By The Word of His Power

Did you look up at the Lunar Eclipse a couple of weeks ago? The announcement of the eclipse was all over every media and news outlet in our country. It was probably even announced in schools. It was stated as a scientific fact that we won’t be able to see another total lunar eclipse in this hemisphere for the next 4 years. FOUR years… The uniqueness of an eclipse makes it special. I think we could even go beyond that and say that it is precious. It is precious because at one moment in time, God gives us perspective that we do not normally see or understand completely. For this moment, we are able to see the shadow of the earth on the moon. We can somewhat feel the sun, moon, and earth lining up. We can visualize this and know exactly how things are up there for just a brief window of time.

In our flat perspective of the world, it’s important that we remind ourselves of the vastness of the universe that God has made. For most of us, we stay in a relatively small area of the world for most of our lives. For us at Casas por Cristo this small spot in the world is El Paso. By staying withing this vicinity, going home, to work, and to church, our perspective of the world tends to lull us into a false sense of security and control. We can all wake up and for the most part have an idea of what is to come in the day. Knowing what’s coming and feeling in control of our day’s destiny helps us feel safe and in control. For many of us it is rare to give much thought to what is going on beyond our city, state, country, continent, hemisphere, world, solar system, galaxy, and universe.

So how big is the universe? According to Nasa, no one knows if the universe is infinitely large, or even if ours is the only universe that exists. Other parts of the universe, very far away, might be quite different from the universe closer to home. It is estimated that there are 200 billion galaxies in our known universe. In our galaxy, the Milky Way, there are 5800 to 8000 visible stars but even that is just a sliver of the amount of stars in our galaxy. The estimation is around 300 billion. That is 300 billion stars with their own planets in our galaxy. Our galaxy is 1 of 200 billion galaxies in our KNOWN universe. Not to mention that there is a super massive black hole right in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy that is 4 million times the mass of the Sun. Our galaxy is spinning at a rate of 225 kilometers per second. In addition, the galaxy is travelling through space at the rate of 305 kilometers per second. This means that we are traveling at a total speed of 530 kilometers (330 miles) per second. That means that in one minute you are about 19 thousand kilometers away from where you were before.

Our planet is the third from the sun. Our planet has the exact properties needed for sustained life; The Exact. Think about this for a second. We are the exact distance from the sun needed for life. Any closer and we are dead, any farther away…we are dead. The planet has the exact physical properties, both in gas and minerals, to sustain life. Altered in any way, we are dead. The moon regulates tides, wind, and weather. Without it, we are dead. If an asteroid or comet hit our planet, most likely, we are dead. By the way, there are trillions of comets, and 18,000 known asteroids just in our solar system.

Let’s take this a step further. Your body has trillions of cells. So many in fact, no one can get a close count. Each one of these cells is like a mini-solar system. If the right kind of chaos happens in just one of these cells, you can get cancer. According to the ICD (Internal Classification of Diseases) there are 12,420 diseases, and there are 14,199 diseases if you include Chapter XX (External Causes of Morbidity and Mortality).

I’m not putting all of this in here to give a hypochondriac a heart attack or to scare us. Rather, I’m trying to give us some perspective. A perspective in which we can understand how vast but fragile the universe is. It is unbelievably fragile. How can anyone not believe in a creator who not only designed things to function in such balance for life but also holds all of it together? There is so much chaos and so many factors that exist that it’s a miracle that things hold together even for a minute. But God in His infinite wisdom and beauty is involved and active in His creation. 

Lee Strobel wrote a book called “The Case for Christ”. Strobel was an atheist whose wife became a believer. One day, he decided to attend church and start research for the purpose of proving that the Bible and Christianity were false. He believed he could prove it. At the end of his research he made a list. He drew a line down the middle of the page and on one side wrote the facts that proved Christianity true, and on the other side, facts that proved it false. He concluded that it would take more faith to believe that the God of the bible and the scriptures were untrue. All of the evidence pointed straight to there being a creator God who created and holds the world together, who also saved mankind from their sin by coming in human flesh, dying, and resurrecting from the grave. Strobel is now a believer.

Doesn’t it take more faith to believe in the non-existence of God? 
Look at Hebrews 1.

Heb 1:1                Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,

Heb 1:2                 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Heb 1:3                 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

At every moment of every day Christ is holding up the Universe by the word of His power. He is holding all of this together. Is that not incredible to think about? Do you realize the implications of this? Every moment is Grace. Every moment is mercy. Every moment is love. When you sinned, He was holding you together. When you sin again, He will hold the very fabric of your being together.

Job 12:10             In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.

Act 17:24              The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,

Act 17:25              nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Every breath we breathe is in the palm of His hand. Everything about us He is willing into being. He gives us everything. This perspective is precious. We have no bargaining place in the Universe. Our life is His. Our every moment is His. Let the truth of His control, grace, mercy, and love fill us from head to toe. He created us and is holding us and everything together for His Glory and because He loves us. These truths are meant to draw our hearts to Him. The signs and wonders that He does in creation are meant to give us perspective. Like the eclipse.

Every time that you can be a part of something that gives you perspective like this…embrace it. We need to be reminded of who is in control of everything. We need to be reminded that there isn’t anything God can’t do. He is in control of our body and everything in the Universe. Thank Him.