Special Guest Post by Ryan Hawley of Capex Films

Have you ever wondered why God made the universe so big? I don't claim to speak for Him (that's because I go to a solid church) and I also can't speak to the mind of God on this matter, as the Word doesn't directly say. Yet, I feel I really do know. I feel I really do know why God made the universe so big. 

Before the why, lets look at that what. 

The universe is expansive, vast, powerful and so many beautiful things. 

At one point mankind wanted to know how much 'stuff' was in just one small tiny part of space. We directed the orbiting Hubble Telescope to a random dark point in space. We then let it sit there for four months taking a single picture. Four months! Rather than a quick snap shot, this was a picture that spent over 130 days (1 million seconds) taking in light to expose a picture that seemed to be looking into black nothing-ness. Its the deepest into space man has ever peered. 

This is what came out:

  

Behold! 

Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is about 100,000 light years across with about 300,000,000,000 (300 billion) stars. In just one galaxy. 

The picture above...

Over 5,500 galaxies in that single picture. Think of it, in that picture, you're not looking at stars but entire galaxies. 

Now get this. A good question would be, how much of the night sky does that picture represent? If you take a single grain of rice and hold it arms length from your face, that little grain of rice would block out the portion of sky that picture took!

When I said that God's Word is silent on why He made the heavens, that's not totally true right? We do see that the heavens declare the glory of the Lord (Ps.19:1). From that I would submit they are as vast as they are because it points to the vastness of God. Only as a shadow, a mere glimpse into His vastness. 

Then look at our little blue terrestrial marble, suspended there on the back side of our spiral disk. 

[picture of earth from the moon NASA]

The earth stands in contrast amidst the enormity of the universe in which its situated in. Perhaps this shows, among many things, that even though we are so small compared to the vastness of God, He cared for us enough to come down to our blue marble and die for His elect. How caring must God be to do anything for something so small? How caring must God be to not just take notice of this little spinning planet amongst the stars, but that He would die for the people on it? 

Does that not show the enormously incomprehensible love of God? 

A God that has set His art in motion for us to gaze at...

[Photo NASA]

[Photo NASA]

[Photo NASA]

[Photo NASA]

[Photo NASA]

The God who has made and upholds all of that has made you some promises.

Consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Rm. 8:18) He says He will not leave us nor forsake us (Mt. 28:20) and that all things will work together for good... (Rm. 8:29). Any other promise and truth in scripture is being upheld by the God who has created the very fabric of reality and who cares deeply about His bride. 

The moon doesn't rotate, its tidally locked. That same moon you look up to at night when you sit outside the house with your back to the wall. Those exact same features on the moon where looked at by Adam, Moses, Noah, David, Paul, Jesus, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, and now you. Was God not faithful to all those before you? Their lives are living testimonies that He was. 

You have nothing to fear dear saints. Whether your trial is just a passing season or something else, God is faithful and He has you, as He has had all His own even since before the foundations of the world.   

  

Ps. Don't forget He holds the expanse of a universe that vast in His hand (Is. 40:12). Therefore, nothing happens that He hasn't planned for.