There’s a connection between space exploration and Christian faith. The late Apollo 15 astronaut Jim Irwin (who was friends with my grandfather) and Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke have shared their faith journeys as they related to walking on the moon. Buzz Aldrin’s first act after landing on the moon on Apollo 11 was to take Communion.
Butch Wilmore, one of the two astronauts who spent an extended stay on the International Space Station, is an outspoken Christian, and Victor Glover, who will pilot the Artemis II mission, has even led devotionals in space. Other astronauts like Tracy Caldwell-Dyson and retired astronaut Shane Kimbrough have talked about their faith in Jesus.
King David wrote in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:19-20, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
There must be something about going into space that would lead one to consider eternal matters. Businessman Jared Isaacman, whom President Donald Trump has appointed to head NASA, has been in space, and that experience changed him. Isaacman is Jewish, but as recently as last year, he didn’t consider himself religious.
But that could be changing. Speaking at an event, Isaacman recently said:
I can tell you, having gone to space twice and looking back on our planet, looking at the stars around us, it is very hard not to be spiritual. But it was only recently, in the last couple of weeks, that I was inspired for the first time in a very long time to pick up the Bible. And I’ll tell you why. It’s because of Charlie, and it’s for Charlie, and there’s millions of others just like me. Thank you.
I wonder if Isaacman has come across these verses in his Bible reading yet: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4, ESV)
Related: From Apollo 13 to Eternity: Remembering Jim Lovell
Going into space awakened a spiritual longing for Isaacman, and Charlie Kirk spurred him on to read the Bible. That’s how revival stirs in one person, and of course, we’ve seen plenty of other people who are exploring and embracing faith in Jesus following Kirk’s assassination.
I hope and pray that Isaacman will find truth, grace, repentance, and faith as he explores the Bible. God said through the prophet Isaiah:
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11 (ESV)
The vastness and beauty of space humble us. You can strap yourself to a rocket, circle the earth, and stare into forever, but what you really see is the handiwork of God. Whether it’s a moonwalker taking Communion, a modern astronaut leading devotionals, or a man like Jared Isaacman feeling that tug to dust off his Bible, it’s proof that the heavens still declare His glory.
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