I used to be an avid hiker spending weeks at a time with friends in the mountains of New Mexico. There is nothing like pitching your tent thousands of feet above sea-level. The air is crisp and clean. Your whole body gives way to a relaxed state. You want to stay there forever.

One night my friends and I were camped in a clearing approximately seven-thousand feet above sea level. We stood outside our tents mesmerized. Speechless. The brightness of the stars — the universe — it’s hard to put it into words the feelings and thoughts gushing through your body and mind at that moment. As I stood looking up at the gathering planets and stars, I closed my eyes and began imagining the God who had created it all standing to address the galaxies. At that moment the universe became quiet. Then all of heaven — stars, planets, moons — suddenly stood and erupted in applause. After a bit of time, I felt the heavens again grow quiet as the universe bowed in worship. In that moment I stood in awe with my hands lifted towards the heavens and repeated the words of Nehemiah: “YOU ARE THE LORD, YOU ALONE; YOU HAVE MADE THE HEAVENS, THE HEAVEN OF HEAVENS WITH ALL THEIR HOSTS, the EARTH and EVERYTHING THAT IS ON IT, the SEAS and EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THEM. YOU GIVE LIFE TO ALL OF THEM, and THE HEAVENLY HOST IS BOWING DOWN IN WORSHIP TO YOU!” [Nehemiah 9:6 (AMP)]

Over the years I have looked into the expanse of the “known” universe and discovered some amazing things. Before the invention of the telescope in the 1600s, stargazers could only count a few hundred stars. In the Old Testament (O.T.) book of Genesis, God compared the number of stars to the number of grains of sand on every seashore (Genesis 22:17). You would think that linking the number of stars in the heavens to the sand on the beach would be an absurd conjecture for a mere human author to make 6,000 years ago and, yet, throughout the O.T. God compared the number of stars to the grains of sand on Earth.

For the next 3 centuries following the invention of the telescope, mankind only knew of several billion stars — still not enough to compare the stars in the heavens to the sand on the seashore. Until 1989, that is….

In 1989, two astronomers, Margaret Geller and John Huchra, discovered a “Great Wall” of galaxies spanning millions of light-years. This “Great Wall” is estimated to be 500 million light-years (3 quintillion miles) long, 200 million light-years (1.2 quintillion miles) wide, and 15 million light-years (90 quadrillion miles) thick.

The “Great Wall” consists of more than 15,000 galaxies, each with billions of stars. Based on detailed measurements of each galaxy’s brightness, astronomers can render an approximate number of stars each galaxy contains. They estimate that this “Great Wall” consists of 1,500 trillion (1,500,000,000,000,000) solar systems! It is not known how much farther the Wall extends due to light absorption in out Milky Way galaxy.

The following year (1990), astronomers discovered more than a dozen other evenly distributed clumps of galaxies, suggesting a structure to the universe that is so regular and immense that it defied the then-existent theories of cosmic origins. A team led by an Australian astronomer calculated the number of stars in the “known” universe to be 70 sextillions. Seventy sextillions is 70 followed by 21 zeros; so 70 sextillions is 70 followed by 21 zeros x 70 followed by 21 zeros (or 343,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)! One scientist made the statement that this unfathomable number is “more than 10 times the grains of sand on every beach and desert on earth!” In 2003, speaking at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union meeting in Sydney, Dr Simon Driver said, “The actual number of stars could be infinite. The universe is so big light from the other side of the universe hasn’t reached us yet.”

Mind… BLOWN!

Ready to have your mind blown again? Creation.com writes, “Suppose we used a computer that could perform 10,000 million calculations in one second. Even at this great speed, it would require 30 million years of non-stop counting to count the stars.” The Psalmist wrote, “GOD COUNTS THE NUMBER OF THE STARS; HE CALLS THEM ALL BY THEIR NAMES. Our Lord is great, with limitless strength; we will never comprehend what He knows and does” [Psalm 147:4 (AMP)]. As a Christian author, John Piper, rightly noted in “The Pleasures of God”: “What is this universe but the lavish demonstration of the incredible, incomparable, unimaginable exuberance and wisdom and power and greatness of God! What a God He must be!”

If that weren’t enough, around the 5th century B.C., the first documented reference of the “Spherical Earth” concept was mentioned by ancient Greek philosophers. However, the God of the Bible taught the earth was round in approximately 739 B.C.E.: “Don’t you understand the foundation of all things? Are you deaf to the words of God — the words He gave before the world began? Who else could have done it except God, who sits enthroned high above THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH…? From such a vantage people seem like grasshoppers to Him. Who else but God could stretch out the skies as if they were a curtain, draw them tight, suspend them over our heads like the roof of a tent?” [Isaiah 40:21-22 (VOICE)]. And long before it was accepted by astronomers, God has repeatedly told us the universe is ever-expanding (Isaiah 42:5; Jeremiah 51:15; Zachariah 12:1). Even Einstein believed the universe was static and should have collapsed on itself. He later admitted his mistake when in 1929, astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that distant galaxies were receding from the earth, and the further away they were, the faster they were moving.

It wasn’t that long-ago scientists insisted the Sun was stationary. Of course, now we know the Sun is traveling through space at approximately 600,000 miles per hour. It is moving through space in a huge circuit. In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus finally put forth his theory the earth rotated around the Sun. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said this about Copernicus’ discovery: “Of all discoveries and opinions, none may have exerted a greater effect on the human spirit than the doctrine of Copernicus. The world has scarcely become known as round and complete in itself when it was asked to waive the tremendous privilege of being the center of the universe.” However, the O.T. scriptures taught this more than 3,000 thousand years ago: “The SUN’S RISING IS FROM ONE END OF THE HEAVENS, and ITS CIRCUIT TO THE OTHER END OF THEM; and there is nothing hidden from its heat” (Psalm 19:6). There was a time when scientists scoffed at God’s teaching in Psalm 19:6.

We’ve barely touched on the universe and our minds are blown. We haven’t even mentioned the intricacies of the human body or plants or vegetation. Who can fathom those things? When I think about God’s hand in all of creation I can’t help but say, “OUR LORD IS GREAT, with LIMITLESS STRENGTH; WE WILL NEVER COMPREHEND WHAT HE KNOWS and DOES” [Psalm 147:4 (AMP)].

Often times I have wondered, as the Psalmist did: “When I gaze to the skies and meditate on Your creation — on the moon, stars, and all You have made, I can’t help but wonder WHY YOU CARE and are MINDFUL ABOUT EACH OF US INDIVIDUALLY, for we are like specks of dust floating about the cosmos” [Psalm 8:3-4 (VOICE)]. So, why me? Why you? I have contemplated King David’s words many times: “HOW PRECIOUS ARE YOUR THOUGHTS TO ME, O GOD! How vast is the sum of them! IF I COULD COUNT THEM, THEY WOULD OUTNUMBER THE SAND.” [Psalm 139:17-18 (VOICE)].

None of us will ever know why this strong creator God of the Bible cares for each of us. His love for mankind is mind-blowing in itself. Yet, over and over again, God reminds us of His love. All we have to do is look around and, “SEE WHAT AN INCREDIBLE LOVE THE FATHER HAS SHOWN TO US! [1 John 3:1 (VOICE)].

God’s love calls out to us every day. He wants us to “comprehend with all God’s people the WIDTH and LENGTH and HEIGHT and DEPTH OF HIS LOVE [to FULLY EXPERIENCE HIS AMAZING, ENDLESS LOVE]” [Ephesians 3:18 (VOICE)].

As a Christ-follower, I am constantly reminded and overwhelmed by the greatness of God. There are times when I look at the night sky and all I want to do is applaud God. To stand in that moment applauding, lifting my hands, and worshipping the strong creator God. Yet, as Louie Giglio says, “Singing stars and earth’s ovation cannot drown God’s desire to hear your voice. In the midst of a miraculous and immense symphony of praise, God is still mindful of you, going to extraordinary lengths to give you life and breath through His Son (Jesus Christ).”

At Cold Dead Hands we are not about religion. Religion binds and enslaves people. Religion manipulates people. We call ourselves “Christ-followers.” Our faith lies in our relationship with Jesus Christ and the tenants Christ laid out in both the Old and New Testaments. Like our founder, Patrick James, reminds us: “Being a follower of Christ isn’t about being perfect… I’m just an imperfect guy, living in an imperfect world, trying to serve a Perfect Christ. It’s not easy… but it makes a difference in my life. It helps highlight truths… and it helps me to be a better person tomorrow, than I was today.”

If you are not a Christ-follower, know that I would never infringe on your right to believe differently than me. In fact, I love hearing from every sector of our readers. Your questions and comments are important.

In the meantime, whether you are a Christ-follower or not, I hope these words will encourage you. They might even motivate you next time you find yourself under the dome of galaxies.

“ON YOUR FEET NOW — APPLAUD GOD! SHOUT JOYFULLY TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH. SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS and DELIGHT. BRING A GIFT OF LAUGHTER, SING YOURSELVES INTO HIS PRESENCE WITH JOYFUL SINGING. KNOW and FULLY RECOGNIZE WITH GRATITUDE that THE LORD HIMSELF IS GOD. HE MADE US; WE DID NOT MAKE HIM. WE ARE HIS — HIS PEOPLE WE ARE, HIS WELL-TENDED TO SHEEP. (Therefore), ENTER HIS GATES WITH A SONG OF THANKSGIVING and HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE. BE THANKFUL TO HIM, BLESS and PRAISE HIS NAME.” [Psalm 100 (MSG)]

“THANK GOD BECAUSE HE IS GOOD, because HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS. TELL THE WORLD… ‘HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS!’ And you, clan of Aaron, TELL THE WORLD, ‘HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS!’ And YOU WHO FEAR GOD, JOIN IN, ‘HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS!’ PUSHED TO THE WALL, I CALLED OUT TO GOD; FROM THE WIDE-OPEN SPACES, HE ANSWERED… GOD IS MY STRONG CHAMPION… FAR BETTER TO TAKE REFUGE IN GOD THAN TRUST IN PEOPLE; FAR BETTER TO TAKE REFUGE IN GOD THAN TRUST IN CELEBRITIES… I WAS RIGHT ON THE CLIFF-EDGE, READY TO FALL WHEN GOD GRABBED and HELD ME. GOD IS MY STRENGTH, HE IS ALSO MY SONG, and NOW HE IS MY SALVATION… I DID NOT DIE. I LIVED! And NOW I AM TELLING THE WORLD WHAT GOD DID… LET US CELEBRATE and BE FESTIVE… GOD IS GOD, HE HAS BATHED US IN LIGHT… O MY GOD, I LIFT HIGH YOUR PRAISE. THANK GOD — HE IS SO GOOD. HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS!” [Psalm 118 (MSG)]

Therefore, “PRAISE GOD, EVERYBODY! APPLAUD GOD, ALL PEOPLE! HIS LOVE HAS TAKEN OVER OUR LIVES; GOD’S FAITHFUL WAYS ARE ETERNAL. HALLELUJAH!” [Psalm 117:1-2 (MSG)]

BE. EXTREME. TODAY.