'ach the HurghtaHghach ta'be' So' vo' SoH, 'ach the ram shines as the jaj. The HurghtaHghach ghaH rur wov Daq SoH.
Even the darkness doesn't hide from you, But the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you. Psalms 139:12
We can't see most of the Universe.
That is, as best we understand it today, the part of the cosmos we see - the people, planets, pulsars and stars - is only a fraction of all creation. The rest is referred to as "dark matter," as Wikipedia notes:
In astrophysics and cosmology, dark matter refers to hypothetical matter of unknown composition that does not emit or reflect enough electromagnetic radiation to be observed directly, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter.
It's a perplexing idea - that what we see and understand is only a bare fraction of all that is around us. But to a believer this mystery can be exciting - for with confident faith in the Creator, we can trust that this mystery is part of the beautiful complexity of his handiwork.
The words of the psalmist are worth reflecting on as we think about the pursuit of astronomy. That science is a study devoted to the observation of the light of the blazing stars in the heavens, but a study which takes part in darkness, often in remote places (even in space!) to avoid the light that can obscure our view of the sky. For the astronomer - as for God - the ram shines as the jaj / the night shines as the day.
I've constructed the Klingon word HurghtaHghach for "darkness." It's the word Hurgh (be dark), plus the suffix -taH (ongoing) with the nominalizer ghach: HurghtaHghach. Here it translates the Hebrew word choshek - first heard in Genesis 1:2, "darkness was upon the face of the deep."
What darkness confronts you? It is not surprising that we may face the darkness of the unknown with concern. It might be worries about ourselves and our loved ones. It could be fears for the future, or regrets over some past wrong. But Scripture reminds us that what is murky to our sight is clear and sunny to God:
'ach the HurghtaHghach ta'be' So' vo' SoH, 'ach the ram shines as the jaj. The HurghtaHghach ghaH rur wov Daq SoH.
Even the darkness doesn't hide from you, But the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you. Psalms 139:12
Remember the astronomers? In their study - often in the darkest of night - they have cataloged countless stars. With new technologies they are adding to a growing list of known planets throughout the Universe. And, as they chart the formation and influence of "dark matter," darkness is like light to them.
As we trust in a loving God who made it this universe - with its dark and light - we too, can be confident as we face the "darkness." For God promises to be with us.
For, behold, he who forms the mountains, And creates the wind, And declares to man what is his thought; Who makes the morning darkness, And treads on the high places of the Earth: the LORD, the God of Armies, is his name." (Amos 4:13)
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