Someone recently sent me an article that said, “Though it’s been burning for some 4.5 billion years, the sun is only about halfway through its life.”
As believers, we don’t buy into this age of the sun, nor do we believe the sun will one day just peter out. In fact, the Bible has much to say about the sun and the stars around us. Let’s take a look.
In Genesis 1:16, we read, “Then 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” (NKJV).
God, in His infinite wisdom, set the sun, the moon and the stars in place. Only God can make such majesty out of nothing at all and we stand in awe of His greatness, His power and His authority.
God didn’t just randomly throw the stars around in the heavens. Instead, He set each one where it belonged and then identified each of them. Psalm 147:4 tells us this: “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.”
That’s pretty amazing in itself. Then I read on the Universe Today website this info: “According to astronomers, there are probably more than 170 billion galaxies in the observable universe, stretching out into a region of space 13.8 billion light-years away from us in all directions.”
Well, that’s beyond my mindset, but there’s more. The website noted, “If you multiply the number of stars in our galaxy by the number of galaxies in the universe, you get approximately 1024 stars. That’s a 1 followed by twenty-four zeros. That’s a septillion stars.”
Of course, as wild as it is to consider that many stars, this number is probably just a small percentage of the stars that exist in galaxies beyond anything we can ever hope to imagine. And God knows them all by name because He created them and gave them all unique qualities.
I love thinking about God and creation, how amazing it was for Him to one day speak and it all come into existence. But that very God who knows all the stars knows you and me too. As much as He values each created star, He values you and me so much more. Let’s examine a great Bible passage (John 1) where we see a wonderful picture of Jesus calling the disciples to follow Him.
In this passage, Philip finds Nathanael and tells him that the Messiah has come. And when Jesus sees Nathanael approaching, He says, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” This shocks Nathanael. Who is this man who knows him in such a way? “How do You know me?” he asks. And Jesus replies, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
And Nathanael understands that what Philip has told him is true. He cries out, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Nathanael understood who Jesus is because Jesus recognized him and knew him in ways that only God could. He knows you and me the very same way. That’s why He sent His Son to die for us and secure our place with Him in eternity.
When we are following Him and putting Him first, that’s when this life gets really exciting. We begin to soar and accomplish great things, all for His glory. A septillion stars is fantastic, but God working within you and ministering to you in specific, personal ways — now that is amazing.