By Judy Villanueva

“Could we with ink the ocean fill,
   And were the skies of parchment made,  
Were every stalk on earth a quill,  
And every man a scribe by trade;  
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;  
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
  Though stretched from sky to sky.

 Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!  
How measureless and strong.   It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.” (Frederick Lehman)

There was no moon that night.  I sat on the deck in my favorite spot with my face pointed upward at the sky, listening to the hushed song of the pines as the summer breeze played chase amongst their needles.  The stars joined us with a heavenly brilliance that stretched out like diamonds across the black expanse.  Magnificent!  It was as though God had taken off the sky-blue lid that covers the earth by day and invited a peek into infinity!  I felt so small by comparison and insignificant in the grand scheme of heaven and earth.  I remember thinking of all the millions of people who had come before me since the beginning of time and even now, considered that I am but one among millions on planet earth.  Beneath the twinkling canopy that enveloped me I prayed,  “How, Oh God, can You know me?  I am but a speck in the vastness of creation.”  And, that is when it got interesting!

Feeling that our lives have meaning is so core to our sense of well being that relating to a speck of dust can cause an unpleasant plummet.  Indeed, it did for me that starlit summer night until, that is,  I became aware of God speaking to my heart.  He said, “You’ve got it all wrong, daughter.  You are looking at things backwards.  Come! Sit with Me.”   In those gentle moments under the heavens, I felt God enlarging my vision and redirecting my focus from my finite way of looking at my place in the universe to His face.  Boom!  There, all previous notions of insignificance evaporated and what was left were the beautiful eyes of my Father.

What had once spelled out “speck”, now spelled out “LOVED”, and rather than feeling small and insignificant, I felt in awe of God’s capacity to know ME among millions.

That He can and that He does  makes Him an awesome Father and mighty God!  His love infuses our lives with meaning and transforms unpleasant plummets into a dances of wonder and worship!

God’s love spreads out around us all the time!  It is the ground beneath our feet and the sky-blue lid over our heads.  God’s love is grand, profuse, and ecstatic with joy!  It celebrates our company and eagerly awaits our notice.  The love of God is star-studded spectacular,  pure, and everlasting!  The night sky no longer speaks to me of my smallness, but shouts to me of my Father’s glory and grandness…and through it I see His beautiful eyes that watch over me!

“Father, the stars will probably always take my breath away and remind me of this very night and way you helped me see beyond myself.  Help me again and again to seek and find your face.  Thank You for loving me.  Amen.”

What about you?

Do you believe that God really knows and notices you?

Have you ever thought about God’s measureless capacity to know and love you personally?

What does it mean about God that He can?

How would it feel to live a day noticed and known by God?

Do you know how to sit with God?  Try it…He’s waiting for you.

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
 your faithfulness to the skies.  (Psalm 36:5)

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