The Cracked Acorn: Shooting Star

We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him… Matthew 2:2b

I was in the pharmacy to pick up a prescription; someone mentioned an election and I commented that  I saw that morning a ‘shooting star’ and knew there would be a sharp turn in the result.    The pharmacist asked me if it was the answer to my prayer, I avoided that slippery slope.

America has grown up on the Disney language that when you wish upon a star your dream will come true.  A neighbor taught her two girls that when you see a ‘shooting star’ to not make a wish but to say a prayer.  If this gives you a warm feeling, why not!  As one visiting preacher said years ago, “Put your car on cruise, and pray and accept the Lord for His kindness.”

If I thought that ‘shooting stars’ were the answers to my prayers, I would remain outside every night to say prayers to the heavens..  The sun rises; it is the result/answer to one of my prayers.  Sure, we have to have faith that prayer or prayers bring results; the congregation made it a point to hold a meeting to just pray for rain, but only one little girl brought her umbrella!  A friend now passed on, said that prayer was a personal thing and not to be discussed.   My maternal grandmother always noted that driving down the long lane to the main road was a time to see if a red bird would fly across in front of the car; if it flew left, bad news; if it flew right, good news! There’s nothing wrong to seek for good or to think that every prayer is answered for one’s need

Driverless cars will soon, in the future, be on our highways.  It is kind of spooky to know no one will be at the wheel; we just place our faith in GPS and the talents of whoever made the car.  When I pray the next time, I should thank the almighty that HE has given me free will over many things and for the remainder HE is in control; I just don’t get up every morning and take a bundle of bananas to the monkey god and thank ‘it’ that all my prayers are always answered in some form or fashion.

 A new comet, which has been named 2I/Borisov (indicating its discoverer and its status as the second known interstellar object), is expected to be within reach of telescopes until fall 2020. At its closest approach, next month, it will be twice as far from Earth as Earth is from the sun. To travel to the nearest star would take 40,000 years.

Though it entered the solar system from the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, scientists do not know yet where 2I/Borisov came from, or how long it has flown through the desolation of interstellar space. Given its current speed, it has certainly been traveling for millions, if not billions, of years. Is the visit of this comet the answer to a prayer?  The POST, November,2019