“Happily for us, brothers and sisters, the vastness of the Lord’s creations is matched by the personalness of His purposes! . . . One may ask what is God’s purpose for the inhabitants? It is best expressed in that terse verse with which you are all so familiar: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Therefore, in the expansiveness of space, there is stunning personalness, for God knows and loves each of us! (see 1 Nephi 11:17). We are not ciphers in unexplained space!” . . .

“As we reverence what the Lord has created, we are to reverence Him and His character enough to strive to become ever more like Him, as He has directed (see Matthew 5:48; 3 Nephi 12:48; 27:27). Unsurprisingly, therefore, the power of godliness revealed in lilies is likewise revealed in the ordinances of His gospel (see D&C 84:20). Thematically, these ordinances concern our cleansing, covenanting, obeying, and preparing—all behaviorally necessary in order for us to be empowered to make the homeward journey.

“These personalized expressions of divine love and power matter much more to us anyway than trying to number the wondrous galaxies or comparing the number of planets to stars. We lay people could not comprehend it anyway. Achieving spiritual sanctification matters so much more than cosmic quantifications.

“Thus, as we enlarge our views both of the universe and of God’s stretching purposes, we, too, can reverently exclaim, “O how great the plan of our God!” (2 Nephi 9:13). Therefore, as we probe, ponder, and learn, we certainly should be filled with awe, and we should also be intellectually meek. King Benjamin counseled us with these simple but profound words: “Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend” (Mosiah 4:9).

“Alas, in our age, brothers and sisters, we have some who believe that if they cannot comprehend something, then God cannot comprehend it either. Ironically, some do actually prefer a “little god.” Better for all of us— scientists and nonscientists alike—instead of trying to downsize divinity, to upsize our personal humility!” ~ Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Our Creator’s Cosmos, 13 August 2002

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