Have you ever thought about how huge the universe is–and that its very creator knows you personally? It’s so exciting to know that the God who created the universe knows me; and that the God I worship created such a vast universe.
Consider the following scripture:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5)
I look up into the sky and I know that the God I worship created all that is above me. I look down on the earth and I know that the God I worship created all that is below me. I look around me and I see the works of His hand in the flowers, grass, trees and all the creatures that inhabit this wonderful world we live in. God created the heavens and the earth.
In verse 2 we read that even in the darkest of times, the Spirit of God knows where everything is. Here we see the Sprit of God “hovering over the waters’. That means that the Spirit knew where the waters were even with no light, anywhere, in the universe.
The closest I can come to this experience is waking up in the middle of the night and getting out of bed with the lights off. I rely so much on the senses God has given me. I discover where the floor is by the “feel” of the carpet under my feet. I bump into the dresser as I walk across the room. I step on the toys my daughter has left on the floor. I walk into closed doors that my wife had shut when she went to bed. I search for door knobs by touch with my hands. Without light I take my life in my own hand as I walk the gauntlet of dog toys, bones, towels and books on the floor on the way to the bathroom.
Just think, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. He was not feeling his way, but knew where the water was. In the dark I have to make my way along the path by feeling.
Focus for a moment on verse 3 where it says, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” There is so much discussion about this topic of light. When I was taking classes in engineering at the university we learned that light travels at exactly 299,792,458 meters per second (fixed by definition). I read about the wavelength of light that is visible to my eyes and about the electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength. I read about the elementary particle that defines light which is the photon.
A photon is responsible for electromagnetic interactions and light in particular. A photon is mass less and moves at the speed of light in empty space. This is where I stop and smile and praise God. In an instant, by the Word of God, God spoke and there was light.
This is where childlike faith comes into play for me. Not just at one point in the universe was there light, but there was light everywhere in the universe. That means that God had to create photon’s that were everywhere instantly, traveling at the speed of light in a specific direction. Just think of that. He instantly creates a photon traveling at 186000 miles a second or 700 million miles an hour traveling in a specific direction, thorough out the universe.
To really understand this concept of “everywhere” lets consider the distance to the nearest star. The nearest star to the Earth is Proxima Centauri which is 39.9 trillion kilometers, or about 4.2 light years away from the earth. A light year is the distance light travels in a year. That would mean that if God spoke and light appeared everywhere that there was light at the moment He spoke it on Earth as well as 4.2 light years away and everywhere in between and beyond. Isn’t that exciting? God spoke and all these photons were created all over the universe, in an instant, and lit up everything. If that wasn’t enough just consider the next verse:
God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.
God separated the light from the darkness! Isn’t that exciting? That means that He stopped these photons from traveling! Just think about that. He stopped light. Just think about that. He stopped a particle of light traveling at 186000 miles an hour in an instant.
We have another story in the Bible about when God stopped light. Here we read about how God brought about darkness over Egypt.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt–darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. (Exodus 10:21-23)
Note in verse 22 where it says, “total darkness covered all Egypt.” The Egyptians didn’t even have candle light.
Now note in verse 23 where it says, “Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.” That means that they had candle light. The God I worship controls light. That is so exciting!
Take some time one evening and look out of your window, and look at your neighbor’s house. Let’s assume that they are home and their lights are on. You can see their lights radiating from their house. That didn’t happen for the Egyptians. They had no light, and they could see no light. That means that they couldn’t see the light from the homes of the Israelites. They were in “total darkness.”
I encourage you to continue your journey by reading the following verses:
Isaiah 40:12; Job 38:31-33; Psalm 33:6-9; 148:5; Hebrews 11:3; 2 Corinthians 4:6
I pray that the Lord of all there is will shine His light on you and bless you as you explore your faith in the light of His word.
Scripture references taken from the New International Version. Copyright 1973,1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.