The Star Spangled Skies

It is July 1st and of course July 4th, Independence Day, is just a few days away. I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free. The only time I have ever considered using the words “star spangled skies” was as I proudly sung our country’s national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”. We were at the 1986 Calgary Winter Olympics and I remember the pride, the joy and the goosebumps I had as our country’s flag bearing those 50 stars was raised and, today, every time we stand in allegiance to our flag – even if it’s at a little league baseball game, I still get those goosies!

The words “star spangled” resonate with me and I use them to describe God’s brilliant showcase of stars in the night sky. Best place to see it is at a beach with only looking toward the sky and not the bright lights of a city. I read my blog from a year ago where I was with my family at Port Aransas, TX. I was mesmerized with the brilliant night sky.

God gets the credit for those stars that shine regardless of whether we can see them or not. Remember God telling Abraham to “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.” (Genesis 5:15) Did you know that it was in the daytime that God said those words to Abraham? Now, let’s imagine that God is speaking those words to us. It’s a bright sunny day and He tells us to look up at the sky and count the stars. But the only star we can see is the sun. We might have seen them the night before, so we know they exist. It’s the bright daylight that makes it hard to see them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

Abraham trusted that although he couldn’t see the stars, he still knew they were there behind the sky’s blue curtain. He believed even though his wife was old and barren and so was he, yet, he believed God’s promise that he would one day have children.

In our circumstances, we may have a hard time believing that God will provide for us. Sure, scripture tells us that God has plans for us, for our “good and not for harm, to give us a future with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). We are told to “trust in the Lord with all our hearts; and lean not to our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). But we still hesitate to put our hands completely in God’s. Sure, we claim to trust God, but we still think “if it’s to be, it’s up to me.” It’s our human nature to want to be in the driver’s seat and not find ourselves having to really, fully rely on God, and have to surrender all our plans to Him.

But when we set aside the “it’s up to me” mindset and realize that the God Who made the sun, the planets and those stars promised to one man in the Israeli desert that He would not leave Him childless, is the one and the same God Who made this glorious star-spangled sky for us. He made you and me and He never tires of calling out to us, of sending signs, of going to great lengths to assure us that He is faithful to His covenant.

I know many of my readers are looking up and counting those stars in the sky – maybe not in reality but in your deep faith. It might feel like your circumstances are overpowering you like broad daylight hiding the stars. Instead of questioning God’s timing or doubting in His faithfulness, let’s just become the seeds of Abraham and start counting!