Why did God create this great big universe? Was he bored and looking for something to do? Perhaps he was curious and wanted to create a science experiment? Or maybe he was lonely and just wanted someone to talk to? Well, the Bible very clearly gives us the answer to why God went through all the trouble of making such a marvelous world and filling it with such extraordinary creatures.

In Romans 11:36, we read, “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” The “him” in that verse is God! All things were created from God, through God, and for God. He created all things for himself, for his own glory. That’s the reason you and I exist; God made us to show his glory!

The word “glory” is all about how great and awesome someone is. When you see an amazing play in a football game, you want to give the players glory. So you clap and dance around and scream your head off. You want to let the team know exactly how much you appreciated their incredible play. That’s a small picture of what it means to give something glory.

God created our great big universe for his own glory: to show how great and big and awesome he is. And God’s world is a zillion times more glorious than some touchdown in a football game! Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The beautiful stars that fill the night sky are billions of little signs shouting, “I was made by a great and glorious God!” But it’s not just stars – everything was made for God’s glory. Sky-scraping mountains, creepy-crawly bugs, waddling ducks, humans of every shape, size, and color… if God made you, then he made you to show his glory!

Psalm 86:9 tells us, “All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.” Everything in creation, every human on this planet, and every country around the globe, each in their own way, shows off how beautiful and smart and big and powerful and great and creative and glorious our God is!

Ps. 19:1; Jer. 9:23, 24; Rev. 4:11