A reader recently sent me a link on Facebook with some pictures that put earth in perspective in the universe. Below are a few of the images. Seeing this brings me back to gazing into the sky night after night as a boy. And how God used it, and my study of the wonders of the universe, to prepare my heart to meet Him:
The universe is vast, yet God is said to have created it with His fingers. Effortless. No big thing. “He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:14), like a universe 150 billion light years across. If we could wrap our minds around the vastness of creation, it might make us think that it is small, and we are bigger than we are. The truth is that creation is incomprehensibly vast, and we are indeed very small. “The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” (Psalm 33:6,8, NLT).
God is “perfect in knowledge” (Job 37:16). He “knows everything” (1 John 3:20). “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name” (Psalm 147:4). That’s countless trillions of stars, each named by God. “When I consider your heavens...the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:3-4)
The size of the earth compared to stars in the known universe is a big part of Louie Giglio’s sermon “How Great Is Our God. You won’t regret spending 40 minutes watching this:
“Your life is a miracle, and the Creator of the universe knows you by name. He's big enough to breathe out stars, yet intricate enough to fashion together the trillions of cells that make up every facet of who you are. The God who spoke the universe into existence made you too and knows everything about you. From the smallest molecule to the situation you find yourself in right now, He's aware of your circumstance and intimately acquainted with everything you do. And He cares about you and promises to carry you through. That's where we find hope in the midst of the darkest places in life. The journey is often complicated and painful, filled with confusion and chaos. Yet, the cross of Christ reveals God's promise to preserve and restore you no matter what the circumstance. He will hold onto you and hold you together, giving strength to those who hope in His unfailing love. He is the everlasting God!”
Photo by Pawel Nolbert on Unsplash
