7 Ways ‘Look Up at the Sky Day’ Can Encourage Us to Stop and Enjoy God’s Creation

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Audio By Carbonatix

9:30 AM on Thursday, April 9

By Whitney Hopler, Slideshows

1. Feel a sense of awe and humility.

When we participate in Look Up at the Sky Day, we’ll notice right away how vast it is. The sky on our planet and space beyond our planet’s atmosphere remind us of how big God’s creation is and how small we are by comparison to huge parts of creation. Going through our daily routines, we can feel like the center of the universe because we’re so focused on our own activities. But looking up at a sky that spans thousands of miles reminds us that we’re an important part of something much larger than ourselves. King David, who spent many nights as a shepherd looking at the stars, understood this feeling well.

In Psalm 8:3-4, he wrote: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” It’s wonderful to realize that we’re on God’s mind, even though we’re so small compared to some of the other parts of God’s vast creation. Looking up at the sky encourages us to look beyond our concerns and remember that our Creator loves us and will help us with everything we need. We can let the vast size of the sky and space remind us that we’re a small but valuable part of God’s massive design, and we’re loved completely and unconditionally by our Creator. That can inspire us with a healthy sense of humility and awe for God.

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2. Recognize God’s constant faithfulness.

The sky is always there when we choose to look up at it – just like God is always there for us when we choose to connect with him. But the sky also looks different every time we look up at it, and we can especially notice that through clouds. Sometimes the sky is filled with fluffy white clouds, sometimes it’s filled with dark rain clouds, and there are many other variations, depending on the weather. Just like our circumstances change like clouds passing through the sky, sometimes we notice God’s presence with us, and sometimes we don’t know where God is. But God’s light of hope shines faithfully in our lives, no matter what kind of circumstances we face.

Look Up at the Sky Day encourages us to watch clouds move across the sky and remember that God is always at work in our lives, even when we can’t see what he’s doing. Psalm 103:11 tells us that God’s love is as high as the heavens, reaching far beyond any stormy situation we might face: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.” By spending time in nature and watching the atmosphere, we can see the natural cycles God has put in place, such as the rain and wind. Those cycles show us that God keeps his promises to provide what we need here on earth. Just as the sky constantly covers the earth, God’s presence remains a constant covering over our lives.

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3. Celebrate God’s light.

Looking up at the sky focuses our attention on the sources of light we see there: the sun, the moon, and the stars. That can inspire us to celebrate the reality that the Father of those heavenly lights is our Father, as well. James 1:17 describes how God faithfully sends us blessings, just as he faithfully makes sure that the heavenly lights appear in the sky: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Looking at the sun, moon, and stars helps us remember God’s calling to live in his light and to spread the light of hope in the darkness of this fallen world. Jesus tells us in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The more we develop the habit of looking up at the sky, the more we can be encouraged by hope and celebrate the hope God gives us by pointing others toward it.

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4. Discover the wonder of God’s work.

One of the best parts of Look Up at the Sky Day is simply enjoying the wonder of God’s creative work. Psalm 19:1 tells us: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” God chose to design the atmosphere to make the wonderful colors of sunrises and sunsets possible. He could have made the sun rise and set in a boring way, without any glorious colors, but he didn’t. God is an artist who delights in beauty, and he gives us the sky as a free art gallery to enjoy every single day and night.

When we take the time to appreciate a beautiful sky, we’re actually participating in a form of worship, because we’re letting creation inspire us to move closer to the Creator. When we pay attention to the wondrous features in the sky God has created, our souls can be refreshed with a fresh perspective. Instead of worrying about the stress in our lives, we can see that we can trust our creative God to help us solve our problems. We can also relax enough to enjoy our lives, which our loving God wants us to do.

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5. Gain a fresh perspective on earthly worries.

In this fallen world, worries sometimes run through our minds. We may worry about our bills, our health, our families, our work, and all the bad news happening around the world. These worries can pull our attention downward and make us feel trapped. Looking up at the sky can help us break a habit of worrying and train our minds to focus on God instead of on our problems. Psalm 121:1-2 points out that looking up can give us a fresh perspective by reminding us that we can ask God to help us and trust that God will send us help we can rely on: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

The same God who keeps the stars in their orbits is the God who walks closely with us through every situation we encounter – even the most challenging situations, like illnesses and conflicts. By looking up, we can remember that we’re not alone, because our loving God is always with us. This perspective can strengthen our faith by giving a fresh dose of hope that helps us turn our worries into prayers.

6. Embrace the mystery of God’s unlimited wisdom.

When we look up at the sky, it’s natural to ask a lot of questions about the mysteries it brings to our minds. We may wonder how far the sky stretches above us through the different parts of Earth’s atmosphere, how many stars there are in our galaxy, and much more. The sky is full of mysteries, and exploring them can teach us more about God, strengthening our faith. Just as the sky goes far beyond what we can see, God’s wisdom goes far beyond what we can understand from our limited human perspective. In Isaiah 55:9, God explains the difference between his thoughts and ours by using the sky as an example: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Looking at the sky encourages us to trust God even when we don’t understand what God is doing in our current circumstances. Just as we can’t reach up and touch the clouds in the sky, we can’t always understand why God allows certain things to happen. But we can see that God is wonderfully wise when we look at the complexity of the atmosphere – how it protects us from radiation, provides oxygen, and maintains our planet’s temperature. So, by looking up at the sky, we can learn how to embrace the mystery of God’s – and see that God is incredibly wise. On Look Up at the Sky Day, we can let the mystery of how the sky goes on far beyond what we can see inspire us to trust God’s unlimited wisdom. It’s okay for us not to know everything. We can rest because God knows everything, and he’s working all things together for good (Romans 8:28).

7. Reflect on Jesus’ ascension and look forward to Jesus’ return.

The Bible tells us that Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after his resurrection, in front of people who were looking up into the sky. Two angels appeared and told them that he would return. Acts 1:9-11 reports: “… he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’”

The Bible also reveals that when Jesus returns to Earth, he will do so in a wonderful way that all people on our planet can see in the sky. Revelation 1:7 describes his second coming in the future: “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all peoples on earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.” Every time we look up at the sky and see the clouds, we can remember that Jesus will come back in the same way he left. This encourages us to live with an eternal perspective.

In conclusion, celebrating Look Up at the Sky Day can inspire us to break free of our limited perspectives and notice the unlimited wonder of what God is doing in our lives. The awe-inspiring sky that God created can remind us every single day of his wonderful love for us. So, this April 14, let’s start a new habit of looking up at the sky every day of the year. As we look up physically, we’ll find ourselves looking up spiritually and moving closer to our loving Creator!