How Big is God

I have invited my sister-in-law, Anne Snider, to contribute to my blog for the thext couple of months.  I trust God will use her words to encourage you, as they have encouraged me.
 
"I had a Major for a Father.  He was small in stature but most certainly could command utmost attention and respect.   He flew in the RAF Coastal Command as a gunner during the Second World War.  After the war, my parents settled in Stratford where my brother was born in December of 1945; however, he was not the son that Dad had envisioned.  He wanted a son that would share some of the same interests as he so much relished but my brother wasn’t interested in the militia, Dad’s passion, nor was he attuned to sports which Dad thoroughly enjoyed.  Because of this, there was a definite disconnect. 
 
My brother tried to interest Dad in what he enjoyed most.  He loved to gaze at the stars and spent countless hours reading and studying about them.  All he desired for Christmas were telescopes and books on astronomy.  He familiarized himself with the different constellations like Leo and Pisces as well as star patterns such as the Big Dipper, part of the Big Bear, and the Little Dipper with the North Star at its handle’s end.  His interest in Star Trek began in 1966 and hasn’t really waned over the years.
 
“Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight . . . “  We are all familiar with this phrasing often found in a book of children’s nursery rhymes.  Childhood songs like, “Twinkle, twinkle little star,” are passed down to future generations.  “When You Wish upon a Star . . .” is a familiar Disney song in the movie “Pinocchio.”
 
But there is so much more to consider in the heavenly realm than knowing the different constellations or wishing upon a star.  Have you ever gazed into the night sky with awe and wonder?  I learned that the naked eye can see 20 quadrillion miles away.  The farthest object visible with the naked eye is the Andromeda galaxy, located an astonishing 2.6 million light-years from Earth.  Scientists have suggested that there are more stars in the sky than grains of sand in all the beaches in all the world.  My finite mind cannot begin to comprehend such vastness. 
 
Isaiah 40:26 tells us to “Look up into the heavens.  Who created all the stars?  God brings them out one after another, calling each by its name.  And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away.”  Wow, that’s so amazing to think about.  Every star has its own name! 
 
Sometimes we feel we are misunderstood by those we know and love, but our Heavenly Father knows us far more intimately than we even know ourselves.  In Isaiah 43:1, He tells us not to be afraid for He has ransomed us.  “I have called you by your name: you are mine.”  In Isaiah 49:16, He tells us that He has written our name on his hand.  That is so awesome to ponder.  Psalm 139 tells us that He knit us together in our mother’s womb and we are made so wonderfully.  How precious to know that even the hairs on our head are numbered.  (Jeremiah 1:5)  Indeed, we are God’s crowning creation.
The night sky is magnificent to gaze upon but let us be mindful not only to enjoy the creation but delight in the Creator. Let us like the psalmist, “Look at the night sky and see the work of ‘His’ fingers”.  “O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!”  (Psalm 8:1, 3)" - Anne Snider