In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Genesis 1:1-5

God is the king of the universe. He is the creator and the author of all that is around us. Each day this amazes me. I cannot conceive the intricate nature of knitting together an entire universe in just a few days. Then to think that He had to send His son to die on a cross for us to fulfill His own desire to save the people He created is astounding. Jesus was also the king of the universe. He referenced the kingdom of God several times during His reign on earth. Jesus told the Pharisees more than once that He was the one in charge of the kingdom of God and the universe. But what does this mean for me today?

If Jesus provides rule over the universe it means that He is in control even when we think He is not with us. It means that He is orchestrating amazing feats of nature, keeping the planets aligned, allowing the wind to blow and the tides to change from high to low each and everyday. Even something as simple as a bumble bee flying is an act of the king of the universe.

Did you know that it should be physically impossible for a bumble bee to fly? Their wings are actually too small for their bodies and it is an anomaly that they are capable of sustaining their own weight during flight. It’s an anomaly until you realize that the creator of the universe designed the bumble bee this way and in His eyes, this tiny little creature is perfect and there is nothing strange at all about this phenomenon. When we think to what this must mean in our own lives for Jesus to still be king of the universe the ramifications are huge.

It means that Jesus knows when children are born with defects and He still values and loves them as a part of His creation. They are beautiful in His sight. He knows that through that child valuable lessons of love, patience, tolerance and forgiveness will be shared with others in the world.

When storms literally come and blow down our house and tear apart our lives we learn the value of having Jesus as the King of our Universe. We must learn to pick up the pieces and rejoice over the small things the storm did not take with it – our hope, our endurance, and our strength that come only from Him. Imagine how lonely it must be to watch all of the destruction and not have a peace that passes all understanding or a hope that knows no bounds. I watched my friends from New Orleans sift through the molded leftovers from Katrina and cry out to God over the things they had lost. God is okay with this. He does not expect that we will always understand or be silent in our grief or anger. The important lesson is to move past this to see the workings of God through our suffering and anguish. Years later I still marvel at their courage and their perseverance in being capable to see the rainbows that came after the storm and remember the promise that God gave to Noah that He would never destroy the world again with a flood.

On September 11th we we were reminded that when planes suddenly crash into buildings led by terrorists and millions of people are left scared, alone and without their loved ones, the King of the Universe is holding open His arms through the doors of His church and His people to take them in and comfort them. He allowed Amazing Grace to be sung by politicians, prayers to be heard on national television and his word was available to ease their distress. He allowed missionaries held hostage to be set free and the cries of others to be heard in all the nations and known for their martyrdom.

The most amazing thing to me is that Jesus knew all these things, the injustice, the cruelty, the love, the hate, the whining, the groans of loss, the pain of abuse, the want for peace and still chose to die for us on a cross to save us. Only the King of the Universe could have that kind of power. This is the kind of power that allows me, a sinner, to call on Him today and be saved through His grace and mercy.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

John 4:7-12