Mercury Retrograde: What Does the Bible Say?
Dwelling Richly – Always Prepared – Thinking Biblically
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Should Christians Believe in Mercury Retrograde?
So Glad You Asked.
A friend reached out and asked my thoughts on Mercury in retrograde and if I believed in what people online are saying about its influence. This gave me the perfect next episode in this series and I hope you’ll find it helpful.
Maybe you’ve heard someone blame Mercury being in retrograde for communication problems, travel delays, broken technology, relationship struggles, or simply having a bad week. People in general may wonder and Christians also begin asking:
Is there anything to this?
Should I be concerned?
Does the Bible say anything about it?
If you’ve ever wondered those things, you’re not alone. And I’m so glad you asked.
Let’s Start with What Mercury Retrograde Actually Is
Mercury retrograde is a real astronomical event. Earth and Mercury travel around the sun at different speeds, there are times when Mercury appears to move backward from our perspective. It’s an optical illusion. The real question is whether that movement has any influence over our lives. That’s where Scripture gives us tremendous clarity.
Sometimes Christians react to astrology by dismissing anything having to do with the stars or planets. But the Bible doesn’t do that. From the very beginning, we’re told that God created the sun, moon, and stars intentionally. They mark days, years, seasons, and appointed times (Genesis 1:14). Israel’s calendar was built around the cycles of the moon, and God’s feasts followed the rhythm He established in creation. Psalm 19 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God.”
What do they declare? The greatness of their Creator. Throughout Scripture, God uses His creation to remind us of His faithfulness, His power, and His promises. Creation points beyond itself to Him.
The Difference Between Astronomy and Astrology
It’s helpful to make an important distinction between astronomy and astrology. Astronomy observes God’s creation. Astrology looks to creation for guidance, meaning, or control over our lives. Those are not the same thing. Throughout the Old Testament, God repeatedly warned His people not to look to the stars for direction or place their confidence in celestial signs. The surrounding nations did exactly that. They searched the heavens for omens and predictions. But God’s people were called to seek Him instead.
Where Does Our Confidence Belong?
It’s understandable why ideas like Mercury retrograde become so popular. Life feels uncertain and relationships are difficult. When life is hard and unexplainable, it’s tempting to look for an explanation that helps everything make sense. But Scripture firmly redirects our attention.
Instead of asking, “What are the planets doing?” we can ask, “What is God doing?”
Instead of wondering whether Mercury is influencing our circumstances, we can remember that every moment of our lives is held securely in the hands of the God who made Mercury in the first place. Nothing catches Him by surprise or escapes His attention. Nothing is outside His sovereign care.
What About the Wise Men?
Whenever this topic comes up, someone will usually ask, “Yeah, but…didn’t the wise men follow a star to Jesus?”
That’s a fair question. In fact, it’s probably the strongest biblical example someone could point to. Matthew tells us that the Magi saw a star and followed it to find the newborn King (Matthew 2:1–12). So doesn’t that support astrology? I don’t think it does. Here’s why.
God Used a Star. He Didn’t Institute Astrology.
Throughout Scripture, God often uses extraordinary signs to accomplish His purposes. He spoke through a burning bush. He wrote on a palace wall. He caused the sun’s shadow to move backward for Hezekiah. He even spoke through Balaam’s donkey. None of those events teach us to seek burning bushes, watch for handwriting on walls, or expect our pets to deliver God’s messages.
They were unique acts of God in redemptive history. The star of Bethlehem belongs in that same category. God sovereignly used creation to announce the birth of His Son. That’s very different from teaching people to read the stars for guidance in everyday life.
The Star Didn’t Become Their Guide Forever
There’s another detail that’s easy to overlook. The star got the Magi to Jerusalem. But when they wanted to know where the Messiah would actually be born, where did they turn? Not to another star. To Scripture. The chief priests and scribes opened the prophet Micah and read:
“And you, O Bethlehem…from you shall come a ruler…” (Micah 5:2)
It was God’s written Word that identified the place, Bethlehem. Then God graciously used the star again to lead them to the house. Even in this remarkable story, special revelation interprets general revelation. The star drew attention, and Scripture gave understanding.
After Jesus Came…
Perhaps the strongest observation is that after the birth narratives, the New Testament never instructs believers to look for guidance in the stars. Instead, believers are repeatedly directed to God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, prayer, wisdom, and the counsel of mature believers. The Magi’s experience was descriptive. It wasn’t prescriptive. It tells us what God did. It doesn’t tell us what Christians should do. That’s an important principle whenever we read Scripture.
The Bigger Point
Ironically, the star of Bethlehem doesn’t elevate astrology. It actually demonstrates God’s complete authority over creation. The heavens didn’t decide to announce the Messiah. God did. The star wasn’t sending its own message. It was carrying His. The heavens don’t possess authority. They display His authority, exactly what Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God” – and that glory? Jesus.
So…Should Christians Believe that Mercury Retrograde has influence?
Mercury retrograde is a real astronomical phenomenon. But Scripture gives us no reason to believe it directs our decisions, determines our circumstances, or governs our future. Our confidence isn’t found in the movement of the planets. It’s found in the God who spoke those planets into existence.
The heavens truly are filled with signs—not signs that predict our destiny, but signs that continually point us to God’s glory, wisdom, faithfulness, and sovereign rule over all He has made.
We Were Made to Seek Meaning
One of the reasons ideas like Mercury retrograde become so appealing is because they offer an explanation. They promise to make sense of life’s disappointments.
“That’s why your relationship is struggling.”
“That’s why work has been difficult.”
“That’s why everything feels off.”
But the desire to understand why isn’t wrong. In fact, I think it’s part of being made in the image of God. We were created to ask questions, seek understanding, and look for purpose. Ecclesiastes is full of those questions.
“What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:3)
Solomon spends twelve chapters examining where people search for meaning—in wisdom, pleasure, work, wealth, achievement, even knowledge—and repeatedly concludes that none of those things can bear the weight of our deepest longing. The problem isn’t the search, but searching “under the sun” while leaving the Creator out of the equation.
Job Asked “Why?” Too
Job never pretended suffering didn’t need an explanation. He asked difficult questions. His friends offered simple answers.
“You must have sinned.”
“There has to be a reason.”
They wanted suffering to fit into a predictable formula. God never gives Job the explanation he was hoping for. Instead, He gives Job something better. He reveals Himself.
Beginning in Job 38, God asks, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?”
Then He points Job to creation to consider the sea and the land, the stars and constellation all to remind him that the One who governs the universe is infinitely wiser than we are. Job’s peace came not from finally understanding everything. It came from knowing the One who understands everything.
Jesus Redirected the Question
Jesus often did something fascinating. People wanted to know why something happened. Jesus frequently redirected them toward a better question. In Luke 13, people asked about tragedies.
Why did Pilate kill those Galileans?
Why did the tower of Siloam fall?
Jesus didn’t explain the hidden reasons behind those events. Instead He called His listeners to repentance and reminded them that life is fragile. Likewise, in John 9, the disciples asked,
“Who sinned, this man or his parents?”
They wanted a simple explanation. Jesus answered, “Neither…”
Then He redirected their attention to what God was about to do. Again and again, Jesus refused to let people reduce suffering to a formula. Instead, He pointed them to God’s purposes.
The Gospel Gives Meaning
Think about how Christianity differs from superstition. Superstition says, “If I can decode the signs, I’ll understand my life.”
The gospel says, “You know the One who writes the story.” The Word is clear that in Christ,
“…all things were created through Him and for Him…and in Him all things hold together.” (Col. 1:16–17)
Meaning isn’t found by deciphering the movements of the planets. Meaning is found in knowing the One who set them in motion. The heavens don’t interpret our lives. The Creator does.
So when someone asks me about Mercury retrograde, my answer isn’t simply “yes” or “no.” It’s an invitation to lift our eyes from creation to the Creator. And that’s always the better place to look.
I hope this was helpful for you and would love to hear your thoughts! You can leave a comment below and share this to your Facebook or email to a friend. Listen to the Dwelling Richly podcast and join our community.
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Questions about the Bible? I’m so glad you asked!
You can submit questions about the Bible, living the Christian life, dealing with difficult situations/people/life issues – really anything on your mind, and I’ll share my thoughts and responses. I’d love to hear from you. No question is off-limits – Submit questions about this or any topic to DwellingRichly@gmail.com or https://www.jennifergrichmond.com/podcast/#question
Here are some online resources you can explore to deepen your understanding of the passages and topics discussed in this episode:
- https://www.biblegateway.com/ – A comprehensive resource for reading and comparing multiple Bible translations, which can help clarify challenging passages. It also includes commentaries and study tools.
- https://www.blueletterbible.org/ – This site offers verse-by-verse study tools, including original language lexicons, concordances, and commentaries. It’s a great resource for digging deeper into the text.
- https://www.gotquestions.org/ – An extensive database of answers to common biblical questions. It provides clear, biblically sound explanations on a wide range of topics, including the afterlife and resurrection.
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