Grand Central Terminal in NYC is a beauty of a building to behold. I remember when we moved to NY the first time, they had just started exterior renovations and then later in the 90’s they cleaned up and restored the interior. To be there during the morning or evening “rush” hours is to truly experience the hustle and bustle of NYC because it’s estimated that 750,000 people pass through Grand Central Terminal on any given day!

This building holds many fond memories for me of our time in NY. The first time living up there, our home was about 20 miles north of NYC and so Tom would take the train daily in and out of Grand Central. Oh, my goodness, we had so many fun times taking family and friends in and out of the city via Grand Central. Back in those days, we only had one car and taking Tom to and picking him up from the train station every day reminded me of scenes from old movies I’d watched as a young girl.

One memory is etched forever in my mind and heart. I was to take the train into the city and check into the hotel next door to Grand Central. Tom would meet me after work so that he could change into formal attire in order for us to attend a business affair. We’d spend the night and the next morning, he would go to work and I’d take the train back home. Tom got to the hotel a little early to tell me that the baby we’d been waiting 7 months to adopt had been born. However, the mother had decided not to give the baby up for adoption. All dressed up and numb, we attended the big affair and the next morning rather than taking the train home, Tom sent a car to take me home. As I walked out of the hotel that adjoins Grand Central, got into the car, and was being driven away, I can still see and remember the beauty of my surroundings. I’d never seen things from that view before or driven along that route. In the midst of my pain and tears, I thought it odd that I could take note of such beauty. Oh, come on now…you know this preaches on so many levels!

So why am I telling you all of this?

Well, fast forward some 30 years. Yes, I said 30 years! There I am visiting NYC with my sister and there we stand in the big, beautiful concourse of Grand Central looking up at the ceiling counting the stars! Then, we walked into a little museum where there was a wonderful small replica of Grand Central which included the exact route I traveled that sad day some 30 years earlier. Later we would walk to the lower level of the Terminal to check out the Whispering Wall. Here is a link to a fun little video that explains the experience https://youtu.be/liGZe7GVB6s.

Yes, being there flooded my mind with many memories, but do you know what was capturing my mind the most during my recent visit?

God.

From the hundreds of thousands of people to the stars to the Whispering Wall, all I could think about was how infinite is my God. How does He do it? How does He know intimately each of the 750,000 who travel through that place daily? Right down to the number of hairs on their heads! How does he hear the whispers of each one? No, how does He know their intimate thoughts before a word is even spoken? All of us talking at once? He’s ordained each day for each person before there was even yet one. Now that’s truly what you call “bigly”!

Did you know that scientist assume there is an average of 100 billion stars per galaxy? There are about 10 billion galaxies in the observable universe. Note, I said observable. This could mean there are 1 billion trillion stars in the observable universe. Okay, really? I cannot comprehend this number, can you? But God, in His Word, says He counts the number of the stars and gives names to all of them.

Great is our Lord…His understanding or knowledge is infinite. God is infinite. And the more time I spent in Grand Central the more infinite God got. I was taken with Him. In that moment and in some ways, my life was flashing before my eyes, but the flash was God’s presence in my life. His knowing the beginning from the end. His ordering of my steps, orchestrating the events of my life and never, ever letting me go or failing to be there. He saved me, purchased me and lovingly calls me His own. He is everywhere, all the time.

I cannot get my finite mind around him but there are moments like this when I get a glimpse of just how big is our God, and I just want to fall into a heap and cry in wonder. All these weeks later, I’m still thinking about all He spoke into my heart during those moments at Grand Central. I write this because I want to hang on to these moments of wonder.

He is the beauty to behold in every moment and in everything. He’s a wonder.

“He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.” Psalm 147:4-5