Do you ever ponder who we are in regard to the Master Creator? Sometimes I just think about what our lives mean and how before time ever began, Christ knew He was destined for the Cross. It sets my mind spinning when I ponder the incredible love with which God loves us, that He knew in the eternal ages before He formed man that we would fail him, and that He would have to come die for our sin. Yet he chose to form us anyway.

Before Adam and Eve chose to sin in Eden, God saw the shadow of the cross. It was written in His plan from the very beginning.

Sometimes I don’t think we fully understand that. Yes, of course I have always known it to be true. God knows all things, so naturally He knew that the Cross would have to be. But I don’t ponder it near as much as I should.

When God began the work of forming the universe and all that is in it, He created the heavens before He created the earth. In recent years, NASA took a picture of a galaxy known as “The Whirlpool Galaxy”. For those of you who haven’t ever seen a picture of it, here is a full view of it:

Can we just take a minute and enjoy the magnificent beauty of this first? Seriously, how incredible is that? I could sit here and stare at it, mesmerized, for the rest of the day.

The Whirlpool Galaxy is what is known as a “grand-design” galaxy. Personally, I believe every part of creation should be considered a Grand-design, because The Master Creator only has grand-designs. But this particular type of galaxy bears the honor of this name.

At a glance you might be tempted to just continue on past it. You may be thinking, “Yes it is beautiful and certainly displays our God’s might”, and then be tempted to move on.

Do you want to know the really incredible thing about this galaxy though? I’ll let this picture tell you for itself.

This picture was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is the very center of the Whirlpool Galaxy. How is it that a galaxy formed before the earth ever came into being, bears the mark of a cross? The answer seems pretty clear to me. When God was creating the Universe the cross was at the forefront of His mind. As He spoke, and the galaxies came into being, the shadow of the cruel Cross was already there. He knew before He ever made us that the Cross would have to be. Redemption would have to be bought by His blood, shed for us at Calvary.

Our salvation was already planned before mankind was ever formed! When He breathed life into Adam, He knew the Cross would come. Yet He chose to create us anyway.

Those who would claim that the world came into existence in a fluke accident, obviously haven’t taken a good look around them at the intricate design of our world and the Universe around us.

I don’t need a picture of a cross in the center of a galaxy in order to believe God. His Word is totally sufficient—always has been and always will be. But to see how important our redemption was to Him, that He would write it into the foundations of the Universe—it goes beyond my finite mind. How beautiful to realize that the Greatest Story ever told was written into the Universe before man was ever formed!

A set of verses comes to my mind when I think about this.

“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath shewed it unto them; For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”

Romans 1: 19-20

Creation proves the existence of God. If we only ever saw the creation that we look at everyday on this earth—the trees, flowers, animals, etc.—we would still be without excuse. For whatever reason though, God has allowed us to see parts of His creation outside of this world. He has granted us the ability to see things that generations before us never saw. For instance, the cross at the center of the Whirlpool galaxy. Aren’t we then doubly without excuse?

Why would God place a token of his love for us in a place that wouldn’t ever be seen for thousands of years after the world was created?

I look at it as showing us how important it was to Him to provide us a way to be redeemed out of sin’s chains. I suppose we won’t ever fully know the answer here in this world. But I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that God designed each part of His creation with purpose, no matter how small. Yes, even the shape of a cross in the middle of a galaxy is placed there for a reason.

For me, it reminds me that the Wisdom that designed the majestic beauty of creation, is the Love that bought my redemption. Love that was willing to go all the way to Calvary for a vile sinner, and die in her place.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever want to forget the magnificent love that bought my redemption. The story of Salvation is literally written in the stars. His love for us is carved into the deepest parts of our universe.

The question is though, if the story of the Cross meant so much to Him that He would write it into the stars, is it important enough to us to share it with those we are around?

What are your thoughts on the cross at the center of the Whirlpool Galaxy?

A. M. Watson

Hebrews 13:8