How Big?

Count the stars. Can you do it? Genesis 15:5

According to experts, today parts of our country will be able to view a total solar eclipse, a rare event for us. The event will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and pass through parts of the United States. A total eclipse happens when the moon passes between the earth and the sun completely blocking the face of the sun causing a period of darkness. The sky will darken as though it were dawn or dusk. The next solar eclipse is predicted to be in August of 2045, but according to experts, part of this eclipse will be visible in our area between two and three this afternoon, and it will last about three and a half minutes in each vicinity in which is passes. The rumor is that in this area, we might get a glimpse!

Darkness during day light hours is a rare occurrence, but it happened several times in the Bible. One of the most memorable one is called the crucifixion darkness in which the sky became dark for three hours during the crucifixion of Jesus. The Gospel of Mark tells us that from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness all over the land. That time would be from noon until three in the afternoon.

How big is a God who can command darkness to envelop the earth for a specific amount of time, and one who can create a solar system to do His will for the amazement of his creation!! It shows us that God is so big that He is the undisputed God of the universe. He knows what He is doing, and He is doing it!! Psalm 115:3 says, Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him.

Growing up in a rural area with no tall buildings or city lights lent itself to nights in which we had the opportunity to sit and star gaze. If you begin to try and count the stars in God’s universe, you quickly realize the answer to the scripture above. There’s no way for humans to understand or comprehend the enormity of what God has created and controls.

It is much like the mysteries of life which we can never fully grasp. The things we all ponder, like: “Why does one family seem to suffer endless tragedies? Why do marriages fail? Why does one person get promoted and the other not? Why do friends betray you?” and the list goes on. John Piper says God is so big that “every day He is doing about 10,000 different things in your life, but you will only be aware of maybe three.” We are like a child looking through a keyhole in that we only get a glimpse of what lies on the other side.

Sometimes we get a chance to be reminded of just how big God is and how some things that others might have meant for evil against us, God meant for good. Last week I got a random email from a lady who was, at one time, a friend. It brought to mind a rather painful time in my life where untruths were uttered, rumors spread, and because of it, many things changed. The email read, “I am not sure you will want to hear from me, but I need to ask your forgiveness. I know your memories of me are bad ones, so I understand if that isn’t possible.”

It was impossible for me to say that I don’t remember or think about that time, but because God is so big, I was able to return her email with a sense of forgivness in my heart for me and for her. It made me realize that I can’t change the past, and I don’t want to. I can simply say that God is good and God is big.

We all need a big God. We need a God big enough to cover our pain, our problems, our mistakes, our fears, and whatever we are facing. A God that is big enough to orchestrate a total solar eclipse is certainly big enough to care for each of us. Remember even when we don’t feel it, He is working.

Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light. Raymond Edman