So how many stars are there? A group of astronomers based at the Australian National University have calculated the number of stars as 70 sextillion — 7 followed by 22 zeros — and those are just the ones we’ve found so far. In case you’re wondering, 70 sextillion is 10 times as much as the number of grains of sand on all the world’s beaches and deserts. And yet God knows all these and has named them! Isn’t amazing that God still cares about us? And He has no idle curiosity in us: He knows everything about us! He knows the minutia of our lives, from where we go, when we sit, where we sleep, what we say, (Psalm 139: 1 – 4) and the very number of hairs on your head. (Matthew 10:30)

It boggles the mind! I have tried to comprehend this — the sheer power and knowledge of God, the fact that he knows absolutely everything about absolutely everything, and I am overwhelmed! I can only say with the psalmist, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, I cannot attain unto it.” God knew about each one of us before we were even born, ordaining us for a certain time and purpose, as God says in Jeremiah 1:5.

Even though He could have been counting the stars or creating new galaxies with a single command, God saw you before you were even born . . . and fell in love with you. With all our flaws and blemishes, He loved us enough to come to earth and die for us. He didn’t have too. He could have wiped us all off the face of the earth, and he would have been justified. As it says in Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” There are no exceptions, no room for debate. Therefore we all deserve to die. We broke the law, and we deserve punishment. But thank God the story doesn’t end there! Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” God paid the price that we couldn’t pay. He died for us so that we can live forever with Him in paradise! That is unwarranted mercy. That is unmerited favor. That is amazing.

Amazing grace: how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see.

I love that song so very much and I’m sure a lot of you do, too. This song describes God’s unfailing mercy and grace — and what a beautiful thing that is. No matter what we do or what we go through, Jesus’ grace is still abundant and beautiful! This song was written by a man named John Newton who worked on a slave ship? He didn’t even believe there was a God, but something sparked one day while he was at sea and His whole outlook on “slaves” changed.

John Newton was one of the many men in history that was saved by grace. Just like he looked at people differently after that point and showed them more grace, God looks down at us and gives us the same grace as He did to Mr. Newton! These things happen by God’s grace. Not by man’s grace or the grace of our own well-doing, but by God’s unfailing grace. God’s grace is how you wake up every morning. God’s grace is how we are able to live our lives.

Without God’s grace, would you be alive right now?  Titus 3:7 says “so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” We are justified by His grace! We are sanctified by His spirit! How beautiful is that? The awesome thing is that we as humans only have so much grace stored up within us, while Jesus has a never ending supply of it! “His grace is sufficient for me.” How true that is: if everything else fails in life, God’s grace will always be sufficient.

His grace that makes us who we are today. Galatians 1:15 says “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased.”  Jesus was graceful to us from birth. Even in our infancy when we didn’t know any better about anything, God’s grace was still there and still carried us through because of his perfect love.

Jesus loved us so much and wanted to show us that grace in such a powerful way that he was willing to get whipped, nailed to a cross, and die for us. He did it to take away our sins and to show us the grace and love he had for us. That was the greatest expression of love and grace anyone could ever give. God’s grace is always sufficient for me. And I hope that his grace is sufficient for you. Even when we don’t deserve anything. God looks down and gracefully gives us another chance.

Amazing grace: how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see. Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear, and Grace my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear the hour I first believed! Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come. ‘Tis Grace hath brought me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me. His Word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures. When we’ve been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we first begun.