Sunday Devotions

Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider your heavens,the work of your fingers,the moon and the stars,which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him,the son of man that you care for him?
Psalm 147:4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

When I was a boy, I couldn't get enough books on astronomy. I loved to look up at the sky at night, trying to count the stars. Then I realized that it couldn't be done, so I began finding out the names of the constellations - the Big Dipper (known as the Plow in Scotland), Leo, Cassiopeia, the Great Bear, Draco, Sirius, etc, etc, etc. I loved the names and the old Greek legends behind them, but the one that has attracted me most, throughout the years, has always been Orion the Hunter.

It's made up of many stars, but there are seven prominent ones that appear to be the torso of a man, with three stars in a diagonal row that represent a sword belt. Each of the stars has a name, too, like Rigel and Betelgeuse and they fascinated me. Then, one clear autumn night, I discovered what looked like a faint or distant star below Orion's belt. I didn't know its name, and when I went to my books, I was staggered to learn that what I was looking at was not a star at all - it was a galaxy, with millions upon millions of stars. That really blew my mind.

God is infinite and dwells in eternity. Today's verse from the psalm tells us this, for how else could God determine the number of the stars and call them each by name? I have only learned a mere handful of stars by the names we call them on earth,.I cannot wait to get into eternity and discover the names that God has given to all the stars in the universe. And I guess if God personally knows the stars by name, then He must personally know each on of us by name, too. Imagine that! The Creator of the Universe knows you and I by name! Now that really blows my mind!

Prayer: Lord God, how wonderful You are and how marvelous are the works of creation! You astound me by determining the stars and knowing them by name, but You also comfort me in knowing my name and who I am. Thank You for such amazing love. In Jesus' Name. Amen.