Why do you think God created the universe?

I know I did say in May that silent retreats will be an annual thing for me but it looks like I am taking on one more this year. It was the experience that I had in May that prompted me and also it was the topic of this retreat that attracted me - Friendship with Jesus, through spiritual exercises.

I must say that I was not in agreement with quite a lot of things during my first silent retreat here last year because the topic was with regards to teaching and doctrines. The Catholic father did have views I did not agree with. But I thought it may not go so wrong with spiritual exercises - as it was in May and I hope the same for now.

The spiritual exercise we did this evening was a meditation on the Holy Spirit who hovers over creation, with a purpose to know and recognize our God as the creative God.

The exercise taught and reminded me of two things and more:

1. God created space
Not space in the sense of the universe, but space in the area we now have. I have not thought about God's creation in that way before. First, it was nothing (cannot imagine how it was like) and then there is space, where things and live exist.

2. God created the universe
Yes, God created the universe. That is so fundamental as far as Christians are concerned, but during the meditation, I began to wonder why would God create the huge almost unlimited wide expanse of a universe and then created human being and other living things in one small teensy weensy, itsy bitsy bit of space in the universe call earth? Isn't that an overkill? Why not just have earth, and the sun and moon at the correct distance as they are now?

Why I think he did that is because of at least these three reasons.

One, because he is a mighty and infinite God, how else could he have done it but to create an almost infinite space?

Two, he is a creative God, and he wants to create.

The third reason, I think, has to do with us. If the first reason is true, then why did he create us so small? Imagine us big and huge with great supernatural powers. No, instead God created us small with limited powers and capabilities. But really, that is only true on the surface in a relative sort of way. We may think we are not big and huge but compared to a lot of living things, we are. We may think we do not have many powers but compared to the other created being, we have this higher level of consciousness and intellect. We are after all created in God's very own image, not physically since God is spirit but somehow in his likeness. What is significant though, is that God knows that given the choice, which we were, we will choose to rule our own lives and our own world and forget him as our creator and forget that we are merely created beings, which we did, hence Jesus and the cross. But are we lord enough or god enough to rule over the whole of universe? We do not even know where it begins and where it ends. The moment we think we found out, we realize that there is much more beyond. So, I think, God created the universe to put us in our place.

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

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
~ Romans 1:20

I need to know my place. I am special because I am created in God's image, as you too are. But I am a created being, as you too are, submissive to the creator God.

pearlie