Published on 09/15/2006

The universe you can see is a million million miles across (that's 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles). All the physical matter you can see takes up about a trillionth of the available space. Now understand that God measures all of that with the palm of his hand (Isaiah 40:12).

Commentary

Today's New York Times reports that California is insisting on lower emissions of greenhouse gases from its energy suppliers, even if they are situated in other states. Twenty power plants designed to burn coal have been built in the Rocky Mountain States and the desert Southwest. Their chief customer is the state of California. But if they cannot produce the lowest possible emissions of greenhouse gases, the state won't buy. Whether this will help the global warming problem on a significant level is not yet known.

Meanwhile, yesterday's Times tells us that poor Pluto has been demoted again. Because it's no longer accorded planetary status, it cannot keep its name. It has been assigned number 134340 in the catalog of minor planets. If it emitted pollution, California would make its number even lower. It also told us about a planet wider than Jupiter but with half the mass. The planet, designated HAT-1-P, was found orbiting a star 450 light-years away. It is less dense than cork. As the article says, "In a cosmic bathtub, it would float." Astronomers have no real idea how it formed, or why it's the way it is. Pluto would at least like to borrow its name.

The more we learn about the universe, the less we realize we know. As we saw yesterday, a 1.5-inch bolt can jeopardize an entire Space Shuttle mission. The immensity and complexity of our world are both staggering and humbling. Another example: I read this week about the humble dot on the "i" before you. It contains something like 500,000,000,000 protons, more than the seconds contained in half a million years.

Now look out the window if you can, and gaze up into the sky. The universe you can see is a million million miles across (that's 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles). All the physical matter you can see takes up about a trillionth of the available space. Now understand that God measures all of that with the palm of his hand (Isaiah 40:12).

The One who measures the universe understands it, because he owns it: "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters" (Psalm 24:1-2). He owns the hands which typed this essay, and the computer you're using to read it. He owns everything we think is ours, and has a better plan for it than we do.

Have you entrusted this Friday to its Inventor yet?