Orion is Rising

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:1

I feel so close to God when I am looking up at the night sky.  Meteor showers, lunar eclipses, and supermoons thrill me.  No one else in my house finds it nearly as fascinating--it's just something special that I share with the Lord.  

So, last week when I gathered up my sleepy stargazers to lay outside on the trampoline for our annual 4 a.m. watching of the Perseid meteor shower, I fully expected God to show up.  

And He did.  But not in the way I expected.  

As our eyes settled into the darkness and the dim lights of the sky became brighter, there he was, waiting for me in the eastern sky.  

Orion.  Peeking just above the horizon, he felt like an old friend who I hadn't seen in a long time.  Except his appearing this time brought an unexpected sadness.  

I've learned through years of seasons that Orion is a winter constellation--only visible in the chilly months of the year.   His rising in the cool predawn hours of mid-August signaled that a change was coming.  

Yes, as he rises higher and higher in the sky, so comes a changing from summer to fall to winter.  But for my heart, it's also the changing of a season of life.  

It has been weird (and wonderful) seeing all the First Day of School pictures on social media this week.  This back-to-school season typically brings a lot of excitement and joy and FREEDOM and even a little fear as I would send my babies out into the world.  This year is different.   Everyone is home all the time and oh-so-close to one another as we prepare to start our adventure in homeschooling.   It's a big change for the kids, especially when all of their friends have seemingly moved on without them.  There have been rivers of tears.  

And just beneath my surface, a dam is about to break as I wrestle with leaving family and friends.  I know they're not gone forever, but Christmas eve gift giving and late night Starbucks talks and long walks around the neighborhood are now memories of past seasons.  

That's the sadness.   But the coming of autumn also brings unbridled excitement of what lies ahead.  

"He makes the stars: the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the constellations of the southern sky. He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭9:9-10‬ ‭

I did not know that my night time friend was mentioned in the oldest book of the Bible.  Apparently Orion's rising also reminded Job of God's greatness and power.  How cool to think that the same starry warrior that made Job awestruck thousands of years ago is the very same constellation that announces a changing of seasons today.  To Job--and to me--it is a season of great and unsearchable things. 

Just think about an eternal God who spoke and there was light.  Think about a powerful God who set the planets into orbit with just one touch of His finger--and they are still spinning in the same pattern to this day.   Think about an omnipotent God who counts all the stars and knows each one by name.  Think about a creative God who set our planet at just the right tilt and precisely the right distance from the sun and spinning at exactly the right speed to sustain life.  Think about Him and believe that He is truly great--and fully worthy of trust in all of our seasons of life.  He IS the same yesterday, today and forever.  

Daniel says that He changes times and seasons.   That's a heavy truth that brings big emotions.  Are you also in a season of change?

Looking back may bring sadness.  

Looking forward may bring anticipation of the unknown.  

But for me, looking UP brings peace.