Entry #17--The Baby Dipper

My Dad died suddenly when I was only 12 years old. I treasure the memory of spending nights with Dad just gazing into the sky at the clusters of stars.  We would have fun together pointing out The Big Dipper and The Little Dipper.  Did you know that these are actually star patterns called an asterism? They really aren’t constellations at all, but rather, they are part of the constellations called Ursa Major—The Great Bear, and Ursa Minor—The Little Bear.  Well, I remember that I could always spot Dippers, but for the life of me, I just couldn’t picture a big bear, or a little bear, or any kind of bear!

My favorite star cluster was the baby dipper.  No, this wasn’t the actual name. The actual name was Pleiades—The Seven Sisters.  But to me, it looked just like a tiny, baby dipper. So in our family, The Baby Dipper was always its name.

It seems like so long ago. Those childhood memories must be nearly 45 to 50 years old now.  I still love the night sky.  In fact, this blog entry is being written during the annual August event of the Perseid Meteor Shower. This year is particularly spectacular with an estimated 200 shooting stars per hour. Oh yes, I was outside for a while last night.  Amazing skies.  This is what triggered my childhood memories. 

But there was something else my Dad and I would do.  We sang. That’s right.  We would stand under the dark sky peppered with twinkling lights, and we would sing my Dad’s favorite hymn so often sung by George Berverly Shea’s rich deep voice.

My father is omnipotent, and that you can’t deny.

A God of might and miracles, ‘tis written in the sky.

It took a miracle to put the stars in place. 

It took a miracle to hang the world in space.

But when He saved my soul, cleansed and made me whole,

It took a miracle of love and grace.

When the LORD spoke to Job, he asked:

“Can you direct the movement of the stars—binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion?  Can you direct the sequence of the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?  Do you know the laws of the universe?  Can you use them to regulate the earth?”    Job 38:31-33 (NLT)

Job’s response can be found at the end of the book of Job, and I think I understand it.

“I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.”        Job 42:5 (NLT)

When I gaze into the night skies and view God’s wondrous creation, I catch a glimpse of a God who is real, and a God who remains firmly in control—and I am at peace.