NASA. Blast Off. How majestic is your Name O God!

This morning my husband Will woke me up saying, "Dear the shuttle is about to be launched!" with such an excited voice.  So, I jumped out of bed to join him in our family room.  Will's eyes were glued to the TV.  Indeed the second last flight ever - this of the Space Shuttle Endeavour - was being launched.  It was a magnificent a thing to watch.  We both watched it in awe.  The whole time I was watching this launch Psalm 8 came to my mind.  The Psalmist said, "

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

   the moon and the stars that you have established; ⁴ what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them? 

⁵ Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
   and crowned them with glory and honour. ⁶ You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under their feet, "  

This was one of my all time favorite Psalms and now I understand it better.  I recall visiting with an astronaut,  Clay Anderson, in December 2008 - the very first astronaut I have ever met in person - who said "... the higher we got up there the more I realized how majestic is our God, how creative and wonderful God is..." I remember listening to Clay talk about his experience at the International Space Station with his faith and the existence of God.  And again astronaut Ricky Arnold - one of my new friends - who went up to the International Space Station in 2009, saying similar things about his experience.  When Ricky and the crew went up to Space in 2009 I watched the launch live as well.  Well, I did watch a few others as NASA is big in my mind and heart since I was in 7th grade.  

But this morning somehow God spoke to me while I was watching the launch.   Yah! God was telling me that - "Yes, I think of you human being only a little lower than me.  I made you in my image and likeness, I love you and I give you a lot of wisdom and skills".   I am so much more in awe of what human beings can do- NASA - I thank God for it.  NASA is a place where God's gift to human kind of creativity and courage and hard work is displayed despite human failings.  NASA is the place from which we humans have gone to the moon.  Yes, I am going to keep praying for NASA and its people.  I thank God for NASA even more than before.   

God is mindful of us human beings.  NASA leads us in living the wonder of God's works and the wonder of the place and gifts God gives us. 

Once again, I give thanks for the Psalmist who sung/wrote Psalm #8.  I give thanks to God for NASA for leading us to live the Psalm.  

I give thanks for all his goodness and mercy that endure forever.  I pray for the safe return of the crew on this Shuttle flight.

By the way Clay Anderson and Ricky Arnold are both Presbyterians who are very active in their churches.  I am so very proud to get to meet them in person.  Oh, how did we know about the launch? our fried Rob Banfield of NASA texted Will.  Life is good in this NASA-land!

God is good! 

All the time!!!

Please do enjoy the pictures I took from NASA TV with my iphone4.

After enjoying the pictures I took of the launch from NASA TV please do read Psalm # 8 below.

Psalm 8

Divine Majesty and Human Dignity

To the leader: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.
¹ O Lord, our Sovereign,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

You have set your glory above the heavens. 
²   Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
   to silence the enemy and the avenger. 

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established; ⁴ what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them? 

⁵ Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
   and crowned them with glory and honour. ⁶ You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under their feet, 
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
   and also the beasts of the field, 
⁸ the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 

⁹ O Lord, our Sovereign,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!