A Delightful Inheritance

(V838 Monocerotis - Dec 2002. NASA, ESA and STScl.)

Jeremiah 32 v 17: "Ah, Lord God! It is you who has made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you."

When looking at the universe surrounding us, it is easy to see God's spectacular power. Scientists are still trying to see an end to a continually expanding universe. What does that then say about a creator God whose greatness is unsearchable?
The picture above is V838 Monocerotis, a red supergiant star 20 000 light years away from earth. It flamed to 4 000 times its previous brightness in Jan 2002. This new brilliance however, soon faded and the star returned to something close to its previous brightness. The surrounding rings are called light echoes and are formed as light reflects off the nearby space dust. God's obvious power.

Despite displays like this of God's obvious power though, one of my big life questions has been this: Is God's greatness beneficial to me? Can I really trust in His willingness (in addition to His ability) to work things out to my good? In finding an answer, this is what I am learning...

I'm learning that the God who created Monocerotis the masterpiece, is actually not like it at all. He is not a variable star. He is called the Father of Lights but unlike those lights, He is constant and does not change. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

(Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1300 - NASA, ESA & the Hubble Heritage Team (STScl/Aura))

Psalm 16 v 5: The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

I've begun to look at galaxies as a picture of trust but also as a picture of life. Providence means that each event in my life, whether good or bad, is arranged like the stars against a black canvas. So instead of God intervening in my life through a dramatic miracle, He's working out His divine purposes for me through ordinary everyday events. And day by day, as I choose to trust, I can see that my life is not falling apart. On the contrary, the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places and I have a delightful inheritance!

(Eagle Nebula M16 - NASA, ESA & the Hubble Heritage Team(STScl/AURA))

Psalm 36 v 5: Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

(Interacting Spiral GalaxiesNGC 2207 & IC 2163 - NASA, ESA & the Hubble Heritage Team (STScl))

Jeremiah 9 V 23-24: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight.

(Jupiter with moons - NASA/ NSSDC)

Job 38 v 4 - 7: Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements - surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

(Earth - NASA/ NSSDC)