A NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station said this week that sunrises from space remind him of a Bible verse from Psalms.
Victor Glover, one of seven men and women on the space station’s Expedition 64 crew, posted two pictures on Instagram Wednesday of the sun beaming just above the earth’s horizon.
“Took these photos today, I love sunrises and sunsets,” Glover wrote on Instagram and Twitter. “Can you see the bands of color? They remind me of the scripture in Psalm 30, ‘weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.’ It seems darkest just before sunrise. I wish you all love and light. Goodnight from the @iss.”
I love sunrises and sunsets. Can you see the bands of color? They remind me of the scripture in Psalm 30, “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” It seems darkest just before sunrise. I wish you all love and light. Goodnight from the @Space_Station. pic.twitter.com/YP9Hb3JZoH
— Victor Glover (@AstroVicGlover) January 13, 2021
Glover made headlines in November when he was part of a four-person crew that launched aboard a SpaceX rocket to the space station in what was only the second manned NASA/SpaceX mission in history. He is the first black astronaut to live on the space station for an extended period. He was pilot and second-in-command on the SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience.
Glover – who was selected as an astronaut in 2013 – also made headlines for what he carried with him to space: communion cups and a Bible. He is a member of a Houston, Texas, Church of Christ congregation, where he has taught a Bible class.
“I will probably continue in what we’ve been doing: virtual service, virtual giving, reading my Bible and praying,” Glover told the Christian Chronicle last year about his worship time in space.
Glover said the NASA mission – and the dangers that accompany it – helped him put his life in perspective. He and his wife, Dionna, have four children.
“This time has really helped me to focus on what really is most important. What do I really have to be doing right now? And I realized how important it is that I really make sure that my family is not just prepared for this mission, but is prepared for life,” he told the Christian Chronicle. “That’s what a parent’s job is – understanding the role of God in my life, and God’s authority and my submission to that, and the love and support and encouragement that that can create in my life.”
Related:
First Black Astronaut to Travel on Long-Term Space Mission Brings Bible, Communion Cups to Space
Photo courtesy: ©NASA
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.