Stargazing
As a kid, I was captivated by the grandeur and vastness of the night sky — so much so to the point of getting a telescope for myself to be able to see the stars up close! Unfortunately, because I lived in the city, it was difficult to even find a single star (and not confuse it for an airplane passing by 😂). But I hoped that one day, I’d be able to see more stars!
When I was in middle school, I got an opportunity to get out of the city. So I thought to myself, “What a wonderful chance to see the stars!” And so I managed to capture this:
I was super excited to take this photo! But, it left me wanting more…
For starters, I didn’t exactly have the ideal equipment for taking photos (I was working with a dinky point-and-shoot camera then). I also wasn’t in an ideal location, since right behind me was the cabin where I was staying where there were extra lights.
Coming back from this trip, I delved into more tutorials and learned how to take better night sky photos. I’ll try to spare you the details, but I want to point out a couple of themes: Noise, and Darkness.
Noise
To get a good photo of the stars, the skies need to be clear. Clear of what? Yes. Everything. There has to be no clouds; you have to be away from any artificial lights; I could go on…
But the most interesting one of them all is that the humidity levels have to be low. The water vapour can cause the light from the faint stars to scatter, resulting in a messy and distorted image.
The North Star
Once you get rid of all the noise and are able to see the stars clearly, the question becomes: which star do you focus on?
If you don’t orient yourself towards the North Star, you could get this:
While this is definitely a great photo, the star trails can make the image seem disorienting.
But, if you focus on the North Star, you end up getting a stunning image:
It’s beautiful because all the stars revolve around the North Star!
Darkness
To take photos of stars, you’d have to be in complete darkness. While obvious, the implications can’t just be ignored.
Since it’d be pitch black, it’s super easy to fumble around and mess up the camera settings. To prepare for this, photographers set up all their equipment in advance so that they don’t have to move or press anything, making the task easier.
I recall the time when I took photos of the stars while at The Ark (the feature image at the top). I was both amazed and frightened at the fact that I couldn’t see my hand right in front of my face, and that the silence was deafening! It’s as if the darkness was meant to be feared.
Reflection & Prayer
Noise
Life can also get really noisy — There’s always so much to do, and just not enough time to do it all. Because of this, we tend to lose our focus while trying to bounce around and doing everything.
⭐ “[…] Wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” — Matthew 2:1-2
These Magi focused on observing the movement of the planets and stars. When they saw this particular star, they decided to change their plans and go to see Jesus.
Obviously, we as Christians don’t rely on astrology to make decisions in our lives, but there are definitely parallels and questions we can draw from this for our reflection:
- Based on the things I’m currently doing, what does that say about what I’m focused on?
Is there something in my life that is taking my focus away/preventing me from hearing God’s voice? - What does Jesus being my North Star look like?
How can everything in my life revolve around him?
Prayer isn’t just us speaking to God, but also hearing from Him. Instead of rattling on about the things you say during your typical prayers, sit in silence for an extended period of time. Meditate on scripture that you’ve been reading recently (for starters, consider Psalm 1:1–3) (or use the extra scripture references in this devotional, found at the bottom), and consider how your life can be transformed to focus on and follow Jesus!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are Lord over all! All things are in your control. Yet, I worry about ___, and I never look to you for provision or hope. Instead, I drown out your voice by trying to live my life apart from your will. So as I sit in silence, help me hear your voice; help me understand your ways; send your Spirit to reside in me and transform my heart to desire what you desire. Amen.
Darkness
Darkness is the symbol of despair and hopelessness. For some, Christmas time can be especially tough. While in the darkness, we fumble around very easily, can’t tell what’s in front of us, and frankly, it’s scary!
So how do we navigate through the darkness? Where do we place our hope in? And how do we do so realistically?
⭐ “I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long.
He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago.
He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked.
He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate; he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
He drove into my kidneys the arrows of his quiver; I have become the laughingstock of all peoples, the object of their taunts all day long. He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood.
He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, ‘My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.’
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.” — Lamentations 3:1–20
You are allowed to lament! Voice your concerns, the things that are tearing you down, the things that keep you up at night, voice all of these and cry out to the Lord, for he hears our prayers. But, do not wallow in despair. For we always have hope:
⭐ “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust — there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.
For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.” — Lamentations 3:21–33
Even though it is dark, Jesus is the light of the world; He is our hope! And He will come to us again!
⭐ “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” — Isaiah 9:2
As we await for Jesus’ return, things can still become desperate and hopeless — we do live in a broken and fallen world after all. Consider these questions when the light dims:
- Based on how you are responding to the situations in your life, what does that say about what/who you put your hope in?
Is your hope actually placed in God? - What are the things that are worrying you? What are you anxious about? Bring these before the Lord and cry out to Him just like the author did so in Lamentations. God will always hear your prayers and petitions!
- Remind yourself of what hope looks like, by reflecting on some scripture. For starters, check out Ezekiel 37:1–14.
Remember that our ultimate hope is in Jesus’ victory over death!
In your prayers, take some time to cry out to God and to remind yourself of the hope we have in Jesus. The tension that you feel — between the wonderful promises of God and the restoration that He’ll bring, and the conflict and chaos we experience daily — is very real. Yet God is able to relate and empathize with us, and he ministers to us in our brokenness through the personhood of Jesus. Jesus himself experienced pain, suffering, humiliation, betrayal, and death. Yet he reminds us to look to the cross — the place where he defeated sin and death!
Prayer: Lord God, these pains and burdens I experience, they weigh me down. It is extremely difficult to see your light as I go through this. So God, minister to me; minister to my heart and remind me of the hope I have in you and in Jesus, who took on flesh, dwelt among us, and experienced similar pains as I do. Remind me that you have already conquered my greatest fears! And God, help me to rely on you in times of darkness; provide me with the strength to be able to go through this; for God, you are with me. Amen.
Extended Reading
I’ve decided to include some extended passages (or entire books in some cases 👀), because what I’ve written pales in comparison to God’s word. So, spend some extra time reading through one of the darkest times in the Old Testament. You’ll be able to see how these prophets were able to find hope despite all the chaos and darkness.
To provide some context to most of these readings: Back in the times of the Old Testament, things slowly become more and more hopeless. Especially during the time when the very first temple (the one built by King Solomon) was destroyed, and the Israelites were carried away into exile. I’ve selected these passages as they provide a balance between the despair and the hope that the prophets had in God.
⭐ Lamentations
⭐ Jeremiah 30–33
⭐ Habakkuk
⭐ Ezekiel 34–37, 47:1–12
