A hundred years ago, Albert Einstein announced his theory of general relativity, changing the world of science forever. One of the most groundbreaking discoveries he unveiled is that our universe is constantly expanding. This staggering fact is a great reminder not just of how large our universe is, but of something the Psalmist said: “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12 KJV).

This is the incredible reality of God’s grace provided to us through the sacrifice of his only Son, our Lord Jesus. The Psalmist’s wording is no mistake. “As far as the east is from the west” is meant to stretch our minds and give us the mental image of a distance beyond our own imagination. Because just as it’s difficult to imagine anything beyond the size of the physical universe, so it should be even more difficult to imagine anything greater than our redemption in Christ, especially when we consider the magnitude of what was redeemed.

You see, our sin put an immovable gulf between God and us. But through Christ’s work on the cross, all of that changed. That gulf between God and us was reversed. God has in Christ reconciled the world to himself. And we are now invited to draw near to him as family, and to live in right relationship with the Triune God for all eternity. He provides his Spirit to empower us to turn to him and surrender our lives to him so that the life of Jesus may be lived out in us.

So the next time you stare up at the night sky, remember that God’s mercy surpasses the limits of our vast universe, and that even the furthest distances we know are still tiny compared to his immense love for us.

I’m Joseph Tkach, Speaking of LIFE.