At 4:15 a.m., I woke up, got dressed, made a cup of coffee and went outside. The crisp night air, the deep dark sky and the brightness of the moon made the stars sparkle more brilliantly than usual.

I knew I was where I was meant to be. God made me for such a moment as this. I could see far away, out to the stars and then farther, out beyond to where I imagined God to be.

It was he who determined the number of the stars; he gave names to all the stars (Psalm 147:4).

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1-2)

I saw the Big Dipper. In Boy Scouts long ago, I learned how far and in which direction to go from the Big Dipper to find the North Star. How many

thousands of years have people looked up and seen the same thing?

Many things change, but the stars never do.

I knew I was where I was meant to be because I was in the presence of God.

As I looked up, I entered into the presence of the One who created these stars. There was something personal about what I felt. Instead of sensing that I was in God’s presence, I felt he was in my presence.

He who created the stars above came down to be among us. This is why we can “sing to the Lord with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 147:7)

The Rev. David Parry, pastor at

First Church of God in Seymour,

625 E. Fourth St., writes a weekly

column for The Tribune.