Trouble for God?

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”

Psalm 33:6 

It was July 4, 1997. All of us were amazed when the Martian land rover Pathfinder began sending back color images of the stark, red landscape of Mars. The discoveries sparked a lively interest in other planets in our solar system, in the stars, and in the other untold numbers of galaxies in vast, uncharted regions of the universe. 

The overwhelming data about the immensity of outer space also sparked conversations about who created the universe and why. During a college astronomy lecture, a student asked his professor, “Why would God go to all the trouble to create all that?” The professor, who happened to be a Christian, replied, “Trouble? What trouble? Creating the suns and stars was no trouble for God. He accomplished it with simply his Word. You and I are the ones who have caused him trouble.” 

The professor is right. God created the universe by the breath of his mouth. We were made new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) by the blood, sweat, tears, and death of the Son of God. Our salvation cost God big trouble. 

We may stand under a full moon or high atop a mountain on a starry night and be overwhelmed at the greatness and glory of our God and think, Oh, how brightly the stars shine. We are awestruck and amazed. But never does God’s glory shine brighter than when we stand in the shadow of the cross. It’s one thing for God to make a star; it’s another thing to redeem sinful man to “shine like the stars forever and ever” (Dan. 12:3 RSV). Today contemplate the humility and love of God in that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

Lord Jesus, thank you for flinging the stars and suns into space with a simple command from your lips. Much, much more than that, thank you for laying down your life for me. I’m saved! Oh, God, thank you for taking the trouble!