Jay Ryan loves to watch the sky. When he was a kid, he missed the 1970 solar eclipse. So he waited for another one . . . and waited . . . and waited. Mr. Ryan grew up and became an astronomy teacher. He has been waiting for this summer’s eclipse for 47 years!

To see the eclipse, Mr. Ryan plans to travel eight hours to a farm in Tennessee. While he’s there, he will teach a group of homeschool families about eclipses. Mr. Ryan understands that “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1) He hopes many will come to know Jesus after seeing the eclipse. “Only the Lord can stir the individual heart,” he says. “But a total solar eclipse is known to be a personal, emotional event.”

Here’s something crazy to think about. Solar eclipses can happen only because the Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon and 400 times farther from Earth than the Moon is. That makes the two bodies appear the exact same size in the sky when they line up. Does that sound like a coincidence? We think not! God designed eclipses on purpose. What an incredible part of His creative plan! You can even read about eclipses in the Bible. Check out Amos 8:9. There, God said, “I will make the Sun go down at noon, and darken the Earth in broad daylight.” That verse might describe one of the earliest eclipses ever.

Do you live in the path of the upcoming eclipse? If so, Mr. Ryan has a suggestion for you: Invite someone over to join you in watching God’s power on display.