“We decided long ago that we aren’t going to serve to get noticed. We serve for two reasons: to meet basic needs and to create positive relationships.” Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson, The Externally Focused Church. (Kindle location 1121).
Everything that exists was created with a purpose or purposes in mind. Given that reality of intelligent design in creation, one wanders just what purposes the stars might serve.
The Bible says that when God created the universe, he made all the stars on the fourth day. He created them to light up the night sky, but also as a sort of prehistoric calendar – a way of determining what day and year it is, and what season we are in. Nowadays it is much easier to do that with a wall calendar, a watch or an electronic device.
Another use that people have made of the stars is navigation. With the right knowledge and instruments, people could travel all over the planet, with the stars telling them where they were, and which way to head to get where they were going.
Another ancient use of the stars was an early way of sharing the gospel. People who had never even seen the Bible told each other a story of God’s plan for history. The story began with a virgin giving birth (Virgo) and ended with a coming triumphant lion king (Leo). The story has been corrupted over time, so most people think of the zodiac as something entirely different.
One of the most important uses of the stars is as a symbol of God’s covenant with Abraham, a covenant all Christians share in. God promised Abraham that he would bless him, and that through him, he would bless the nations. Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations, so many that the uncountable stars are their symbol. If you are a believer in Christ, one of those stars stands for you. You count.
LORD, thank you that we are counted as children of Abraham, through Christ. Thank you that because of your promise, we count!
“I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky…” (Genesis 22:17 NET).
Bible Verses to Think and Pray About:
Follow these links to verses about how important you are to God:
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