Love Has a Name

Tonight I received a wonderful reminder that Jesus has everything perfectly under control.

I was out for a walk and as I glanced into the night sky I saw a handful of stars. Delicately hanging, dancing, twinkling.

As I wandered the empty streets and parks around the neighbourhood the sun fell to my front and the moon rose to my back. Appearing as though I was the fulcrum on which they balanced.

I could not help but stare into the sky and acknowledge my relative size and stature when faced with the universe, eternity and of course the majesty of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 40:12 describes God, the Creator, with such immense size that He, “has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,” and also that, “with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens.” What?! He’s how big?!

Contextually this means that all the water on planet earth He can hold in the palm of His hand and the span or width of the universe is only as wide as His hand from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the pinky finger. The universe which we only have discovered approximately 4%. The nearest star to us, the sun, is a simple 93,000,000 miles away/ 149,668,992 kilometers away.

Close your eyes for a quick moment and imagine just how big you would have to be to take all the water from the face of our planet and hold it in one hand. Take another second and imagine stretching your hand out to give someone a high five. That width of the universe, the heavens, planets, galaxies and everything else is as big as your hand. How big is that person?

As I marveled at the majesty and splendor of the Lord Jesus and all that He created I was reminded of Psalm 8:3-4.

³ When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?

What a truly phenomenal statement that the One who created all that we are as humans, all that we are becoming and all that we see, eat, breath and experience cares for us. He cares for me and He cares for you. He loves you.

As I reflect on this statement from Scripture in Psalm 8, it wholeheartedly reassures and reaffirms me of the power and control that Jesus has over all that is occurring in the world right now. As you read this people are becoming sick, some are dying. Yet simultaneously many more are being healed, recovering and rejoining family and friends and loved ones.

Our Father in heaven hung the stars and places the moon in the night sky, holds the water of the oceans and seas in a hand and measures off the span of the universe on the other hand, yet, is still gentle enough to care for us meager humans. Is there anything He cannot do?

Can He not provide food for us? Can He not provide medical care for us? What is it He cannot do? There are a lot of questions that surround statements like this, such as, “but then why doesn’t He do it?” Unfortunately we do not know the answer as to why He withholds some things from some and provides some for others. I do take comfort in the fact that the Creator of the universe through Jesus Christ demonstrated His care, love, compassion greater than any other being, god, deity and entity. In turn Jesus calls us to demonstrate that love, care and compassion for the world.

As Jesus left his glory in Heaven to come to earth He humbled Himself to the lowest position of a slave into order to serve and not be served. The King of all came as a servant to serve and not be served. (Philippians 2 paraphrased)

The same Master Architect who hung the stars in the sky, holds oceans in His hands and towers above the universe, in some existential anomaly, loves us. Loves us enough to die for us.

He chose us. He died for all so that those whom He created may be saved when they turn to Jesus and seek His face, goodness, forgiveness and free gift of eternal life.

Trust the One and only who designed the world, crafted your inner being and provides each one of your approximately 23,000 breaths daily.