Articles
How Great Is Our God
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales” (Isaiah 40:12)? The achievements of man are compelling when we stand before the height of the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai, UAE reaching 2,716 feet 6 inches; or the Three Gorges Dam (China) displacing 39,300,000 cubic meters; and touching the pyramids of Egypt that have stood for nearly 5,000 years. The Guinness Book of World Records attest to all the similar feats of man to create the fastest, largest, most powerful inventions of man.
The prophet Isaiah writes, “To whom then will you liken God” (Isaiah 40:18)? What comparison can be made to the one who measures the waters of the world in the hallow of His hand? It is estimated there are 332,500,000 cubic miles of water on the face of the earth covering 70% of the earth. Including all bodies of water there is an estimated 1.3-1.5 billion cubic kilometers of water. The hallow of the hand is only a part of the hand and yet the Lord God holds 332,500,000 cubic miles in the hallow of His hand. Just imagine how big the rest of Him would be.
Not only does our Creator hold all the waters of this world in the hallow of His hand He measures the universe “with a span.” A span is generally the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the smallest finger (roughly nine inches). Contained within that “nine inches” the Lord God Almighty holds the known universe that is estimated to be 93 billion light years across. The circumference of the earth is only 24,901 miles and the distance of the earth to the moon is an average of 384,403 miles. The sun is 93 million miles away and we have not even started to go where no man has gone before. It is estimated there are billions of galaxies and yet the Lord holds all of these within the span of His hand. Just imagine how big the rest of Him would be.
How much dust is in the world? Half of it can be found under any child’s bed I suspect. But consider the dust that fills the earth from the four corners and our God calculates this volume in a measure. He could tell us (if He wanted) exactly how much dust is present on the Earth and Moon and Mars and in the universe. First of all that takes a really big measuring container. Second, to know the exact amount of dust in the world is awesome - “For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth” (Psalms 47:2). Third (and most amazing) He knows where all the dust is. How great is our God.
It has been suggested the volume of Mount Everest is 2417 cubic kilometers and if you multiply that by how many mountains there are; throw in the volume of the hills – all of these numbers are unknown to man; you would not be close to the exact number Jehovah God would be able to tell in a split second of the weight of the mountains and hills of earth. How much do the Rocky’s weigh or the Alps or the impressive Andes or the Himalayas? Only God knows but the fact is – God knows. And He has a scale big enough to weigh the mountains and the power to put the mountains and the hills on the scale. What an awesome God we serve.
“To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? … Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless” (Isaiah 40:18, 21-23). Our God is so big he sits “above the circle of the earth.” We are like grasshoppers to Him. To God the heavens are nothing more than a curtain and the heavens a tent. So expansive and yet so insignificant to the majesty of God.
Great men have ruled in the affairs of men and tyrants have stricken our world with wars. The nation of Egypt once so proud and powerful is held in check as an impoverished nation by the decree of the one who sits above the circle of the earth (Ezekiel 29:9-15). King Nebuchadnezzar learned first-hand who rules in the kingdoms of men. “The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?’ While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses’" (Daniel 4:30-32).
Daniel told King Belshazzar that God held his “breath in His hand and owns all your ways” (Daniel 5:23). No king, prince, despot, tyrant, president or any man can stand before the mighty God. The Lord still works in the affairs of men and while there can be fear over the tyranny of the historical empire of Rome, destruction of the Third Reich or oppression of the Empire of Japan; and the present fear of terrorist and world war – GOD STILL RULES! All the plans of men will come to naught. Paul told the Athenians that “God is Lord of heaven and earth” and has determined the preappointed times and boundaries of man’s habitation. He rules! Our God is an Awesome God. But it’s not over.
On the fourth day of creation God created the lights in the firmament. Moses writes, “Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16). Gazing into the night sky overwhelms the senses with the grandeur and majesty of a star speckled sky filled with millions of lights. The amazing God we serve is a God who created all the stars (billions upon billions) and in His great power and wisdom has a name for each one of them. Isaiah declares, “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing” (Isaiah 40:26). No power of man can match this knowledge. There are no words to describe the indescribable wonder of a powerful God who possesses such knowledge. And yet He is our God.
On this tiny blue planet in the middle of a vast universe of billions of heavenly beings our Great and Awesome God loves us and cares for us. First there is fear in knowing such an awesome God because man is only a “drop in the bucket” (Isaiah 40:15) compared to Him. Secondly we find comfort in this knowledge because He is so great what can He not do for me? “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31).
Our God is such a great God. He gave us His Son. His Son gave us His life. Our God offers the hope of eternal life for the grasshoppers before Him. He loves me; even me. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31)? My God is an Awesome God.
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