how strong is He...?

How strong is He...?

The earth's weight has been estimated at six sextillion tons (that's a six with 21 zeros). Yet it is perfectly balanced and turns easily on its axis. It revolves daily at the rate of more than 1,000 miles per hour or 25,000 miles each day. This adds up to nine million miles a year. Considering the tremendous weight of six sextillion tons rolling at this fantastic speed around an invisible axis, held in place by unseen bands of gravitation, the words of Job 26:7 take on unparalleled significance: "He poised the earth on nothingness."

The earth revolves in its own orbit around the sun, making the long elliptical circuit of six hundred million miles each year --- which means we are traveling in orbit at 19 miles per second or 1,140 miles per hour.

Job further invites us to meditate on "the wonders of God" (37:14). Consider the sun. Every square yard of the sun's surface is emitting constantly an energy level of 130,000 horsepower (that is, approximately 450 eight-cylinder automobile engines), in flames that are being produced by an energy source much more powerful than coal.

The nine major planets in our solar system range in distance from the sun from 36 million to about 3 trillion, 6,664 billion miles; yet each moves around the sun in exact precision, with orbits ranging from 88 days for Mercury to 248 years for Pluto.

Still, the sun is only one minor star in the 100 billion orbs which comprise our Milky Way galaxy. If you were to hold out a dime, a ten-cent piece, at arm's length, the coin would block out 15 million stars from your view, if your eyes could see with that power.

When we attempt to comprehend the almost countless stars and other heavenly bodies in the Milky Way alone, we resonate to Isaiah's paean of praise to the all-powerful Creator: "Lift up your eyes and look. Who made these stars if not he who drills them like an army, calling each one by name? So mighty is his power, so great his strength, that not one fails to answer" (40:26). 

--- Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel 

How strong... is... He...?

Strong enough... to hold all things... together...

He is before all things,

and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:17 NIV

This week's readings for The Journey...

Monday                  Exodus 8

Tuesday                  Exodus 9

Wednesday            Exodus 10-11

Thursday                Exodus 12

Friday                     Exodus 13-14