“How much less man, who is a maggot, and a son of man, who is a worm?” Job 25:6.
A maggot or a worm? Not very flattering. Job’s view of man’s status with reference to God demeans the ego. Yet, the servile existence of an earthworm whose success may be defined by crawling across a sidewalk without getting squashed contrasts aptly with the greatness of God. We have no business in company with our Creator. In every imaginable way, He occupies a world apart.
Take the universe, for example. “The number of stars in the universe is really unknown, since every time we look deeper into space, we find still more stars. David Kornreich, an astronomer at Ithaca College in New York, has given an estimate of the “known” stars in the universe. Kornreich used “a very rough estimate of 10 trillion galaxies in the universe. Multiplying that by the Milky Way’s estimated 100 billion stars results in a large number indeed: 100 octillion stars, or 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars, or a ‘1’ with 29 zeros after it. Kornreich emphasized that number is likely a gross underestimation, as more detailed looks at the universe will show even more galaxies” (Space.com). To contemplate this vast expanse boggles the mind; to create it is—well, inconceivable.
Even our incredible earth, an infinitesimal speck in space, defies human comprehension. It maintains an optimum temperature to support life, its atmosphere filters out corrosive ultraviolet rays, vital elements enrich its soil, an abundant supply of H2O permeates its crust, physical laws govern its operation and it orbits the Sun with precise timing. And the Sun? According to NASA, “During a single second, the sun converts four million tons of matter into pure energy.” That’s “about equal to ninety billion megatons every second. The entire power-generating capacity of the earth equals about 60,000 megatons per year, so in one second the Sun produces over a million years’ worth of energy for the earth” (University of Wisconsin—Green Bay). As fantastic at these statistics are, don’t focus on them or the creation. Instead, worship the Creator! The author is always greater than the book, the artist is always greater than the art. “Professing to be wise, they became fools … who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Romans 1:22-25.
Before the universe; God was. He is the Prime Mover, the Self-Existent One, the Eternal Spirit—without beginning, without end, uncaused and infinite. The Scriptures do not attempt to explain His existence. Genesis 1:1 boldly states, “In the beginning … God.” Singular. There is no plurality of Gods. He has no equal, no rival, no partner. He has no father, no mother, no siblings. “LORD, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” Psalm 90:1-2. God asked Job, “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the ends of the earth?” Job 38:12-13.
Look around you, my friend. If God can speak all these things into existence, don’t fret about heaven or hell, time and eternity, sin and salvation, righteousness and unrighteousness. Stop worrying. Your God has proven that He knows how to take care of you. He is worthy of your trust. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27.