And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be (Genesis 15:5).

Step outside on a clear night and consider the vastness of God’s creation. Abraham’s faith was moved by the sight, making him the father of nations. The psalmist was moved by the same sight to consider how small man was, and how great God’s grace is towards him (Psalm 8). Nothing clears our minds of the smallness of our self-made worlds faster than stepping out into the open air and beholding the nighttime sky.
Environmental groups have recently identified a new problem: light-pollution. The light from manmade devices spills out into space and makes it hard to see the lights created by God. Astronomers are frustrated, and even build observatories in Chile to get away from city lights--all to see what God had originally made, and made accessible to all. Our lives are also "darkened" by other manmade lights. Our knowledge, tools and technology spill into areas that can only be rightly illumined by God. These are helpful lights they are, but only within careful bounds. Some cities are learning to point their lights downward so they don’t obscure the sky. We too need to learn how to point our own wisdom downward, to things that are below us and can benefit from human wisdom, but not to things above, that only God can reveal.
Knowing when to turn lights on and when to turn them off is part of our Christian struggle today, and an art we need to learn. Never forget to step out and behold the nighttime sky, both figuratively and literally, and worship the Creator.