And 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
In many hymns we sing about how great God is, and especially in the song, “How Great Thou Art.” Those lyrics remind me of my Sunday afternoons, when I was a small boy. For some reason, my parents decided that Sunday afternoons were a great time for me to memorize Genesis chapter one. I’m not sure if they really cared so much about me learning scripture, of if they just figured it was good discipline for a busy nine-year-old. While I slogged through the process, I was always quite impressed with the verse that said: “And God said let there be light.” and POW- there was light! I imagined God’s Spirit moving over vast dark ocean waves while God wrestled with the mysterious elements of the creation. I could just picture how after the light, came the oceans, then fish, birds, animals and finally man. After reading about all of God’s impressive accomplishments, we come to the tail end of verse sixteen, where it says, “He made the stars also.” This final act of creation is added almost as an afterthought, but today, after more than 60 years I know that in that snippet of a verse when God spoke, that trillions and trillions of stars came exploding into the universe. At those times when I see the enormity of God’s creation, the words of the hymn come back, “I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder.” and I am stunned that our mighty creator God has chosen to love people like you and me. Though we cannot with even our most advanced instruments see the farthest star, God calls every one of them by name and He calls us by name as well. Then this mighty loving creator God paused, took a deep breath, and then “He made the stars also!”
I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder. His power throughout the universe displayed. How Great Thou Art by Carl Boberg 1886
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork . Psalm 19:1 NKJV
Good point, Pete. God’s universe is so vast, and the stars are too many to count. And we only see part of the ones in our galaxy. Not even the cast of Star Trek left the Milky Way. It takes a long time to cover 100,000 light years —even at warp nine.
Not to mention that their dililium crystals would be melting down!
This song takes on even greater meaning as I listen this morning. Blessings, Pastor Pete!
I need patience to listen to Lor, but I love how she gently sings every word or every verse. If you haven’t heard of her, you might like checking out her extensive library of songs.
I definitely will!
Absolutely stunning… But God! Praise His Holy Name! Beautiful rendition…🙌🙌🙌
I so enjoy the simplicity of Lor’s singing. It is refreshing hearing all the classic hymns faithfully shared without embellishment.