Perspective on God's Power

I keep this picture of the Whirlpool Galaxy (or M51 as it is known to astronomers) on my desk. This galaxy is 50,000 light years across. A light year is the distance light travels in one year. Considering that light travels 186 million miles per second, a light year is a bit of a walk. The pins of light you see are clusters of stars. The galaxy is estimated to contain 160 billion stars. The stars are swirling around a central vortex, creating this beautiful spiral pattern. As if these statistics aren't mind-boggling enough, consider that this is just one of an uncountable number of galaxies spread across the infinite space of the universe.

I'm not an astronomer. I like this picture because it reminds me of the immense power of God. The power that is swirling these stars through space knows me and loves me - the Bible says so over and over. If God can do this with stars, what cannot God do?

How does God touch man? - through the Christ. "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ" (Revelation 12:10). The Bible is full of examples of the power of God in man's life. God is still active in our lives. (Click here to read contemporary examples or here to read a personal experience in my life).

One final astronomical tidbit. At the center of this galaxy is a black hole. Swirling across the black hole perpendicular to it are two immense dust clouds. Here's a close up picture of the black hole with the dust clouds. Is this cross appearance at the center of the galaxy a coincidence? Who can say? - but its a cool reminder of the presence of the Christ throughout the universe and in your life!

God's Presence

I mentioned in an earlier blog (Faces of the Christ) my travels to Mongolia and seeing the presence of the Christ expressed throughout the country. Going to Mongolia was my choice, but in the days preceding the trip I began to feel a bit apprehensive about going. Mongolia seemed so far from home. What I discovered in Mongolia though, was that even though the country was physically a long way from my home, I felt just as close to God in Mongolia as I have anywhere else. God seemed to be just as present and powerful and in control of my life.

I've been thinking about that. God's presence and power must be just as real and immediate in other places too - like Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan. This truth gives me a sense of hope and comfort about the people in these troubled regions. Of course many people on both sides of the issues are claiming to act in accordance with God's will, but as the presence and power of God are more clearly understood it will be seen that God's will for each of us cannot lead to conflict with another of His ideas.

I've also realized that God's presence and power must also embrace all those that have passed on. Its comforting for me to realize that the power and presence of God that I feel is just as immediately available and real now to my friends and family that have passed from this world.

The Lord's Prayer, given to us by Jesus, includes the line "Thy kingdom come". In the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy the spiritual sense of this verse is given as "Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present". Conscious, constant acknowledgement of this great fact will help us realize peace in our own lives as well as through out the world.