Wow! God Is Big!

Last week I showed a video to our Providence Church youth group. If I had told those young folks that we were getting ready to watch a presentation by a guy named Louie Giglio called “Indescribable”, I am not sure how many would have stuck around. Fortunately, Louie is an entertaining guy and he presents very well to both young and old. His topic was pretty huge. It was a presentation about the solar system, stars, and the universe.

Did you know that our solar system, as big as it seems, isn’t that big at all. If we compared the size of our solar system to the Milky Way Galaxy it would be like the size of a quarter (like the one in your pocket) dropped on the ground with in the continent of North America. So when you see a picture of the galaxy, the solar system is simply a speck in on of the numerous bands in the galaxy. But get this! The Milky Way Galaxy is only one of the billions of galaxies in the “known universe” WOW! Do you feel small or what? Yes, we are very, very, tiny in the vast expanse of the universe. The Hubbell telescope has allowed us to see in deep space and view areas of space that we never ever dreamed.

Now, here’s the cool part. As big as all that there is… is, God knows each and every one of you reading this article (or not) by name. Not only does He know your name, He knows how many hairs are upon your head (or lack thereof). Not only does God know you name and your physical appearance, God knows your heart and mind. Now… as big as the universe is, God has made it because we matter to Him. WOW! That’s pretty amazing isn’t it? God has chosen to be in relationship with human beings. Why might you ask? Because God wants to adopt each and every one of us as His child. That is the message of the gospels, adoption! We have no real right to be with God, but God has chosen us and cleaned us up so that He may take us home with Him and reveal to us His incredible glory.
Genesis 1 says, “God said, ‘Let there be light’.” Later, the gospel of John tells us that when God brought forth this wondrous Creation, Jesus was always a part of the Triune Godhead. John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

God amazes us by His extreme creation and vastness, yet He amazes us too by the fact that He cares about something so small as each one of us. We think we are big… we think we know… therefore it is hard to imagine that we are so small and that God has not only created the universe but is an active caretaker of the creation. That’s so much of our struggle. God is either too big to care or too small to do anything about our lives. Yes, God is big… bigger than we can imagine, but God does care and God is with each one of us.

Recently, I had a conversation with someone who was worried about our world and the future that is coming. Be it politics or economics, the world seems like a roller coaster. But it has been before and it will be again. You know, I can’t conceive of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sitting around pondering what to do with this creation. I believe that there is a plan, a process that must be played out. We call it history. Really it should be called “His story.” But I know that whatever happens, whoever gets elected, whatever happens to the economy, whatever war breaks out… or peace for that matter, I believe that we have a God who can be counted on. I believe we have a God who is big enough to be in charge of the big picture. No matter what happens, we can be confident in God in this life and the next.