So, bored researchers at the University of Hawaii estimate that there are 500 quadrillion stars in the sky. Pretty impressive. As if that's not too huge to comprehend, there are the same amount of molecules in ten drops of water as there are stars in the universe. That vastness.... It's the biggitude of God.
How do you understand God's character: Do you see him as stingy or generous?
St. Peter is giving some newly arrived saint a tour of heaven. First, he takes the man past a church full of whooping worshipers. “That’s where the Pentecostals worship,” says Peter. The man gives an appreciative nod and they keep walking. A few minutes later, Peter points to a mighty cathedral with towering spires and glittering stained glass. The man gazes up in wide-eyed wonder. “That there,” says Peter, “that’s where the Catholics worship.” They begin to walk again and eventually another church building comes into view. Suddenly, Peter begins to tiptoe. He puts a finger to his mouth and shushes the man. “Now you have to be very quiet” he whispers. “That’s where the CRC folks worship. They think they are the only ones here!”
That's just not how God works. He doesn't have an attitude of scarcity--he can well afford to be consistently, lavishly generous. God made a promise to Abraham: “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and as the sand on the seashore.” I can see Abraham craning his neck, staring up at the night time desert sky--at the thousands of stars he could see. But I also think of what he could not see--the millions and millions and millions of stars that can only be seen by God.
God's heart has vastness, “biggitude,” that goes far beyond Abraham’s and our ability to comprehend it. Believe it. Expect it. Give him the praise he's due. He loves YOU!
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