Last night I sat transfixed as I viewed a recent NASA photo of outer space. I’ve seen many space pictures over the years, but the clarity and sparkle of this one caused me to pause and think about life on our planet and about our Creator and His plan for us all.
I had been researching a news item about NASA’s Kepler Mission. Since 2009, their goal was to explore our region of the Milky Way and locate other planets. They discovered nearly 5,000 planet contestants and verified the validity of over 2,300 as orbiting planets. Finally, they refined their exploration and discovered over 20 of these planets residing within the habitable zone. (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/main/index.html)
The habitable zone is also called the Goldilocks Zone after the children’s book, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Goldilocks did not like her porridge too hot or too cold or her bed too hard or too soft; she had to have them just right.
Earth is “just right.” We are exactly the right distance from the sun. If we were a scratch closer, we would be too hot; a smidgen farther away and we would be too cold. Even though we are 93 million miles away from a ferocious burning sun with an inner temperature of a million degrees, we are able to discuss the weather in relatively minor degree variances—even between summer and winter. As an example, water is only found in a liquid state within a 100 degree Celsius range.
According to John D. Jess in his book, The Birds and the Bees, Earth is also the perfect size to sustain life. If it were a little larger or smaller, human beings could not live on it. Earth is 8,000 miles in diameter. If it were even another thousand miles in diameter the weight of the air would double, as would the amount of oxygen, and this adjustment would cover the earth in water. If Earth was smaller and lighter, it would not have the same gravitational force, and the lighter gases would escape, leaving the heavier ones, such as carbon dioxide.
We know that there are over a hundred billion suns in our galaxy, and we know that there are hundreds of billions of other galaxies in the known universe. Truly, The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1).
I am stunned when I look at pictures of our magnificent universe. I cannot begin to comprehend it, but what is even more incomprehensible to me is that the One who made it all humbled Himself and became poor for our sakes. How many worlds are out there? How many beings worship and honor the Greatest of All Chiefs? How rich is He? How could such a Chief become obedient to death—even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8) for us?
And it goes way beyond just having an opportunity to receive forgiveness! Creator sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Can you even imagine what all this really means?
