"The Sky Is Falling! The Sky Is Falling!"

Do you remember the old fable in which an acorn falls on the head of Chicken Licken (also called "Chicken Little", which I prefer). Convinced that the sky was falling, the frightened Chicken Little set out to notify the king, striking fear in the hearts of a cast of characters like Henny Penny, Turkey Lurkey, Goosey Loosey, Cocky Locky, etc. Eventually the group comes across the devious Foxy Loxy. There are several different endings to this fable and, as a result, a couple of different morals, depending upon which ending to which one ascribes.



Well, if Chicken Little were around today she would really have something to worry about. The sky is not falling, but something appreciably larger than an acorn is falling from it. Military officials have announced that a dead U.S. spy satellite (designated as US 193) is in a deteriorating orbit and is expected to hit the Earth sometime around the first week of March. The unsettling part of the story is, nobody knows where on Earth it will fall.



The news item brings memories of Sky Lab, the first US Space Station that came crashing back to Earth in 1979. This piece of hardware which was as big as a house created a tremendous amount of media attention - and with good reason. Something like this doesn't fall out of the sky every day. Las Vegas oddsmakers had a major business going on taking wagers as to where and when it would crash. One sharp merchandiser who realized the huge value of a Sky Lab liability claim, created T-shirts with targets printed on the back, emblazoned with the words, "Hey Sky Lab, Hit Me!" A newspaper in San Francisco offered a $10,000 reward to the first person who would bring a piece of the Sky Lab wreckage - which was claimed by a young man from Australia who found some debris on his roof and made a bee line for San Francisco.



This satellite is not as large as Sky Lab, but it does weigh over 5,000 pounds. The AP reports that an unnamed official estimated that about half of the satellite should survive the fires of re-entry and come crashing back to Earth. It is believed that the wreckage will break up on re-entry and scatter potential hazardous flaming debris over several hundred miles. It's somewhat frightening that something weighing as much as a 1955 Cadillac is going to come streaking down out of the sky - landing who knows where!



One of the differences between this situation and the one in 1979 is that in the weeks leading up to the re-entry, ground controllers had re-established contact with the six year old vehicle, and were able to adjust its attitude for optimal re-entry dynamics. As a result the debris field stretched relatively harmlessly from the Indian Ocean to western Australia. That's not going to happen with US 193. It's a crap shoot as to where this one is going to come down. Fortunately the Earth's surface is 3/5 water, so the odds are at least somewhat favorable that it will splash down harmlessly away from populated areas. That would be ideal, since the satellite has small thruster engines which contain the toxic rocket fuel hydrazine. Hydrizine is harmful to any one who touches it.


The news release reports that it carries a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor. U.S. officials do not want the equipment to "fall into the wrong hands". Heck, most of us don't want it to fall ANYWHERE!


Like every other uncertainty in life you can be sure of one thing. God knows the final outcome. This thing isn't taking Him by surprise in the least. While chances are miniscule that US 193 is going to fall on your head, it IS very likely that you will face many dangers and uncertainties in your time on this planet. There are many crises we will encounter - physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual - all with devastating possibilities. I often say "since we don't know what tomorrow holds, it is important to know the one who holds tomorrow." If you have a personal relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, there is no need to fear. You are secure in Him!

Does this mean that trouble will never come your way if you know Jesus? Are Christ Followers immune from the danger of falling satellites? Of course not. But it does mean that we have no need to fear anything that may come upon us. Whatever happens, God is in control! Consider the words of Psalm 91:

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust."
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation."

So, when the first week of March rolls around, and the flaming wreckage of the dead satellite comes raining down (who knows where) wear your hard hat if you must, but don't be afraid. Nestle up under His wings and know that you are safe in Him.

In fact, that's good advice any time - when the sky is falling - or not.