In the 1960s there was a Christian song in the songbook, “Youth Praise” which commenced with the words, ‘We are in a great race to put rockets in space’. It certainly reflected the reality of the times. In 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 from Kazakhstan and though it was hardly bigger than a large beach ball it was the first man-made object to orbit the earth. It was hailed as a great victory for Russia and communism, though the Americans pretended it was of little consequence with President Eisenhower claiming it as ‘a small ball in the air’. Yet the Americans knew they had lost that initial race as Sputnik 1 travelled overhead every ninety minutes, every day for three months. The US government’s reaction was to increase the budget of its space programme from $0.5 Billion to $10.5 Billion.
Later the Soviets launched Sputnik 2 with a dog inside named Laila and that was the first animal in space but it did not survive. America’s attempt two months after Sputnik 1 to send a rocket into space managed to reach just one metre before it fell back and exploded. It was sometimes referred to as ‘Flopnik’. In 1959 the Soviets again got a first by sending Luna 2 to the surface of the moon. That was the first spaceship from earth to reach the moon, though it crashed on landing. In 1960 with America trying to catch up with space exploration they launched a satellite to study weather patterns. The Soviets launched Sputknik 5 carried two dogs, Belka and Strelka and they both survived the experience.
In April 1961 the Soviets had yet another first when Lieutenant Yuri Gagarin was launched into space in the Vostok 1 rocket. His flight lasted 108 minutes and he made just one orbit of the earth and on re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere he ejected and landed in the rural area of the Volga region and had to find a telephone to get in touch with Moscow. He became a global celebrity but died two years later at the age of thirty four while pilot testing a MiG-15 fighter jet. This all galvanised the Americans who put a man in space in May 1961 and his name was Alan Shepard. Huge sums of money were then pumped into the space programme and there was determination to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade.
None of this could be possible unless there were laws that enabled scientists and mathematicians to calculate the impact of mixing liquid oxygen with liquid hydrogen to engender the energy for take off. They are also needed to calculate the best direction for take off in conjunction with the rotation of the earth and the best means of re-entry. Where did those laws come from? By accident or from a mighty God who laid them down. Even those who would not claim to be Christian are amazed by the exactness of it all.
When the earlier Apollo 8 was launched with three astronauts Frank Bowman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, who were the forerunner of Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin, they were so impressed with the sight of our planet earth hanging precariously in a void with a thin layer of atmosphere protecting it that it had a huge affect on their minds. Before returning home on Christmas Eve they participated in a live television programme and took turns reading from the first book of the Bible, Genesis: ‘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.’
They looked to God and it is only God who makes sense of all that is in terms of origins, order and design and one day we must face Him. Let us learn to trust Him through His Son Jesus Christ and experience His blessing on our lives.
John 1:1-18 - The Bible
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him and exclaimed, “This was the one of whom I said, ‘The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ”) Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side —he has revealed him.
DAILY MESSAGES WITH MEANING (16/11/25)
Written by PAUL YOUNG
All photos courtesy of Unsplash
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