And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. Genesis 1:14-19

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsmagic/ / Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.0

How could we survive if the Earth did not continue to rotate around its sun? Wouldn’t it be a mammoth loss if we did no perceive the beauties of our moon’s monthly patterns and a marvelous universe full of stars? How stagnant the world would be if the moon didn’t influence the tides! How much life would be lost if the fluctuating tides and inflowing rivers didn’t oxygenate those waters to keep sea creatures and sea plants in harmony.

How good it is that the sun is for a sign of God’s grace, for seasons and days and years. What a treasure that we arise each morning to a new day, a fresh start. What a delight that most of our living places have four seasons to bring a variety of vegetation and colors and crops, that the fresh and beautiful life of spring always follows the cold and hibernations of winter.

O come, let us worship.
We praise You, Creator, for all that is good.

Marva J. Dawn, In the Beginning, God, pg 37-38.