Ezekiel's last vision summons all the tribes by name and positions them in the Promised Land; "I will be your God, and you shall be my people," the relationship will be restored and established forever. Ezekiel's final word: "And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There" (Ezekiel 48:35).
The challenge was made by the Soviet Union. 1963. "Why should you clutch at God?" asked Nikita Khrushchev, "We have flown into space and saw no God."
Christmas Eve, 1968, Apollo 8 enters lunar orbit on the first manned mission to the Moon.
Astronaut William Anders, "We are now approaching lunar sunrise and, for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."
Astronaut Jim Lovell, "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."
Astronaut Frank Borman, "And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas - and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth."
Seven months later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step onto the surface of the moon. "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained," read Aldrin from Psalm 8, "What is man that thou art mindful of him? And the Son of Man, that thou visitest Him?"
The Lord is There.
"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." ~Romans 1:20
God of Heavens, Your glory shines in all that I see. The whole world speaks of You. Your majesty is seen in the depth of sea and the breadth of space. The world is in Your palm, and You breathe life into me. It makes sense that my thoughts turn to You, but I am amazed that Your thoughts turn to me. Who am I? And yet You delight in me.
God, may I find my pleasure and purpose in following You.