Called by Name

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”
(Psalm 33:6)

“Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.”
(Isaiah 40:26 NIV)

“He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.”
(Psalm 147:4-5)

Have you ever looked up into the night sky and wondered just how many stars there are in space? This question has fascinated scientists as well as philosophers, musicians and dreamers throughout the ages.

Look into the sky on a clear night, out of the glare of streetlights, and you will see a few thousand individual stars with your naked eyes. With even a modest amateur telescope, millions more will come into view.[i]

So how many stars are there in the Universe? It is easy to ask this question, but difficult for
scientists to give a fair answer!

People have studied the mass distribution of stars in the galaxy. Further, one also knows the amount of light put out by each type of star. So, by measuring the total amount of light in the galaxy (called luminosity), and knowing the mass, one can estimate the number of stars that are there in the galaxy. So, even though we cannot actually count the number of stars in the galaxy, we can estimate the number of stars in the galaxy as roughly 100 billion (100,000,000,000).[ii]
I don’t know about you, but billion isn’t a number I typically use as a part of my vocabulary on a daily basis. So, how many are 100 billion? If we were to count 250 a minute—day and night—it would take us about 1,000 years to count to 100 billion. Multiply this by a few trillion, the probable number of galaxies. [iii]

Signs in the Heavens
***Stars are amazing things. Religions have been formed around them. Even today Astrology, Horoscopes and the New Age movement capitalize on them. Could the stars really be speaking to us trying to tell us something – something of the past, something of the present, even something of the future? Could God have designed them in such away to tell of His coming rule? Check out Appendix one. It contains some thought provoking ideas in regards to stars, astrology, astrological signs and the message of Christ.***



Ponder...

Have you ever felt small and overlooked by God? Think of the 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone. They are each numbered and named by God Almighty. None of them hare missing, how much more must He be attentive to us, who have His very Spirit dwelling inside!?



While thinking of the vastness of the stars alone, think of the implications of the following declaration of Christ after rising from the grave and conquering the power of sin and death.. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me.”

“We had the sky, up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made,
or only just happened.”
Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn



God Made the Sun
God made the sun—it gives.
God made the moon—it gives.
God made the stars—they give.
God made the air—it gives.
God made the clouds—they give.
God made the earth—it gives.
God made the sea—it gives.
God made the trees—they give.
God made the flowers—they give.
God made the fowls—they give.
God made the beasts—they give.
God made the plants—they give.
God made man—he …[iv]

[i] http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM75BS1VED_extreme_0.html.
[ii] http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=31.
[iii] Tan, P. L. 1996, c1979.
[iv] Tan, P. L. 1996, c1979.