Editor’s note: Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science, Louie Giglio’s popular devotional for kids is so fascinating that adults often buy it for themselves! Packed with scripture and fantastic data about everything from seahorses to stars to the depth of the ocean, this devotional is a page-turner. Enjoy this excerpt and share with a young friend.
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God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid. He gave us a spirit of power and love and self-control. — 2 Timothy 1:7
The Sun — it warms our faces and gives light to our days. We also draw pictures of it: a small, bright-yellow ball with a smiley face in the center. It just seems so... friendly.
But that’s only because the Sun is 93 million miles away!
Up close, our Sun isn’t very friendly at all. It’s a raging inferno of flames. The temperature of the Sun’s core is 27 million degrees Fahrenheit! And it isn’t some small, yellow ball either. It’s huge — ginormously huge! If Earth were the size of a golf ball, the Sun would be about the size of an elephant.
God breathed that Sun out of His mouth (check out Psalm 33:6). What does that tell us about God?
He is mighty. He is awesome. He is able to do things we cannot even begin to imagine. Our God is ferocious in His power!
What does God do with all that power? He gives His power to you. When you are tired of trying to do the right thing and getting nowhere, when your worries make you afraid to take a step, or when you feel attacked by troubles too big to handle on your own, don’t be scared. Be bold! Be brave! Call out to God in prayer, and ask Him for His power. He will answer. And His Spirit will make you strong and mighty and powerful. Trust God. He is ferociously on your side, and He’s got this.
Lord, I will never look at the Sun quite the same way. Your power is awesome! Thank You for loving me so much that You use the same power that breathed out the Sun to help me.
Be Amazed
How big is the Sun? You could fit close to 1 million Earths inside the Sun. That would be like filling an entire school bus with golf balls!
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Rest in the Shade
The Lord protects you as the shade protects you from the sun. — Psalm 121:5
More than 28 million light-years away is a giant hat. Okay, so it’s actually a galaxy that looks like a hat — a sombrero, to be exact. The galaxy’s unusual appearance comes from a ring of dark dust around it and a bulge of billions of glowing stars in its center. Scientists believe a supermassive black hole — with the mass of 1 billion suns — lies at the center of the sombrero.
The word sombrero comes from the Spanish word sombra, which means “shade.” In Mexico, the brim of sombreros can be as wide as 2 feet! That’s a lot of shade, but it’s needed. The sombrero’s shade provides much-needed relief to a person working in the glaring heat of the Sun.
Sometimes, following Jesus can feel like hard work out in the scorching heat. You see, this world doesn’t always want to hear about God, and it can “turn up the heat” when you try to tell people about Him. You might be laughed at for believing in God. People might say you can’t pray in certain places or at certain times, or even talk about God out loud. And sometimes the things in your life are really hard — like when someone you love is sick, a person or pet dies, you’re stressed out with schoolwork, or making friends seems difficult.
Sometimes you just need to rest in a bit of shade.
- God wants to be your shade, and He provides better protection than even the biggest sombrero.
Take time to talk to Him and rest in His presence. He’ll protect you and give you the rest you need — so you can go back out and face the heat of the world.
Lord, I want to tell the world all about You. But it’s hard when people don’t want to listen. Sometimes, the hard things in life make me tired and sad. Help me to rest in Your shade so I can go back out and tell more people about You.
Be Amazed
The sombrero made its first appearance in the fifteenth century and was made of felt or straw. It was most popular in Spain, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. It was later adopted by ranchers and frontiersmen in the United States. Over time they turned the sombrero into the modern-day cowboy hat.
Excerpted with permission from Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science by Louie Giglio, copyright Louie Giglio.
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Your Turn
Today is the summer solstice, the day that the sun stays up in the sky for the longest amount of time! Let’s spend today being aware of and thankful God’s incredible power and that He protects us and give us rest when we need it. ~ Devotionals Daily
