Men and women have been trying to count the stars ever since Abraham, but no one knows the exact number except for God. He knows how many stars there are in the sky because He determined their number, just as He knows the number of all who are and will be saved.
But He did not just give each of the stars a number. That is what you do to prisoners and people waiting in line at the deli counter. He gave each of them a name. No two stars are named the same and each one is different. And every night, ever since that fourth night of the world in which God created the stars, and every night until that last night of the world, He brings each and every one of the stars out, calling each one by name, like a shepherd calling His sheep by name and each one knows the voice of its shepherd, and not one is missing.
It takes incredible faith to believe in a God you have never seen. That is why Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29 [RSV]). It takes even more faith to believe in His promises that will directly impact your life. Great faith comes from our resolve to believe in the Lord and Who He is, not what we can prove or intellectualize about Him. As a matter of fact, faith can be downright silly in man's eyes, even foolish. Instead of being self-conscious or embarrassed we should all pray to be more foolish in our faith. Why not expect God to move mountains in our lives?
Where is your faith today? Faith is meant to be active, not passive. If we do not keep exercising our faith, we get weak and can be tossed to and fro when the enemy comes to strike. And believe me, he is doing just that, which is why Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8 [RSV], “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Get into the word of God on a regular basis and ask the Lord to increase your faith. When you get that sense within your spirit that you need to move, then just do it! Step out and go for it. Sometimes when the fear is the greatest, you have to ask yourself: Who is trying to stop you and why? Fear is not of the Lord. So why is the enemy causing you to fear? He does not want you to succeed. Faith brings success.
Go and count the stars yourself. See the immensity of God’s universe. Be humbled by the profound mysteries of that great expanse spoken into existence through the power of the Almighty, and find your faith refreshed and renewed in the knowledge that that very same Creator Who made all the glorious splendor above is also the very same Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! 15. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; 16. for in Him all things were created, in Heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. 17. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17 [RSV])
But He did not just give each of the stars a number. That is what you do to prisoners and people waiting in line at the deli counter. He gave each of them a name. No two stars are named the same and each one is different. And every night, ever since that fourth night of the world in which God created the stars, and every night until that last night of the world, He brings each and every one of the stars out, calling each one by name, like a shepherd calling His sheep by name and each one knows the voice of its shepherd, and not one is missing.
It takes incredible faith to believe in a God you have never seen. That is why Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29 [RSV]). It takes even more faith to believe in His promises that will directly impact your life. Great faith comes from our resolve to believe in the Lord and Who He is, not what we can prove or intellectualize about Him. As a matter of fact, faith can be downright silly in man's eyes, even foolish. Instead of being self-conscious or embarrassed we should all pray to be more foolish in our faith. Why not expect God to move mountains in our lives?
Where is your faith today? Faith is meant to be active, not passive. If we do not keep exercising our faith, we get weak and can be tossed to and fro when the enemy comes to strike. And believe me, he is doing just that, which is why Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8 [RSV], “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Get into the word of God on a regular basis and ask the Lord to increase your faith. When you get that sense within your spirit that you need to move, then just do it! Step out and go for it. Sometimes when the fear is the greatest, you have to ask yourself: Who is trying to stop you and why? Fear is not of the Lord. So why is the enemy causing you to fear? He does not want you to succeed. Faith brings success.
Go and count the stars yourself. See the immensity of God’s universe. Be humbled by the profound mysteries of that great expanse spoken into existence through the power of the Almighty, and find your faith refreshed and renewed in the knowledge that that very same Creator Who made all the glorious splendor above is also the very same Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! 15. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; 16. for in Him all things were created, in Heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. 17. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17 [RSV])
2 comments:
Dear Preacher - I hope you get a lot of feedback from your blog. The time you are taking to spread goodness should at least be noticed, if not used for more good.
I just want to let you know that I "checked in" and to tell you this about "Count The Stars."
My first child came to me when I was 51 years-old. My second at at 54. The night Trey (7 now ) was born and I got everyone home and tucked in, I went outside (about 11P.M., looked up and thanked God for my beautiful baby boy. Ava (now 4) has joined that prayer and I have not missed one night thanking God for his gifts.
Cold, heat, rain - well a couple of nights forced me to kneel at their bedside while they slept - But I have not missed one night of thanks. Standing under the stars lets me have my moment with God that I cannot live without. We have some great talks.And I do "see the immensity of God's universe."
Thank you for your writings and God Bless.
Dear RayRay,
Thank you very much for your comments. I was feeling a bit discouraged, and thinking of pulling my blog, and then I saw what you had to say.
I don't believe your comment came when it did simply out of coincidence. God still acts in our lives.
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