condition for life as we know it on Earth.
- Moon’s gravity stabilized Earth’s rotation and tilt, making Earth’s climate and environmental conditions a lot friendlier.
- The Moon has great conditions to be used as a base for space exploration.” (end of quote)
If these things are news to you maybe they could become new things for which you are grateful to God. The next time you observe the moon pause and reflect on other things it provides other than just a light in the night sky or a beautiful object that reflects in different colors depending on so many different variables. Many if not all of us live in a state of unappreciation when in comes to our planet, our atmosphere and our solar system. Just recently I have been spending some time with some of our church family’s children and was very surprised that they did not know that God created the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets etc. I am not sure how much you were challenged even by the few things that I have shared here today. I also purposefully shared different photos of shapes of the moon, colors of the moon and times of the day/night that the moon can be seen. All of these are a result of the earth’s atmosphere, the waxing and waning of the moon etc.
GOD’S GIFT OF THE MOON
The dark of the night can be so over powering,
It has the power to paralyze some with fear,
It has the power to invigorate others with anticipation,
It really is and can be embraced as a gift from God
If one takes the time to learn of the ways it blesses our planet and lives.
It is a help to sailors on the seas at times
While at other times it warns them of impending problems –
They have studied and learned the power of the moon
So as to hopefully gain from its gift
But not get caught in the struggles it forewarns them about.
It is a help to guide people who may not have a table of time –
They know that it waxes and wanes during a period of about 28 days,
They also know that at certain positions it has am impact upon the waters of the oceans and seas –
As well as occasionally it causes a blockage of the sun to shine in fullness upon the earth.
Take a moment and consider going out into the country –
Far away from the lights of the city scape
And embrace either the light that the moon is giving
Or if it is absent the lack of light which makes seeing anything near impossible.
God – I may not completely understand and embrace this beautiful creation called the moon
But I do realize that everything You chose to create was created for a purpose,
I thank You for keeping all things working according to Your created purpose such as the moon so that my life is enhanced even when I do not necessarily understand.
Today as I observe the moon in whatever stage it is in, I know it will fulfill its purpose,
And this presents a challenge to me as well –
That today and every day I need to embrace and live the life that You are giving to me –
Living it out to the fullest embracing You and reaching out to bless others as well.
Help my life to reflect You, the Son to the world as brightly as the moon reflects the sun to our earth –
As the moon gives light in the darkness may my life also give light to those who are enveloped by the darkness and troubles of our world.
In Jesus name, amen and amen.
Writing, unless otherwise noted, and photos by June Friesen. Scripture is from The Message translation.