Daily Updates

STARS

Brian Pannell, West Main church of Christ, Medford


In the car this morning I heard a commercial I hadn't heard since I was a kid. The Star Registry was advertising that you could "buy a star" for someone you loved. Apparently they send you a map of some type, you pick a yet "unnamed star" and for a small fee you get to name that star for someone special.
That's right, then from here to eternity that star "belongs" to them.

I remember as a child thinking how cool this sounded! I also remember as a teen thinking how goofy this sounded. Today I had a new thought: How arrogant this sounded! Who is man that we think we have the right to claim a star? Who are we to stake ownership in the infinite creation of God? How arrogant to think we can map the stars, yet alone name them.

Only God can make such a claim. Psalm 147:4 says "He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them." Do you know how big that is? In 1993 scientists said that there were 70 sextillion stars in the visible universe, or some 70 thousand million million million. That’s a 7 followed by 22 zeros! And those are just the ones within range of our telescopes.

Can you grasp that? We serve a HUGE God. SO big in fact that He actually knows the number of stars and has each one named! That puts everything in perspective for me. There are days when I feel so small. There are times I feel alone. There are times that we all feel helpless. But we should not! The God and creator of the stars also knows OUR name and stands behind us, holding us up and pressing us forward.

Next time you look into the heavens on a clear Oregon night and you gaze upon the North Star, the Big Dipper or even Orion, remember who put them there. Remember who named them. Remember how big your God is. And then, remember that He is right there beside you, in your life, and in your heart.