"In the
beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
The creation never fails to thrill me. I think I see
something new and profound or delightful every day. I'm down South at our
favourite camp site by the sea, It's Spring and everything is lush from the
Winter rains; "everything" includes mosquitoes which have exploded in
number. As soon as I step outdoors I'm surrounded by these little critters.
There are tiny ants here too, they have a pathway near where I have my work
table; they are only about the size of a mosquito's fore-leg, and mosquito legs
are about as thin as the blond hairs on my arm. Mosquitoes are so fragile that
when I squash one I have no sense of anything being there even though my
fingers are sensitive enough to pick up a few grains of sugar from a bench top.
"Ants - frail as
they are, they get plenty of food in for the winter" (Proverbs 30:25).
Even though they are tiny these creatures are complete in a
similar way that we humans are, and elephants and whales. They are completely
mobile, have eyes and all the senses and brains they need to find food. They
are able to live out their lives in their particular environment and social
order. Their unique structures include all that they need to grow and live and
to woo a mate, and set about having babies.
They have life.
"Through Him
[Jesus] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made. In Him was life, and the life was
the light of humankind" (John 1:3-4).
It is just awesome when we realise that the creation was
made for us to enjoy and to thrive in. God could have given us a digestive
system like cows and just had lots of grass for us. But no, He gave us an
enormous variety of other species and the vast numbers of foods to eat to give
us our energy and keep our bodies healthy .. wonderful foods we use to
fellowship with others and to celebrate together!
"How precious is
your unfailing love, O God! Many take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights" (Psalm 36:7-8).
What amazes me is that every kind of creature, and all the
plants too, are comprised of cells; every cell has life. There are only about
two hundred kinds of cells in you and me. The millions of different creatures
and plants in the world are all made with similar sets of cells as their
building blocks. It's a bit like all the different vehicle manufactures using
Lucas electrical components for their cars and trucks, motorcycles, trains and
boats, but much more complicated. Far
beyond that, cells reproduce themselves,
a mysterious and miraculous process.
"As you do not
know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you
cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things"
(Ecclesiastes 11:5 ).
Great intricacies of design appear in every species, but
only people have a spirit.
"The spirit of
man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts"
(Proverbs 20:27).
How then can my eye be perfect for me, it must have a
million cells if I am comprised of trillions, in the same way these tiny, tiny
ants' eyes are perfect for them though so infinitely smaller. How can the
mosquito proboscis, so miniscule, drill into my skin, or an elephant's tough
hide, and suck out our blood? This tells me of the beauty of all God's design;
that the mosquito has such a tool, AND that it knows where to find the blood it
needs for food, AND it can get at the blood regardless of the victim's skin
type, AND that a portion of blood thinner is squirted into the puncture to stop
the blood congealing as the mozzie gets her dinner! The mosquito digestive
system finds all kinds of mammals' blood to be quite manageable.
Nature, Science And Four Big Questions
I very much enjoy science and nature magazines,
(particularly Scientific American and
Discover), and often get them from
our local library; I like some of the science shows on TV too. But of all the
hundreds of articles and features I've seen, I've never found even one with a
satisfying explanation for:
1) The
origin of life, or2) The
origin of DNA and cells, or3) The
origin of gender and sex and reproduction, or4) How
the various species stay discrete from one another.
Neither has any article shown a true record of an evolutionary
advancement where members of one species becomes another species by an increase in their complexity. (Though
I have seen many in Creation magazine which clearly
dis-prove well known claims for evolution).
"God made the
wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds,
and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And
God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:25).
"So God created
humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and
female he created them" (Genesis 1:27).
Some science writers will
publish an article to define or explain these things but invariably they reach
a point where they must make an enormous assumption. They will present a
hypothesis or made-up-idea, a leap-of-faith, which completely includes the
essence of what they are trying to explain. A hypothesis is just a theory, a
premise, a supposition, a guess. It may be made by a scientifically trained
person, but it is not science, it is
just an assumption. So such a hypothesis can never be taken as any kind of true
explanation, can it? Why then are we led to understand that these things have been proven and explained? These
writers are scientists. How can they accept each other when they claim that ideas or hypotheses are scientific proofs? (They often present their work as
"peer reviewed"; what does the lack of true evidence tell us about
that process?)
When I read my Bible I find really great answers in my four
questions where science has none. My God, whom I have known personally for many years, has the power
and the genius to design and build our Universe. And to keep it functioning
through the days and seasons and years and millennia. He is our Creator God. I
find it easy to believe His creation narrative in the Bible, a narrative which
makes complete sense when you observe the world. I have faith in our Creator. I
am sure that it takes more faith to believe in evolution than mine to know
Jesus and my Abba Father!
"You gave me life
and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit"
(Job 10:12).
Synchronicity And Abundance Beyond Understanding
All the species in the world co-exist, the microbes and
bacteria and the grizzly bear, and mostly, there is enough food to go around
for everybody and everything. The seasons cycle year after year and different
latitudes have different climates and ecosystems, yet the whole world is in
sync; it sometimes may seem chaotic but an amazing degree of balance has been
maintained for all the millennia of our shared history. Just watch the many
nature shows on TV, so lovely.
I have often seen supernatural events and know that miracles
occur every day and all over the world, these events are seemingly beyond the
understanding of many scientists. They are a blessing to those involved and a
sign that God is, and that He cares for us.
"The Son is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers
or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all
things hold together" (Colossians 1:15-17).
So I thank Jesus for His Creation. It is so very beautiful,
so wonderfully complex and full of variety, and it so suits the billions of
people who God has put here .. all the nations and expressions of the image of
God Himself with whom I share this glorious blue planet, set in its safe place
in the vast Milky Way! So very grateful.
"It is I who made
the earth and created humankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I
marshalled their starry hosts" (Isaiah 45:12).
Amen. Praise Jesus.
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Bless us, our neighbours and our world.
The creation never fails to thrill me. I think I see
something new and profound or delightful every day. I'm down South at our
favourite camp site by the sea, It's Spring and everything is lush from the
Winter rains; "everything" includes mosquitoes which have exploded in
number. As soon as I step outdoors I'm surrounded by these little critters.
There are tiny ants here too, they have a pathway near where I have my work
table; they are only about the size of a mosquito's fore-leg, and mosquito legs
are about as thin as the blond hairs on my arm. Mosquitoes are so fragile that
when I squash one I have no sense of anything being there even though my
fingers are sensitive enough to pick up a few grains of sugar from a bench top.
"As you do not
know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you
cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things"
(Ecclesiastes 11:5 ).
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