Big

by Tim Howard

As a kid, I remember visiting New York and looking at the Empire State Building. The first words out of my mouth were: “Wow, that’s big!” When I visited the Grand Canyon as an adolescent, the first words out of my mouth were: “That’s enormous!”

As an adult, whenever I look at the stars and the Milky Way I use a variety of words. Huge. Big. Awesome. Unfathomable. Immense. Vast and Incomprehensible, to name a few.

Our galaxy is beyond big and when you look into deep space as they did in 1996 through the Hubble Space telescope you discover the magnitude of what we call the Universe.

According to scientific data there are 200 billion to 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone. In 1996 they discovered at least 3000 more galaxies beyond the Milky Way when they focused the Hubble Space telescope onto one dark patch in the constellation – Ursa Major – right next to the Big Dipper. 

In 2004 they opened the lens of that same telescope for 11 days and focused it on another spot in the Orion constellation. They discovered thousands and thousands of other galaxies. Imagine how our data would increase if they could focus on all 88 current constellations and not just in one or two spots. That is gargantuan and beyond perception. That’s BIG.

The very first verse in the Bible says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” He is not enamored with the galaxies as we are because He made them.  He’s not surprised by our discovery of a measureless universe because He is the one who brought it into reality.  The Grand Canyon may impress visitors but its small potatoes when compared to His ability and greatness. As the Creator of this massive and astronomical universe – He is obviously greater and bigger than the creation He brought into being.

No wonder David said in Psalms 139 “this knowledge is beyond my capability to comprehend. It is too lofty for me.”  In view of God’s immensity, Paul the Apostle said in Eph. 3:20 “He is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” As creator He is all – powerful. More powerful than anything we have ever seen or known – because He is big!

He’s big enough to help you find your way when you get lost. And we all get lost now and again. When I lost my way and experienced severe depression in my senior year of High school and contemplated suicide, God showed His greatness by helping me to find a way through.

He is big enough to help people who have lost hope and bring healing to people who are broken. He’s big enough to extend mercy and withhold judgment for a season even though we deserve it. He’s big enough to love you even though you may not love Him. That’s BIG!