There is something almost childlike about opening a gift—peeling back the wrapping, discovering what was hidden, experiencing the surprise of something chosen with love. Pastor Aaron opened his message with a story about the joy of giving gifts to his children and his wife, and how some gifts are wrapped in a way that intentionally builds anticipation. Scripture tells us that God does something similar. “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to search it out.” (Proverbs 25:2) Part of God’s nature is that He hides aspects of His glory—not to keep us at a distance, but to invite us closer. We were made to discover Him. Our glory is the joy of unveiling what He has wrapped in mystery.

Nowhere is this more visible than in the heavens. Genesis 1:1 simply states, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” But what God created is anything but simple. The universe is staggering in scope—galaxies stretching across millions of light-years, stars so large they make our sun look insignificant, and distances that the human mind can barely begin to grasp. If the observable universe were the size of the Earth, our entire solar system would be smaller than a grain of sand. Yet according to Scripture, all of this immensity has a purpose: to tell us something about God. The breadth of His capacity. The scale of His being. The glory of His character.

When we explore the heavens—whether by telescope or by a quiet glance up on a clear Alaskan night—we aren’t just observing nature. We are witnessing revelation. The universe communicates God’s mercy, His nearness, His power, and His unsearchable greatness. Passages throughout Psalms and the prophets use the heights of the heavens as a measurement of God’s love and faithfulness. The vastness of space isn’t meant to make us feel lost—it is meant to give us a reference point for how immeasurably higher God’s thoughts are than ours, how impossibly expansive His goodness is, and how deeply He outruns our sin with mercy.

But astonishingly, the universe is only the beginning. Scripture says that the heavens we can observe are merely a hintof the glory of God’s dwelling place—the real heaven that Stephen glimpsed as he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. Paul writes that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart imagined” what God has prepared for those who love Him. And Peter tells us that one day these present heavens will melt away, making room for a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells. The universe is a trailer. Heaven is the full film.

And yet—the Creator of all of it sees you. Psalm 33 says that “the Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of mankind.” Holding those two truths together is one of the greatest challenges of Christian maturity: the God who spins galaxies also knows your name. The One whose mercy spans light-years listens to your prayers. The God whose glory cannot be contained by the highest heavens loves you with intimate, tender attention. The heavens may make us feel small, but the gospel reminds us that we are not unseen. The Creator’s eyes are on you, and His heart is for you.

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Small Group Discussion Questions

1. Proverbs 25:2 says it’s God’s glory to conceal things and our glory to seek them out.
   How have you experienced this in your spiritual life—times when God revealed something to you slowly over time?
2. When you consider the scale of the universe, does it make you feel overwhelmed, insignificant, inspired, or something else?
   How does Scripture reshape those feelings?
3. Which of the three truths about the heavens—God’s capacity, God’s being, God’s character—speaks most to you right now, and why?
4. Pastor Aaron said the universe is only a “glimpse” of the glory to come.
   How does that shape your view of heaven and eternity?
5. Psalm 33 says God “looks from heaven” and sees you.
   What makes it challenging to believe that the God of the universe is genuinely attentive to your personal life?