Growing up in the nineties nothing was cooler to me than space. My father recognized this and gave my brothers and I a book of pictures from the brand-new Hubble Space Telescope. The detail and color Hubble captured was beyond anything I thought possible. From planets, to galaxies, quasars, and nebulas, every page contained incredible images of God’s beautiful creation.
Now, there is a new space telescope that dwarfs the capabilities of Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Elizabeth Howell and Daisy Dobrijevic write about its advances in their article for Space.com, “NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope: The ultimate guide.” The main difference is the Webb telescope’s focus on infrared light rather than visible light. They write, “The JWST will observe this infrared light in great detail and shed light on some of the oldest stars and galaxies in the universe” (Howell). Truly amazing.
However, as a Christian, I can’t help seeing a tragic irony. No matter how deeply or clearly our scientists gaze into the cosmos, it cannot tell them a thing about what the God that created it desires for them to do.
Most astronomers refuse to see God’s hand in creation. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge” (NKJV). We can know God exists just by looking at the sky. Imagine having the ability to peer farther and with more detail than any man before into the vast expanse of our universe and not be able to see the evidence for the hand that created it. How did something so complex and magnificent come into existence? Because there is a God.
Since God exists, we need to know what our place is in His universe. But, we will not find God’s will for us written in the stars. Isaiah 47:13-14 says, “You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators stand up and save you from what shall come upon you. Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame.” We will only find God’s will in His word, the Bible. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
We can have a clearer picture of the universe than ever before. God has shown who He is and what His will for us is. If we want to know Him, we do not need to look any farther than His Holy Word.