Is Your God Too Small?

The Hubble Space Telescope snaps pictures of beautiful images of other places. The picture I have included with this blog entry is a picture of a spiral galaxy. It is an amazing gift to be able to look into space and see the beauty of God’s creation. But what really gets me is that the picture was taken in 2010. That means that in 2010 we took a picture of something 72 million years old. We actually snapped a shot of history.

If you’re saying, “What?” let me explain: The spiral galaxy is 72 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. A light-year is the distance a particle of light (photon) will travel in one year. The distance light travels in one year is about 9.461 × 1015 meters (9.461 petrametres), or about 5.879 × 1012 (nearly six trillion) miles. This means that a picture of something 72 million light-years away shows the way things were 72 million years ago.

That means that in 2010 we took a picture of something 72 million years old?

Now when we think about time as humans something like that almost seems impossible. I mean, how often do we say, “There isn’t enough time in the day?” How often do we rely on calendars, clocks, daylight, and death to determine the amount of time we have. Yet God doesn’t work on the same time schedule. God is actually beyond time.

We occasionally experience time differently too. We have those days that fly by so quickly it’s as if it never even began. Then we have moments when 5 minutes seems like 5 hours. Time is a funny thing and changes with our prospective on life. God never changes. God is beyond time, beyond daily pressures, beyond our understanding of life and death. God is Awesome!

I AM

A plaque I recently read said:

I was regretting the past
and fearing the future.
Suddenly God was speaking:
“MY NAME IS ‘I AM.’”
I waited. God continued:
“When you live in the past,
with its mistakes and regrets,
It is hard. I am not there.
MY NAME IS NOT ‘I WAS.’
When you live in the future,
with its problems and fears,
It is hard. I am not there.
MY NAME IS NOT ‘I WILL BE.’
When you live in this moment,
it is not hard. I am here.
MY NAME IS ‘I AM.’”

I don’t know how many sleepless nights you have had. You know those nights when your mind is racing. It could be about something that happened in the past – it could be about what is to be. So, in that rare moment you actually have to sleep your mind simply does not shut down. It takes you back or it takes you forward. It simply does not let you live in the moment.

When I read the plaque above I thought: On those sleepless nights I can change my thoughts from

I am Dana
I am unable to sleep
I am worried about what the future will bring

to

I AM has named and claimed me
Isaiah 43: 1 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

I AM gives comfort to those who need rest
Matthew 11: 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, for I will give you rest.”

I AM calls us to seek first the kingdom
Matthew 6: 34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Maybe my meaning of “I am” needs some tweaking!

Need a hand?

By: Joseph Murdy

Have you ever tried to do everything yourself? When you do everything on your own how does it work out in the end? Are you satisfied with the results? How do you feel when you do something all on your own? When I try to do things on my own the results are usually the same, I get tired, cranky, overwhelmed and in the end eventually lose interest. When you work with someone, talk it out, or even take advice the results are always so much better. This kind of thinking is vital in relationships. I use the word “vital,” because without partnership the relationship suffers; it lacks life. This is just as true for all human relationships, as it is in our relationship with God.

Just the other day I was talking with someone who is about to get married. Just weeks away from the big day, you can imagine the stress and small details that still need done. My advice was not to forget that she is not alone in all of this. Planning a wedding takes team work. I told her, “Remember to ask for help.” Has anyone ever said that to you? Maybe in school when you were struggling with a difficult math problem or facing a challenging obstacle? How about when it comes to your faith?

If you find yourself struggling with prayer, struggling with self-worth, faith, discipleship, relationships with others, and even your relationship with God…Ask for help. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! No one ever said that faith and prayer were things we had to do all by ourselves. Prayer and faith require partnership. Remember you are not alone. If you are struggling, look to your fellow disciples, ask for help. Don’t forget, we have a God who has promised to always be with us. Look to God when you need help, and remember…you are not alone.

God's Chisel