In 1958, the U.S. launched its first satellite, the Explorer I, into space.

A year after the Russians had launched Sputnik, the world’s first satellite, into space, the United States countered with its own earth-orbiting satellite. Weighing only 31 pounds, the Explorer I satellite was launched into space aboard a Jupiter-C rocket. The entire country waited for 90 long seconds to hear the fate of the satellite. Finally, a tracking station in California reported, “Goldstone has the bird.” The launch was a success; America had entered the Space Age.

The country had been reeling ever since the Russians had first successfully put a satellite into space. No one knew exactly how to react to the knowledge that a man-made (and specifically Russian-made) object was possibly spying on America as it circling the earth every 90 minutes. The idea made people nervous and a bit scared.

Today, the idea of man-made objects circling the earth is commonplace. In fact, many homes have satellite dishes designed to collect signals from space so we can watch hundreds of different TV channels. The idea that someone is “watching us” from outer space is no longer the threat that it once was. But it is true that someone is watching us from the heavens—God.

The Bible tells us that God sits on his throne in heaven and looks down on all of his creation. Nothing happens on our planet that God does not see or know about. But rather than fill us with dread as Sputnik did, this knowledge should make us feel secure that God knows every last detail of our lives. He is in total control of everything that goes on around us. And that’s 24-7, not just an occasional pass around this earth of ours.

The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do (Psalm 33:13–15).

To Do

Check out a satellite tracking site on the Internet to see how many satellites are orbiting the world at any given time.

Also on this day . . .

1797—Composer Franz Schubert was born.

1990—McDonald’s opened their first restaurant in Moscow, Russia.

1981—Singer Justin Timberlake was born.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.