Column for The Citizen, August 5 2022
Have you seen any of the new images from the James Webb Space Telescope? Some of the pictures are truly breathtaking – stars and galaxies in the process of formation from very early in time. The instrument’s attention is concentrated on a very tiny portion of the sky. NASA tweeted, “If you held a grain of sand up to the sky at arm’s length, that tiny speck is the size of Webb’s view in this image. Imagine – galaxies galore within a grain, including light from galaxies that traveled billions of years to us!”
Scripture portrays a God who is the Creator of all that is, from one side of the universe to another, however many dimensions there may be. The prophet Amos declared, “He who made the Pleiades and Orion and changes deep darkness into morning, who also darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is His name.” (Amos 5:8) And the prophet Isaiah notes, “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.” The scientists behind the Webb Telescope project will be kept busy assigning names or labels to new stars they discover, but even the furthest ones have long been known to our Creator ‘by name’!
Jeremiah has a big view of God, His immensity: yet Jeremiah also realizes God is very personal and intimate in His dealings with people. For the ‘bigness’ of Jeremiah’s view of God, hear what he says in the midst of a description of man-made idols: “No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.” (Jer. 10:6f) Jeremiah recognizes how big God is. The end of Jeremiah 12 even describes how God is concerned with the nations around Israel, and will uproot or establish these Gentiles depending on whether they learn His ways and acknowledge Him. God is sovereign and concerned about other nations, holding them accountable, not just the Jews.
Yet this righteous, just, almighty God is also kind, loving, caring, intimate. Jeremiah confesses, “Yet you know me, O LORD; you see me and test my thoughts about you.” (Jer. 12:3) Fascinating! God is not so big, so preoccupied with governing the forces of the universe or judging the rulers and nations, that He does not also see you personally and know you better than your closest friend. He ‘tests your thoughts’ about Him because what you think of Him matters greatly to the Lord.
We see this intimacy reflected in Jesus teaching His followers to call God “Our Father”, “Abba/Papa”. This is a Heavenly Father who ‘gives good gifts to those who ask Him’ (Matt. 7:11). This Abba/Papa knows the number of hairs on our head (Matt. 10:20). Now that’s detailed intimate knowledge!
Yes it’s a great big world, at times a scary and unpredictable world. There are plenty of hucksters and con artists and scalpers out there wanting to trip you up and scam you and profit at your expense, kick you to the curb even. But God sees you and knows you, He’s got you in His faithful care when you trust totally in Him.
The prophet Hosea described God’s care in terms of strong cords coupled with tenderness: “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.” (Hosea 11:4) The naturalist S. L. Bastian tells of a certain kind of spider that builds its nest in the branch of a small tree or bush. In this delicate enclosure the baby spiders are hatched. If the nest is disturbed in any way, the little spiders will all rush out in fright. At once the mother goes to their side. She is alerted to their potential danger in a most unique manner. Each of the young ones has a thin silky strand attached to it, and all of these threads are joined to the body of the mother. When the babies are threatened by an enemy, they naturally scurry off, giving their lines a sharp tug. This is instantly felt by the adult spider. Within seconds she pulls them back to the nest where they are protected from harm.
Mary Slessor served as a missionary to Nigeria. She would rescue babies who were in danger and dying, and often the infants filled her home by the dozens. How to care for them through the night became a problem, especially when one of them stirred and cried. Mary learned to tie a string to each little hammock, lay in bed at night, and pull the strings as each baby needed soothing.
Yes God is big – bigger than the whole universe, which He made – yet in Jesus He draws us to Himself through the cross. The gentle cords of His eternal love tug all our hearts and hurts to Him.
