By Jordan Vetro

In Douglas Adams’ Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Zaphod Beeblebrox, a self absorbed shallow sort of a person, is forced to undergo the greatest torture this universe has to offer. He is placed in a small booth, where he is shown, but the process of zooming out, just how small he is in the universe. This revelation of a person’s own insignificance in this grand universe, is supposed to be the most horrid torture in the universe. But Zaphod is unharmed. It seems he is so self absorbed, so assured of his own importance, that he is unscathed, saved by his own awareness of how important he is.
How sad for Zaphod. He is far too deluded to understand how important he is, and in light of this, and other aspects of his character, we, as readers, begin to see him as little more than an arrogant fool. Right? Because it’s obviously true that he could not have been as important as he assumed he was, yes?
Consider yourself for a moment. Are you at times guilty of the same sin as poor Zaphod. For our final devotional study, our final point of meditation, will be somewhat controversial. Not that I feel it should be, but we seem to have deluded ourselves to the contrary. I am about to imply that we are not wholly good.
We are fallen beings. Once at a closeness with God, we are separated. In this separation, we lost our significance in the universe. On their own strength, the human being is a failure. So why are we trying so hard to prove how important we are.
You disagree. The human being is important. You will take me now to the Psalms, you shall turn to the eight psalm. David proclaims “You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” Very good says I, there is the human being in all of its splendour. We are second only to God, and great in this universe. So how can I argue that we are so insignificant?
I can argue this based on what David says just before this quote “What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?”
I want to quote a point made by John Calvin, at the very heart of his theology. Calvin wrote “When we think of what God gave us at our birth, and still graciously continues to give. . . we remember that we have nothing of ourselves, but depend entirely on God, for whom we hold in trust whatever he sees fit to give. Secondly, when we look at our wretched state… all confidence and boasting melt away; we blush for shame and feel truly humble.” This is a powerful thought. Going back to the prophet Isaiah, it is written that the greatest deeds of humans are, to God, as filthy rags.
But in the midst of the horrors of our race, he exalts us to the level that is shown. A little below himself.
I write to you today, not to discourage you with the lowness of your being, to encourage you, in that all that you are, you are loved by God.
You are exalted to a higher place than any of your human ambition could attain. You are a greater being than Zaphod Beeblebrox, not because you are a better person than him, for we are but molecules against God’s greatness, but because, in God’s greatness, he cares more for you than any other aspect of His creation.
This is my encouragement to you. Forget yourself, remember God. Know that you are greater now than you could ever be, because God sees you as something. Praise God, for you are great, because God is great.