God is With Us

The same God that created an infinite, ever expanding universe knows the number of hairs on your head.

The following article was written by my friend and Christian brother, Scott Linder. It is shared with permission.

Last night as I was taking my nightly walk I looked up toward the east and noticed a lone pinkish/red star. Being the nerd that I am I immediately recognized this star as the planet Mars. As I made a turn and started toward the west, I noticed that the moon was rising, and right above that was two more “stars.” These two lights are the planets Saturn and Jupiter. Now the science nerd in me really kicked in and I start thinking about Jupiter.

 Jupiter is sometimes referred to as the “Protector of Earth.” Jupiter is by far the biggest planet in our Solar System. If earth was the size of a grape, Jupiter would be the size of a basketball. Jupiter is so large and its gravity field so powerful that Jupiter deflects the paths of comets and asteroids that could possibly impact Earth, ending all life on this planet. So now I’m thinking “My God did that! And He did it in a single day!” In less time than you have taken to read this, God formed our universe. How powerful is our God!

Genesis 1 ¹In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

God created this world, for you and me. Early scientists believed that the Earth was the center of the universe, that everything in the universe revolved around the Earth. We now know that that’s not true, however you and I are still the center of God’s universe. The same God that created an infinite, ever expanding universe knows the number of hairs on your head.

Luke 12 ⁷ Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; …….

We are not just one person in a sea of people floating around in space on a big blue planet. God knows us intimately.

Jeremiah 1 ⁵Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
 before you were born I set you apart;

We have all lost so much this year. Close friends and family have died. Long serving members of our Churches have passed. Schools ae closing. Unemployment rates are high and the people who are blessed to have jobs are in constant fear of losing them. I could go on and on, we are all hurting and there does not seem to be an end in sight.

But we serve a powerful God, a God that spoke a universe into existence and created a world specifically for us to live in. A God that loves us so much that He gave His only Son as a sacrifice so that we may live forever with Him in paradise. He hears our prayers, and He sees our suffering. He is waiting for us to reach out to Him. He is waiting to comfort us.

 I cannot think of a time in my life that I have reached out in prayer and have not received comfort. That does not mean that God answered all my prayers (which is a good thing), but He walked with me, He comforted me, and I am a stronger person for it.

If you are a Christian, I’m sure you can think back to a dark time in your life and say the same thing. God took care of us then and He will do the same for us now. We need to continually reach out to God, not just praying daily, we need to be praying all day. Pray while you work, pray while you surf the internet, while you watch TV, in all things have God in the front of your mind. In every situation you face stop and say a small prayer.

If you are not a Christian or have never given your life to Jesus Christ, there is no time like the present. Wherever you are you can reach out to Jesus right now. Confess that you are a sinner and ask Jesus for forgiveness and to come into your life and be your Savior. Call your local Church, or call First Baptist Church of Oakdale, reach out to a fellow Christian that can help you. Jesus is waiting and He always answers the call.

When God created the world, He knew that there would be a Civil War, World War 1, World War 2, He knows every dark thing that we will face. He knew that there would be a 2020. We were not created to handle all these things alone. We were created to have an intimate relationship with God, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So anytime that you are feeling overwhelmed by all the terrible things that are happening in this world just walk outside, look up at the night sky and all those stars. Realize that all those millions of stars were perfectly placed in the sky right down to a fraction of an inch by a loving God for you. That this same God gave His only Son as a sacrifice so that you may live forever. Yes, you do not know what tomorrow will bring, but know that our God, who values you over all other things will be there for you. We know that this is true because he told us so.

Isaiah 41 ¹⁰ “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Last night just by looking into the night sky I was reminded to “fear not” and that God is still with us. I pray that all of you can find that same peace.