Musings at Altitude

With the change in time this past weekend, I now wake up in the dark, and as I walk outside with the dog for her morning sniff around the yard, I see the faint outline of the sun approaching from the East and the dark outline of the slowly lighting mountains in the West.  But this morning, there was light from the West while still darkness in the East.  When I walked down the path to the back of my house, I was greeted with this picture:

Ten minutes later, I came back to the house after dropping my daughter off at the bus stop, and the beautiful moon was very quickly departing:

We live at 6,700 feet with our western view highlighted by the mountains.  With no obstructions, I watched the moon set this morning at a staggering pace.  When I walked to my home office to get the camera, the moon was still fully visible above the mountains.  When I got to the back deck with the camera for that second picture, the moon had gone from fully visible to barely visible, in just a matter of seconds, not even minutes.  By the time I got done taking a second picture, the moon was completely gone.

I stand in awe of God’s magnificent creation, and I marvel as I watch those things so perfectly stationed in time and space as they so clearly remind me that this world we live in could not have evolved without a plan and a planner.  There was most certainly a master design, and more importantly, a Master designer and creator.  I just can’t mentally embrace all of this beauty and all of these wonders just happening by accident.

As I sit here looking at these pictures now in my morning time of prayer, I remember this song by Henry Smith:

Give thanks with a grateful heart,

Give thanks to the holy one,

Give thanks because he’s given,

Jesus Christ his son.

And now, let the weak say “I am strong”,

Let the poor say “I am rich”,

Because of what the Lord has done for us.

Give thanks.

And for the beauty of this creation and for the incredible love of our Creator, I too give thanks.