Revelation 4 pictures the throne of heaven encircled with never-ending praise.
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”
Day and night, without ceasing, glory and honor and thanks is given to the One who lives forever and ever.
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.” (Rev 4:11)
“For you created all things.”
On December 25, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope–the largest and most powerful space telescope ever constructed–was launched aboard a rocket from South America. Its first full-color images were released to the public last week.
“For a person standing on Earth looking up, the field of view for this new image, a color composite of multiple exposures each about two hours long, is approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length.”
“This landscape of ‘mountains’ and ‘valleys’ speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light… this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth… The tallest ‘peaks’ in this image are about 7 light-years high.”
“Webb shows never-before-seen details in Stephan’s Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies. Sparkling clusters of millions of young stars and starburst regions of fresh star birth grace the image. Sweeping tails of gas, dust and stars are being pulled from several of the galaxies due to gravitational interactions.”
“Two cameras aboard Webb captured the latest image of the Southern Ring Nebula. It is approximately 2,500 light-years away.”
The press release here on Earth is full of phrases like “never-before-seen,” “previously invisible,” and “for the first time,” but take a moment to reflect on those images in the light of 3,000-year-old Psalm 33.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host. (33:6)
We may not have been able to “perceive” them until last week, but humanity is looking for the first time at glorious things that were “made.” What NASA unveiled, whether the masses recognize it or not, are fresh traces of our Creator’s “eternal power and divine nature” (Rom 1:20).
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure. (Psa 147:4-5)
With new glimpses into things 2,500 light-years away, how much more “without excuse” are we, in the 21st century, if we fail to say with David…
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him? (Psa 8:3-4)
But that is precisely the point of these same psalms. The God of distant galaxies does care. For you.
The LORD looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth. (Psa 33:13-14)
The LORD lifts up the humble…
the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love. (Psa 147:6, 11)
Colossians 1:16 makes it even more personal.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.
All things were created–things we’ve known about for centuries, things we saw for the first time last week, and things we may not discover for thousands of years–by him. Through him. For him.
Revelation 4 pictures the throne of heaven encircled with never-ending praise, but it isn’t contained there. In the next chapter, John records:
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
You woke up today surrounded by a cosmic chorus. From blue whales, to sunflowers, to eagles, to the light-years high peaks of the Carina Nebula, things made are praising their Maker.
How will you spend this new week he’s given you?