WHY THIS?

Faraway stars and galaxies are so dim that their light is drowned out be even the weakest candle.

If they're truly trillions of times brighter, then how can this be?

Is it possible God's glory is similarly masked by the light of this world; his true greatness somehow obscured?

 

 

"Since we astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature, it befits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."

- Johannes Kepler

 

 

"If the glory of God is so great,
why can't I see it?"

 

"It's like a finger pointing the way to the moon. Concentrate on the finger and you miss all that heavenly glory."

- Bruce Lee, Enter the Dragon

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star."

- Revelation 22:16

 

RESPONSE:

Which is wider: the Andromeda galaxy, or the tip of your finger? The Andromeda galaxy.

Then how can you position your finger next to it in the sky and block it from view? How can you move your finger back and forth, alternately blocking and unblocking the far greater object? How is this possible?

The answer is distance, but don't get distracted by the mathematics. Concentrate instead on what your amazing finger has just done.

The Andromeda galaxy measures between 165,000 to 260,000 light years in diameter, contains perhaps 200 billion stars, and resides somewhere between 2.2 to 2.5 million light years away. Since it appears not all stars have planets, but those that do have more than one, Andromeda likely also has one trillion planets, even more moons, and countless other objects. Yet it is within your littlest finger to bring to an end the amazing journey of a portion of the collective light of ALL OF THIS.

Just think of the journey that light has made - two and a half million years enroute, just an arms length from being seen, and a raised finger or the turn of your head is all it takes to not see the light.

The entire galaxy of Andromeda versus you, and Andromeda loses. It doesn't seem fair, does it?. The glory of Andromeda is everything that could be seen if you could discern its light rays that appear to be just a dot. That would be the scene of every sunny day on every planet in every Andromedan system that wasn't obscured by an intervening object. Some portion made it all the way to you. Still, this incredible glory is no match for an inability or unwillingness to see it. Or put another way, Andromeda's glory has the humility not to rend from the casual observer their disbelief that it is anything more than just a dot.

So what do you see when you look up at the night sky - meaningless dots? Or do you see swirling worlds of every color, vast oceans of liquid methane, or deep red suns 100 million miles across?

Those who've looked close enough, and in the right way, have found just such things. Physicists and astronomers have discerned and recorded that glory to share with the rest of us. Though your naked eye can't make out the same details as their firsthand studies, comprehending that those incredible vistas are what's on display each night is awe inspiring.

Such is the glory of God, and such is the glory of Jesus Christ as seen through the Bible.

In one sense, God, too, is an immense power an unfathomable gulf away. But God's glory beckons us to have a closer look. Read the firsthand accounts of those who have experienced his presence. Then what they have seen, though maybe a pointless dot to you right now, might become a clearer view of the glory of God. The glory of God is the summation of all that he is; infinite power, infinite love, grace and mercy; your creator, counselor, and friend. Like light from Andromeda, God's glory shines whether you're looking or not, so you may as well look.

Another question: Which is more entertaining - a drop-down television on an airliner, or a single red diode on the cockpit control panel? The television. But do I have to ask which has greater importance?

The more important light is the lesser one; the one to which people must be trained to give top priority. This is alarming because it isn't instinctive. The TV is big and strives to show you what you want to see. The diode is small and may indicate things you do or do not want to see. The diode could indicate an imminent collision, or it could indicate autopilot has just been safely engaged. Diodes assure you at times, at other times prompt you to respond.

The Bible, in a like sense, is a diode. It isn't entertaining compared to some other things in life. And it doesn't wrest from us more attention than we are willing to give it. It isn't louder than the commotion can be around us, but none of that means the Bible is not more important or a greater source of assurance.

God has gone to great lengths to deliver his will for you, and to deliver evidences of his existence and a peek at his glory. But he offers you these glimpses into himself in such a way that you can still turn away if that's what you really want.

The light of his glory has come all the way from heaven and eternity past to within arm's length of you. All that's in question is whether or not you will look, and once looking, will you see?

 

"If you'll just turn your head slightly, sir, you'll see on the monitor I've arranged to have the nation of Australia spell out your name with candles. I believe the satellite's passing overhead right now."

"Bah! No time."

- Waylan Smithers and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons

 

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NEXT: questions on the existence of God



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