In Job 37:14, Elihu exhorted Job to do something that we should all strive to do once in a while.
Job 37:14 (ESV)
14 “Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God.
God has given us such undeniable demonstrations of His greatness that, while we cannot comprehend the scope of it, we cannot deny it either. One such demonstration of His greatness is the physical universe that He spoke into existence (Genesis 1:1-31). Regarding their denial of God, Paul said that the Gentiles were without excuse because of His creation.
Romans 1:20 (ESV)
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse.
The enormity of the universe is a glaring testimony of God’s divine power. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, contains hundreds of billions of stars, but it is just a part of the Virgo Cluster which contains up to 2,000 galaxies, and of which ours is just average. The Virgo Cluster has a diameter of 15 million light-years.
A light-year is the distance that light travels in one year at the speed of 186,000 miles per second. To get a feel of a single light-year, if you were to drive your car at 55 miles per hour, it would take you over 12 million years to travel one light-year. Now, put this all into perspective. We are a part of the Milky Way, which is a part of the Virgo Cluster that is so massive that it would take you 15 million light-years to cross.
But there is more. The Virgo Cluster is just a small part of the Virgo Supercluster that is estimated to contain up to a million galaxies, and astronomers tell us that the Virgo Supercluster, when compared to the human anatomy, is but an earlobe on the face of the universe. How did this massive universe come to be? God just spoke the word. When we think of all this, we realize how true the words of David are.
Psalm 19:1-3 (ESV)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
The creation of the universe is just a small part of the works of God. We could spend a multitude of blogs just describing the creation of man and the complexity of the human body. The works of God do not stop with demonstrations of His omnipotence. His works also reveal the depth of His love for man, the greatest work of all being the sacrifice of His one and only Son (John 3:16). Furthermore, His works reveal His wisdom and knowledge that passes our understanding.
Let us all stop and consider the wondrous works of God regularly. It will increase our faith and draw us nearer to Him.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.