God, The Great Designer – From the Stars to the Sea
From the Hubble Space Telescope – Westerlund 2
Sometimes I look at the stars above and wonder in amazement at how big and beautiful the night sky is.
That’s a lot of stars up there!
Do you ever wonder how many stars there really are?
No one knows exactly, except our Sovereign God who created them.
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years; 15 and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. – Genesis 1:14-15, (NASB).2
Here’s an interesting estimate that I saw recently:
Just in our Milky Way alone, astronomers estimate there are about 100 billion stars. (Imagine the Universe, 2015)3
100,000,000,000.
That’s eleven zero’s!
The Great Designer Knows You By Name
We are so blessed that our all-powerful, merciful, loving, and righteous God not only created us and every thing, but He loves us and knows each of us by name – just like the stars in the sky.
He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them. – Psalm 147:4, (NASB).4
From the stars to land and sea, we can appreciate God’s handiwork all around us.
Australian poet, Maurice Dyson, captures this reminder beautifully in his poem, “The Eternal Spring.”
Please enjoy.
The Eternal Spring
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding. When the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy? – Job 38:4,7.
Before God made His creatures,
Or earth received its form,
It rested with the Mighty One
To formulate the norm.
The universal features,
As much as we can see,
Are so designed to satisfy
A role in history.
The circular attractions,
Of matter large and small,
Are evident by telescope
Or in the science hall.
We marvel at the actions,
Which keep them in their paths,
And from their stable characters
We standardise our maths.
There is a great Designer
Controlling everything:
The many constellations
Or the sparrow on the wing;
The largest ocean liner
That ever put to sea,
Would never reach its port of call
If facts did not agree.
The law of gravitation
That holds us in our place;
The measureless dimensions
That we commonly call space;
All form a grand equation
That echoes and coheres;
Maintaining checks and balances
Throughout the passing years.
This wonderful creation
And marvellous expanse
Was brought into existence
By the Master’s strict commands;
We share the exultation
That angels once portrayed,
The day they sang that joyful song
When earth and sky were made.
Copyright © 2019 Maurice Dyson.5
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1 “Star Cluster Westerlund 2 and Starforming Nebula Gum 29” by HubbleColor {Zolt}. Public Domain Mark 1.0. Web. Accessed 13 March, 2023.
2 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
3 From the The Milky Way Galaxy | Imagine The Universe! (2015). 100 billion stars reference.
4 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
5 Dyson, Maurice. “The Eternal Spring” – Christian Poems About Creation, n.d. Web. Used with permission. Accessed March 6, 2023. Courtesy of freechristianillustrations.com.
