I recently went to Acadia National Park with my husband. It was so absolutely beautiful! As I get older, I desire my vacations and activities to be a bit more active and outdoors. Somehow, I don’t desire the all-inclusive hotel packages that keep me confined and indoors. Nature has become such a wonder to me. I declare with David, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork” (Psalm 19:1).
After a relatively brief time of hiking, when we first arrived at the park, I was tired. On our first day there, it was late afternoon on arrival. My husband has boundless energy. We went separate ways for part of the hike as I felt I couldn’t climb another steep area, so I took the easier path back to our car. It was so peaceful, beautiful, and serene. Thankfully, I made it back to wait for my husband. I can get lost so easily. I prayed for the Lord to guide me, and He did. After dinner that evening, my husband had the bright idea to go back to the park to look at the stars during the night. I was so tired. After dinner, I just wanted to go back to our lodging place, shower, and go to bed!
I reluctantly went back to the park around 9:00 p.m. with my husband. It was pitch black as we drove. We could hear the crashing sound of the ocean waves as we made our way to the spot my husband had in mind. I wasn’t in the mood for this! I just wanted to go to bed. We reached our destination, and my husband exited the car and looked up. I stayed in the car, opened the sunroof of our vehicle, and looked up. I was absolutely amazed at the sight. I felt like I was in one of those planetarium theaters I had visited as a child. It was astounding! So many, many stars were shining brightly in the dark sky. My husband attempted to point out different constellations, but I couldn’t focus. I just looked up, amazed at the sight. I was so glad that I went with my husband that night.
Early the next morning, as I went outside of our lodging place to have my quiet time of worship, I was led to the following passage for that day’s meditation: “He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power; His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:4-5).
Wow. That really resonated with me after the previous night of star gazing. How in the world can God know each of those stars by their individual names? Who can number the stars? I did a Google search and found this:
“Red, white and blue stars give off different amounts of light. By measuring that starlight—specifically, its color and brightnes—astronomers can estimate how many stars our galaxy holds. With that method, they discovered the Milky Way has about 100 billion stars—100,000,000,000."1
That is mind-blowing. The fact that God knows even 100 billion stars by name? Not to mention that there are estimates of as many as two trillion galaxies in the observable universe! My immediate thought was that if God knows the stars by name, of course he knows me! God did not set up a universe to redeem the stars. Jesus didn’t die to save stars. He died to redeem and save mankind.
Matthew 10:30 tells us that the very hairs of our head are all numbered. Not counted, but numbered. Our loving God, whose understanding is infinite, knows absolutely everything about us. He’s a God of details. Big and small. Yes, our loving God knows everything about you and me, yet He still loves us. He is great. He is powerful. He is a God who wants us to communicate with Him. We can go straight to him through Jesus Christ. He both hears and answers our prayers. He wants us to come to Him, for He is a God we can trust.
And speaking of stars, Daniel 12:3 (ASV) reminds us of this: “And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
Call to Action
Will you trust Him today?
Unless noted otherwise, scripture taken from the King James Version.
- Astronomy.com (“An incredible number”): https://www.astronomy.com/science/astro-for-kids-how-many-stars-are-there-in-space/
