The sun, moon, stars, and in fact many other parts of creation have been a god to many people around the world. In creation we see a power that is beyond ours: the power to grow a plant from a seed, the power to bring rain or drought, and the power to give light and warmth to the earth. This is power that mankind does not possess and we are naturally drawn to worship it.
In the Inca Empire between 1400AD-1448 lived King Pachacutec, who came to believe in one great God. His people worshiped the sun, but he began to doubt its deity after studying its consistency. He observed that each day the sun rose, crossed the sky, and set. To him, the pattern of the sun seemed more like a slave than a god. He questioned why a god would always act the same and never vary? He reasoned that there must be a higher god, one who orders the sun what to do each day. He named this god Viracocha, (god who created all things). He encouraged his people to pray and worship Viracocha since he was the supreme God. (1)
We could quickly criticize Pachacutec for his "stone age" reasoning or we could accept that he was onto something: the worship of the God who created all things. Although we don't worship the sun, moon, stars, or rain, we have our own set of created gods that we look to because of their believed power.
Money brings popularity. Success in a career creates prestige. Possessions might give us protection from life's hardships. We worship these things because of the power we think they have, but in reality, they are only created things just slaves of the Only True God who is creator of all things. "The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets." Psalm 50:1.
Next time the moon shines, pause to think: if the moon is that breath-taking, how much more is the One who created it?
1. Richardson, Don. "Redemptive Analogy," Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Paternoster Publishing, Carlisle, United Kingdom. 1999, pg. 400.
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