A little orange smile

This morning the moon rose, a little orange cresent in the eastern sky. Perhaps you missed it, you might have been asleep. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, just means you didn't witness it. There it was, like a little orange smile in the sky. First orange, then golden, finally off-white, still smiling. Yet another evidence of God's great love for us. When I saw the moon, it made me smile. I was reminded of Psalm 136, which speaks of God's love enduring forever. How He made the heavens, the great lights, the sun and the moon, and the stars. 

Psalm 136

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
⁷ who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
¹² with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.

¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
¹⁵ but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the desert,
His love endures forever.
¹⁷ who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
¹⁸ and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
²⁰ and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
²² an inheritance to his servant Israel;
His love endures forever.

²³ to the One who remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
²⁴ and freed us from our enemies,
His love endures forever.
²⁵ and who gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

I was reminded of how each day the earth turns, and God's grace rains down on us. Both the righteous and the unrighteous. How I pray for continued forgiveness when I fail, that I might be counted amongst the righteous because of Christ's redemptive work on the cross to forgive my sins. That is an event I did not witness, Christ's death on the cross, but that doesn't make it any less real, any less powerful. That reminds me of Job's words, true thousands of years ago, true still today: 

"I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see Him
with my own eyes---I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!" 
        Job 19:25-27

So the next time you see the moon smiling down on you, or look up and see the stars shining down, remember YOU ARE LOVED! His love endures forever!