This artist's rendering shows the biggest but never-before-seen ring around Saturn in infrared light. (AP Photo/NASA)
Thanks to NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the eyes of the world have recently been focused on Saturn, the second-largest planet in the Solar System. According to CNN: “Scientists at NASA have discovered a nearly invisible ring around Saturn -- one so large that it would take 1 billion Earths to fill it.”
The bulk of the massive newly sighted ring starts about 3.7 million miles (6 million km) away from the planet and extends outward another 7.4 million miles (12 million km). The ring's orbit is tilted 27 degrees from the planet's main ring plane. With Saturn’s diameter being nine times greater than Earth’s, the diameter of the supersized ring is equivalent to lining up 300 Saturns side by side. Most amazingly its entire volume can hold one billion Earths.
Reading about these discoveries in outer space and other current events caused me to see and appreciate the magnitude of the creative power of God in a new way. This information is staggering in light of the demonstrated power of God manifested through the Spoken Word of God recorded in Genesis where “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Later the account indicates, “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night....” Then almost as a modest aside, we learn “He made the stars also.” All the starry hosts with its millions upon millions of stars God made, each of which He numbered and called by name. With this awareness of who God is in mind, I acknowledge that no matter how challenging and insurmountable any situation may appear to be, I should recall that nothing is too hard for God. He asks, “I am the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?” In fact, the old gospel song reminds us,
Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?
Got any mountains you cannot tunnel through?
God specializes in things called impossible,
And He will do what no other power (Holy Ghost power) can do.
God Is Able:
One of the most powerful expressions of God’s power or ability is found in the prayer recorded by Paul in Ephesians 3:16-23.
Ephesians 3:20 shines as one of the crowning jewels in that exquisite expression of God’s ability:
And God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.
The recent discoveries in outer space also helped to see in an even more profound way that, indeed, “God is able.” I thought of the lyrics to this song:
He's able, He's able, I know He's able,
I know my Lord is able to carry me through.
He's able, He's able, I know He's able,
I know my Lord is able to carry me through.
He healed the broken hearted and set the captive free,
He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see;
He's able, He's able, I know He's able,
I know my Lord is able to carry me through.
I close with the magnificent benediction from Jude which is a further reminder that God is able:
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, now and ever. Amen.
Listen to an earlier recording of Wintley Phipps, a powerful singer offering this powerful song, “He Is Able”:
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