“We will finally touch the sun.”

Those confident words come from scientist Nicola Fox, who is working with NASA to send spacecraft to the sun. The groundbreaking mission could launch as early as next summer, according to National Geographic. 

Of course, the still-in-development spacecraft won’t literally touch the sun in the way we might think. But it will come within 4 million miles — which is eight times closer than any human-engineered machine has come before. The sun is over 90 million miles away from Planet Earth.

The spacecraft is being constructed with a shield that can withstand the 3.5 million degrees Fahrenheit temperatures of the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona. It will help scientists solve puzzles like why the corona is hotter than the sun’s surface, and what creates solar wind. 

As I read about the mission — such as how precisely orchestrated Venus flybys will help the spacecraft get closer to the sun as it orbits around exactly 24 times over seven years — I was struck with awe. The kind of awe a person like me feels after watching something like Hidden Figures, a recent movie depicting the overlooked minds that were instrumental in launching successful American space travel. How can people be that smart? Math and science, let alone the kind necessary for space travel, have never been my strong suit.

But those feelings are immediately dwarfed by a much greater awe. 

Not Even a Speck

This new mission to the sun reminds me that the most intelligent scientists are still trying to solve the mysteries of the universe. There is so much even they don’t know. While the impending trip to the sun is a major human accomplishment, the star is minuscule compared to everything else.

Yes, our solar system revolves around the sun. But our solar system is just one in our galaxy. And how many galaxies, each containing billions of stars, are there in the universe? Not even scientists are sure, but they conjecture hundreds of billions. Hundreds of billions of galaxies with hundreds of billions of stars. The sun is just one of those stars. And were our planet next to the sun, it would barely be visible.

For a better idea of just how vast the universe is, watch this video.

The 196.9 million square miles we earthlings call home is not even a speck in the uncharted territory our Creator has made. 

He Sees Me

When I finally stand face to face with my Creator, I look forward to learning more about his awesome universe, which my human brain cannot completely understand right now. Until then, it’s enough for me to know that it’s out there — all of it, so much of it that even the most brilliant brains on the planet can’t comprehend it all. 

Why is it enough for me to know? Because it gives me perspective. Perspective that no matter how big the universe is, it’s not bigger than my God. It’s subject to him. He made it out of nothing.

When I think about this, I suddenly realize that my fears, my frustrations, and my failures are invisible and insignificant in comparison.

Yet they are not invisible to God. And they are not insignificant to him. 

He is El Roi, the God who sees. The God who sees the farthest supercluster of galaxies — and at the same time, sees me. Sees me and cares.

That is why, while NASA’s upcoming trip to the sun inspires awe, it will never inspire the kind of awe that my God does. But it does remind me to think about just how great he is — and bow in grateful astonishment at his love for us.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1

For another breathtaking video, watch this pilot’s documentation of our own galaxy, and praise God for his creation.