Galaxy

“Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven?” Job 38:33.

“My God is so big and so strong and so mighty there’s nothing my God cannot do.” (Statema, 2012)

There is a lot of press about the cosmos these days, as three of the biggest names in entrepreneurship conduct a modern-day race to outer space. Genesis 1:16 describes the fourth day, one of my favorite creation days. “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also.” On a cool, tranquil, and dark early morning, go outside, close your eyes for a minute; then look up into the sky. Wow! David apparently had a similar, life-altering experience that he related in Psalms 8:3, 4, “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him?” 

I have several friends who are space enthusiasts and many of them could put me to shame on a starry night. They and other scientific observers relate that we have not even scratched the surface of what we know of the universe. As a planet, we are minuscule compared to our sun, not to mention the even larger stars within our own Milky Way galaxy. When one thinks about the innumerable stellar bodies within our galaxy, then to think that our galaxy is but one of an innumerable number of galaxies, it is truly a mind-boggling exercise. 

Some have even ventured to compare the number of heavenly bodies to the number of grains of sand on the seashore! There is support for this analogy in scripture as God Himself challenged Abraham to stretch his vision and think beyond the obvious and venture into the realm of faith. “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore…” (Genesis 22:17).

Years ago, one such friend related to me a story he had heard, which left me awestruck. Allow me to share it with you. Imagine yourself for a moment as one period (a dot), on a page, in the largest book, within the biggest library of the world. Compare this dot to the countless number of galaxies in the universe. It makes you think less of yourself, doesn’t it? The point is not to make you appear worthless, for the Bible says God made us in His image (Genesis 1:26, 27).  

So instead, consider yourself through God’s eyes. The same God who created the universe, created you—that one dot, on a page, in the largest book, within the biggest library of the world! This certainly should change your view of yourself, but especially your view of God. Who you are in the eyes of the universe helps to keep you humble; but who you are in the eyes of God helps to keep you hopeful.  

Reread this familiar verse in a new light. “For God so loved me, that He gave His only Son, that if I believe in Him, I will not have eternal death, but instead I will have eternal life (John 3:16)”.