It was quiet and dark. There I stood on my driveway gazing up to the brilliance of the vault of the sky above me. I was struck with the beauty of the brilliance of the moon and the stars that were meticulously painted across the canvas of the night sky. I caught myself staring at the heavens looking at the stars in the sky. Did you know that astronomers estimate that the observable universe has more than 100 billion galaxies? I read that our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is home to around 300 billion stars. So if one galaxy has 300,000,000,000 stars, how many stars there must be in 100,000,000,000 galaxies!?!? (I tried to figure out using my calculator and the number was too big!) It’s also amazing to me that night after night, century after century there they stay. A beacon for sailors and shepherds.
As I stood there inspecting the sky, my heart kept returning to the evening I had just taken a part of. I had just come home from a banquet where we heard of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of some teenagers. One brave young woman was truly transparent. She had shared who she believed she once was. As she spoke a projector flashed images of pages of her journal on a screen. Words like awkward, pathetic, invisible, fat and worthless were scribbled on the pages. It seems just as there are countless stars in the sky, there was an unmeasurable amount of lies she believed about herself. As I saw those images I couldn’t help but see that she felt unloved, unwanted and alone.
Genesis 1 shows us that God created the sun, moon and stars. Isaiah 40:26 shows us even more. It says that each of those billions upon billions of stars have their own name and God calls them by their name. It says, “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” With a breath, God created the heavens, the stars and all we see in the mosaic night sky.
This is where I was overcome by God’s love for us. He created galaxies. Those stars I was gazing at? He created them. The God who did these amazing and uncomprehending actions, made himself known to this young girl. This young woman who thought she was unlovable, unwanted and dejected, was pursued by The Creator. Why? Why would the Creator of All pursue her? It’s simple…
It’s because He loves her.
Not only does He call every one of the uncountable stars by name, He loves us. He loves this beautiful young woman. He broke through the galaxy of lies that she believed and held His daughter. The King held his princess and let her know that He loves her. She’s no longer being misguided by the fabrications that the evil one whispered to her. Just as sailors and shepherds are guided by the stars placed by our Great Architect, she is now guided by the love of her Heavenly Father who revealed himself to His daughter.
What about you? Do the words in her journal sound familiar to your heart? Do you feel invisible, pathetic or worthless? You’re not. He calls you his treasured possession. He has said He will be a Father to you and you will be his son and daughter.
Father, Thank You for the majesty of the evening sky when we have a tangible example of Your great power. I pray that as we see the heavens above, we will be reminded of not only Your omnipotence, but that You, the Architect of the Heavens, loves each one of us. It’s my prayer that all of us, like this young woman, would renounce the lies and embrace the simple truth that we are loved by the King.
