“As we are so far from Earth and looking back at the beauty of creation, I think, for me, one of the really important personal perspectives that I have up here is that I can really see Earth as one thing. And, you know, when I read the Bible, and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us—whoever created it—you have this amazing place, this spaceship. You guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you’re on a spaceship called Earth, created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos. I think maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special, but we’re the same distance from you. And I’m trying to tell you—just trust me—you are special in all of this emptiness.”
Those aren’t my words but the words of astronaut Victor Glover, currently aboard the Artemis II. He and three other astronauts, led by Reid Wiseman, made history by traveling farther from Earth than any human has ever traveled. Just looking at some of the images they’ve captured along the way has really filled me with awe. The Artemis II mission to the moon has excited me for a few reasons. The first one is obviously entering a new frontier with a whole host of possibilities and probabilities. Already, from the mission reports, the astronauts are reporting discoveries about the moon we didn’t know about. They got to see the far side of the moon, which is impossible from our vantage point.
A New Perspective
Also, Artemis II was more of a test drive, and if they successfully return to Earth, it will make more human-bound space exploration possible. There is another reason why this has excited me, and it is wholly tied to Astronaut Victor Glover’s comments. This mission reminds us of the love and care God grants us, despite our smallness. Astronaut Glover’s comments were essentially a restatement of Psalm 8: “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?” (Psalm 8:3-4). David wrote the Psalm from Earth’s perspective, while Glover wrote from the perspective shown in the image featured in this article. He was more than 200,000 miles (320,000km) from Earth in space. He had a closer view of the sun and the stars than we have ever had. Also, he was only a few thousand kilometers from the moon, which, compared with our over 300,000 kilometers from it, is pretty close.
Our Significant Insignificance in Living Color
Moreover, Glover got to see our insignificance in living color, as he saw the whole Earth from space. From the pictures we have been privy to, it is painfully clear how insignificantly small we are. That far out, obviously, none of us can be seen, but it goes further in that none of our manmade structures were visible as well. Despite how tall or how big and wide they are, they still couldn’t be seen. What could be faintly made out was our electricity, and yet even that paled in comparison to the lightning that struck at the North Pole as well as auroras on both poles, which some could see.
In short, with this new perspective in mind, as seen through the images they shot, we see Psalm 8 in a whole new light. Seeing the earth as this tiny ball in space, beaming with life, compared to the moon–which, despite finding out it might not be a fully gray rock, still seems lifeless–is a sight to behold. It reminds us that, despite our insignificance, to borrow the words of Victor, we are pretty special. That somehow, in the vast nothingness that is space, there is one sphere that is so filled with life that one actually needs to create a vacuum. In space, however, the vacuum is the main feature.
The God Who Makes Us Significant
Nevertheless, we would be damned to view our specialness and take selfish pride in it. If anything, this fresh perspective is meant to make us wonder at how this could be; why would we be this special? David wondered how all these could be by merely looking up. It should be even more so with us, who have had an up-close look at what is up there. We must then wonder, ‘If I am so insignificant that I need to be inside a spacecraft to navigate space, or else I’d die horribly, how’s it that I feel incredibly cared for?’
Our pondering must lead us to realize that there’s someone beyond us who makes us feel both outrightly insignificant and incredibly special at the same time. That ‘this someone’ is so powerful that he keeps this tiny sphere ball spaceship we call home from collapsing under the weight of the vastness of space. This someone isn’t one of our making, but one who is beyond our comprehension in every way. Who is this someone? He is the One who called himself the ‘I AM WHO I AM’ (Exodus 3:14). He is the majestic One whose glory is set above the heavens (Psalm 8:1). He is the One who, through his wisdom, made all things (Psalm 104:24).
Live to Praise and Glorify God
Yet, despite being all-powerful, he is the One who intricately cares for us (Psalm 8:4, 104:14-15). The ultimate portrayal of God’s care for us was shown when he sent his sinless Son to die for sinners (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 5:8). That’s a great privilege none of us should have ever enjoyed because we have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). The price we were supposed to be paid, according to Romans 6:23, was death. However, through Jesus, the Son of God, we have the free gift of eternal life. Therefore, before it is too late, put your trust in Jesus, for it is only he who can make your insignificance significant.
What of us whom he has made significant through Jesus? What should our posture be? David makes it clear that it should be one of praise, seeking to glorify him all the days of our lives (Psalm 8:1,9; 104:33). We should yearn to praise God and live for his glory all our days, even until he returns to dwell with us (Psalm 30:8-9).
My prayer is that your perspective on God and life will be renewed in light of what we have seen from Artemis II. May we be reminded that we are indeed special because of him, and that should bring us to behold his majesty all the more.