When I consider Your heavens, the work of your fingers… what is man, that you are mindful of him?
Psalm 8:3-4
On July 19, 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the moon. Twenty-five years later, the media devoted considerable time replaying that event on the anniversary of the landing. Interviews with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin recaptured their emotions and impressions as the first humans to set foot on the moon. What an awesome display of the ingenuity and daring of mankind to design a spacecraft and carry out a mission that resulted in sending men to the moon and getting them back to earth again! And, of course, the accomplishments since then in space exploration are even more amazing!
A picture of earth taken from the spacecraft on its way to the moon started my pondering of God’s awesome power. Think about this with me — the Apollo astronauts reported from their vantage point that the earth looked like a marble suspended in space. The moon is a mere 240,000 miles from the earth. In contrast, the nearest galaxy to our own is 25,000 light years away. That means the light we see now from that galaxy has traveled at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second) for 25,000 years to reach the earth. We can’t even begin to imagine that kind of distance! That is only the nearest galaxy. And the universe contains billions of other galaxies! Do you begin to feel small and insignificant when you see yourself in relation to the entire universe? Do you feel an increased sense of the unfathomable power of God to create such an immense universe?
King David experienced that feeling of insignificance as he gazed into the night sky. He was overwhelmed by the countless stars, and he responded by writing: What is man that You are mindful of him?… Insignificance is a logical conclusion if we consider ourselves only in the context of living on this planet which appears as a marble even from the short distance of our own moon.
Now think with me about what we learn from God’s Word about each individual person. Even before God created the universe, He knew you — He knew me. Ephesians 1:4 says He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. Can you even begin to grasp that truth? Read Psalm 139:16: You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (NLT)
With our finite minds it is impossible to comprehend how God created and sustains the immeasurable universe and yet so intimately involves Himself with each individual life ever conceived. Psalm 139:13 tells us: You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
If you ever struggle with feelings of insignificance, read and meditate on these verses and let God fill you with the wonder of His hands forming you in your mother’s womb and writing in His book what you would experience every day of your life. Ask the Lord to help you comprehend His love that caused Him to leave the glories of heaven, become a fully human infant, live and grow up on this planet He created, knowing that He would be rejected and crucified. It was His love for you, for me, that brought Him to earth to die so anyone who responds to His love, accepts His forgiveness for sin, and receives Him as Lord of their life, will spend eternity with Him. I say with King David: Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high; I cannot attain to it (Psalm 139:6).
Our finite minds can never fully comprehend the infinite love, wisdom, and power of God. But we can ask Him to open our eyes and our hearts, to reveal all that we can possibly understand. Our response should be one of awe and worship of our infinite, intimate God.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
Have you ever struggled with feelings of insignificance and lack of self-worth? Read Psalm 139 and meditate on God’s intimate knowledge of you and his creation of you as a unique individual.
Make it a point to go outside and gaze into the starry night sky. Consider the vastness of the universe and remember that before God created any of this, He chose you to belong to Him. Describe your experience.
Take time to read Matthew 6:26-30. Think about the Father’s care for even the birds and the flowers. Hear His words to you: Are you not worth much more than they?
Ask God to help you understand your priceless worth in His sight. He gave His only Son to die for you! Read again Ephesians 1:4 He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…
Write a prayer of response.
Ahhh, how important to take time to look into the heavens and consider the work of God’s hands. How important to PAUSE often and think of God’s powerful presence in our lives, that same God who created the vast heaven’s and the earth. Thank you, dear Sherrilyn, for once again drawing our attention to our Creator Sustainer!
My feeble mind and inadequate words cannot comprehend or express God’s wondrous, amazing creation, this universe in which we live we are just an infinitesimal speck!
What a great reminder of how awesome our God is and how much He loves us. So often I forget that this same power lives inside of me-His Holy Spirit to guide and direct.