Lessons from the Circle

We serve a great and mighty God, a God who is so large that He is responsible for creating the entire universe, but so intimate that He knows every thought and intent, so compassionate that He sent His son to die for you so that you might have life in Him.    Here is what Isaiah 45 says:
18 For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the Lord, and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain'; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.  
God our Creator is so powerful and so wise - He has created every living thing and is concerned about the most minute detail - you are fearfully and wonderfully made, in His image, and you were formed to reflect His glory.   There is no one like Him - and no one like you; you are unique...not only physically, but also you have been wired, or shaped, with unique gifts and talents, a distinct personality, designed to bring glory to Him.   As we think today about God the Creator of the earth and the entire universe, we also think of His creativity expressed in you.

In Proverbs 8, the author uses the literary device of personification to represent wisdom:
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep, 29 When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him,

In His wisdom and unlimited power, we acknowledge that God created the heavens and the earth.

This is March 14, which can be written at 3/14, or 3.14.   Well, 3.14 is representative of the mathematical element known as "pi", and many schools across America now celebrate March 14th as "Pi Day" - it's a time to have fun with math, which can sometimes be a thankless subject in school.   Some will make pies - the edible kind - and there are numerous other activities.

So, who invented, or discovered "pi".   Well, I went to the official website, piday.com.  

We know that "Pi (π) is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Pi is a constant number, meaning that for all circles of any size, Pi will be the same."

Also, the website says:

By measuring circular objects, it has always turned out that a circle is a little more than 3 times its width around. In the Old Testament of the Bible (1 Kings 7:23), a circular pool is referred to as being 30 cubits around, and 10 cubits across.

For those who compartmentalize academics and Scripture, here is one of many references that can help us see that the Bible is a math book...it's also a science book, as we'll see momentarily:

The mathematician Archimedes used polygons with many sides to approximate circles and determined that Pi was approximately 22/7. The symbol (Greek letter “π”) was first used in 1706 by William Jones. A ‘p’ was chosen for ‘perimeter’ of circles, and the use of π became popular after it was adopted by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1737. In recent years, Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits passed its decimal. Only 39 digits past the decimal are needed to accurately calculate the spherical volume of our entire universe, but because of Pi’s infinite & patternless nature, it’s a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits.

Well, OK - I don't know about the "fun challenge" part, but thinking about "pi" or a "circle" can help us in 3 areas:

God's hand in creation.   Before there was Columbus, there was the declaration of the Scripture in Isaiah 40:22 - "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.  He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in."   We also see a reference to a circular earth in Job 26:
7 He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.  10 He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters, At the boundary of light and darkness.

God's help as we call.  Washington, DC area pastor Mark Batterson has authored a book called, "The Circle Maker", in which he challenges readers to believe God for extraordinary answers to prayer.  Utilizing the concept of a circle, he says that, “Drawing prayer circles around our dreams isn’t just a mechanism whereby we accomplish great things for God. It’s a mechanism whereby God accomplishes great things in us.”  I would suppose that just as we literally or figuratively draw circles on a calendar around important dates, so we draw a circle around important prayers, prayers that we long to see God answers.

God's heart in community.  And, there's a concept that I have been a part of on many occasions throughout the years - the "prayer circle".   God's people joining hands - and hearts - and going before Him in prayer, sharing requests, praises, and concerns and uniting together.   Sometimes each member of the circle contributes something, often it's just the symbolic, yet powerful, sense of community and agreement we receive as we join together.

So, the circle has stories for us - reminders of God's nature and His faithfulness.    He is our powerful creator God, who hears us when we call, and desires that we enter into community together.