According to reliable sources, the Creator made the universe and then put our pretty little blue planet right in the middle of it all. (See the book, Genesis, Chapter One.) But after making our beautiful home, He couldn't leave town because He was concerned Man might ruin it! Do you see pain and death in the world? Those were not part of God's plan in the beginning — death and disease were due to Mankind! (Odd word, considering the fact that man is not so kind.)
So God has not only been sticking around, He's actually running the show, behind the scenes. But if you doubt His existence, let's consider three (3) significant signs which demonstrate to us that God is real and is really watching over Heaven and Earth and You.
"He's happy who has the God of Jacob for his help — and happier still is he who hopes in the LORD his God, the maker of Heavens and Earth, maker of the Sea and of all that's in them, the One keeping truth forever." (Psalms 146:5-6; author's translation)
Knowing that a loving, powerful Creator planned an marvelous world and set signs everywhere to indicate He's hanging around should give comfort. Gazing up at a warm yellow sun which slowly moves across a blue sky, or following a bright moon which glides among the stars should be reassuring. On top of all this, looking down at your hands and seeing how easily your fingers bend and twist should make you thankful. How do you feel?
These marvels of Earth, when taken together, point to a Planner and a Builder, because if you find a watch, there must be a watchmaker. (An enduring argument some believe has passed its best-before date, but I've yet to see a worthy counter-argument.) Complex and properly functioning devices don't drop from the sky so there's no getting around the satisfying logic of the Creator-creation relationship. To distrust what is in plain sight would be as laughable and illogical as denying the existence of an auto-manufacturer upon finding a Porsche 911, or denying the existence of an airliner manufacturer upon finding a Boeing 747. And what watch, Porsche or 747 can reproduce or heal itself like each living thing on our planet?
Admittedly, Marx, Nietzsche, Darwin, Woody Allen and a jumbo jet-load of other atheists look at the sun and moon and their own hands and don't see proof of a Creator. It's no joke really. How do intelligent men and women with drive and purpose come up with the illogical notion that the world itself is missing a Driver or has no real a purpose?
What about you? Do you dismiss the Bible as nonsense and reject narratives about Adam's screw-up in the Garden? (After many years, I'm still convinced there's a Creator, and that the acts and descriptions of the "watch-maker" in the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek New Testament still seem to present the most logical and persuasive account.) Perhaps thinking the cosmos is a collection of absurd, chance happenings sits well with you, as it did for Albert Camus. Perhaps the existence of a higher Being never crossed your mind, as it never does for existentialists. Or, on the other hand, maybe your sky is so dark and your life so gloomy that believing in a Creator — let alone a loving one — is impossible for you. I must admit I am sorry for your pain. But could we all examine, and cross-examine, a number of important facts.
Exhibit A: All the Great Bods
The first reason that we know God exists can be seen in the heavens. Studying heavenly bodies orbiting our galaxy at breathtaking speeds should cause anyone to spontaneously give the credit to the God of Abraham, Issac and Israel. Personally, I literally cannot help myself on many nights, looking up and admiring the moon moving across the sky or when counting the starts and taking in the beauty of them. I'm more than happy to say, "Thank You, God. You made all those!" Orion. Pleiades. The Big Dipper.
But our own bods — the things that carry our heads around — are pretty amazing too.
Psalm 139: Made and Maintained by Him
Study your hands. Stare at the intricate little creases that make your own unique hand and fingerprints — or get your glasses out and examine them if you are that old! Notice under your skin the veins and arteries carrying blood back and forth to skin, hair and nail cells. Deeper down are your nerves, muscles and bones making a complex assembly of miraculous moving parts.
That ancient songwriter and accomplished musician — and full time king of ancient Israel — also noticed how amazing the human body was and wrote an entire piece about God's masterpiece. And one point the song states:
"I will thank You because of how frighteningly wonderful I was made — Your deeds are full of wonder. And my very soul knows this so well." (Psalms 139:14)
If these little marvels aren't enough, just consider how the body is also self-repairing.
Pass the bandages
When you cut yourself preparing supper, do you worry your blood will all leak out of your pinky? No, probably not, because you don't suffer from that rare, but horrible disorder, hemophilia. So thank you God you have blood-clotting proteins. But that sliced up digit of yours also has teams of cells which clean the wound, fight bacteria, remove dead cells and repair tissue. And those repair cells aren't tasked with rebuilding just one type of damaged tissue. Their little to-do lists have got skin and nerve cells, blood vessels and countless other items to patch up, thanks to that suppertime screw-up on your pinky.
But don't take my word for it. Here's an eye-opener Crash Course video on how complex your skin is. Sadly, the brothers Green don't chalk up any points to a creator for planning ahead and safeguarding your bodies — even though Steve and Howard come from God's own country, Minnesota. But listening to Mr. Green's remarkable lesson on things under your skin, you can give Him credit.
Pass the pasta
More impressive still, your body — from your hairy(bare?) head to bare (hairy?) feet — is a mindbogglingly complex invention which functions perfectly on cooked meat, fruit, vegetables and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. (Or if you're still young, just frozen cheese pizzas and Mountain Dew.)
Could you imagine cars running on any of those things?
On the other hand, could you see yourself living on just cabbage? or canned sardines? or just eucalyptus leaves, like koala bears?! But what a sweet deal that the Almighty God didn't limit our bodies to one specific "fuel" source. Sit up and marvel at the apricots, and beans, and carrots, and dates, and eggs, and falafels, and wine, and yogurt you can eat. And that's not the whole alphabet. The list edible items never ends. We Earthlings really do enjoy an awe-inspiring, stomach-stuffing variety of foods. (But when they get to Mars, what will Elon Musk and his crew live on?)
By Pass supper?
As a brief aside, I must ask why many see mealtimes as an inconvenience? Breakfast, lunch and supper should not be thought of as something to get out of the way. Because my wife comes from south-eastern France, I do know some human cultures enjoy planning and eating meals. Plus, having worked in rural Central Africa for ten years, I know having food and eating are not guaranteed aspects of living there — so please, appreciate your three meals a day. And the next time you enter a market, pause to notice the enormous variety of food stuffs, most at reasonable prices. And later, when you sit to a nutritious meal, be especially thankful that you, like the majority on Earth, are privileged to have enough.
In summary, chew your supper slowly, give your bodies a rest and let your minds think about — and thank — the One Who gives rain for the wheat and sunshine for the fruit trees and stomachs which can handle nearly anything.
Exhibit B: Natural Bods
From the beginning, God has wanted Man to share the Earth with all the living beings which He designed. Each miracle of life — every critter and every bit of vegetation — was designed and assembled by the Almighty; and here is our second major reason for believing in the existence of God the Creator.
Again, these facts about the past should put our minds at ease. But there are facts from the present which should do the same, because the Creator continues to care for all creatures. Let's pondering for a moment some simple, yet specific, facts about those carnations in your vase or those cardinals flying in your backyard.
Flabbergasted by Bird Brains
You've seen birds migrating overhead? Scores of storks or groups of Canada Geese all organized for yet another excursion to warmer climes. But here's an important question: How do parent birds teach younger ones when and where to fly in winter? Through special classes? Via birdie textbooks? Well, reading the textbooks of evolutionary researchers you'll see this miracle of God explained (away) by endlessly repeating instinctus, a wonderful Latin word which meant nothing more than 'reflex' or 'impulse' to dead Romans.
As for myself, I instinctively feel the word does little to put into plain English what's happening in the head of a goose or an eagle as it flies over my head. I want to learn how those fancy flying tricks got into the brains of birds, but not be semantically tricked by ancient Italians. Fancy foreign words borrowed from a dead language might be handy for labeling a behaviour in animals, but 'instinct' does not provide anything concrete about what we are seeing in those creatures. (The Comment section below is going to fill up now with nasty remarks.)
"Is it with your understanding that falcons soar about? And with it, will they spread their wings to migrate south?" (Job 39:26)
How hundreds of similar animals are able to travel together over many miles — often to places they've never been before — or even have the desire to migrate elsewhere, only finds it's answer is the wisdom of its Creator. The One who put together these living biological airplanes is also their co-pilot. He puts the notion into their heads to pack up and leave, lovingly guides them on their routes and brings them back again. From start to finish it's miraculous. And He shows the same care for millions of migrating leatherbacks, penguins, monarch butterflies, whales and other beautiful creatures which we are privileged to share Earth with.
Dog eat dog world
Some folks reading this have their hands (fists?) in the air, begging to ask why animals kill and eat each other if this is a "perfect" system. Well, it's an important topic for another blog post, but let's briefly answer it: Man. I hate to break it to you like this, but one man and one woman initially brought the suffering into the world — also the weeds, that was specifically Adam's doing. You can read the whole sad truth in Genesis 1 to 3. The original starting point was a perfect world, with peaceful co-existence between animals, man and the Creator. The only reason we put up with death and disease and Covid-19 or -20 or -21 today is due to our past errors. Don't blame God.
Speaking of biodiversity
Did you know that we don't know how many living things we share the planet with? We only have a rough idea of how many millions of life-forms there might be (Main, 2013). And each life-form is complex. None of them are simple; even a single-celled organism might be single, but it ain't simple! (Have a look at this website and its video if you are into amoebas.) Looking around a little and you start to understand that the Maker was busy coming up with plenty of living creatures for this world.
But you also look at them moving about and wonder what drives them? Where do they get their motivation and you have to come to the conclusion that a Higher Power is occupied with. Think of how honey bees "have knowledge" to make hives, tiny sparrows "know" to knit nests and masses of ants "manage" themselves by themselves.
"[The ant] has no chief, foreman, or marshal over her, yet she sets in order during summer her bread, and she picks during harvest her food." (Proverbs 6:7-8)
Credit where credit is due
All of these little animals are wonders in furry, feathery, two-, four- and six-legged disguises. Why give credit to some shadowy, trumped up device, like instinct or evolution or Mother Nature? Doing so takes away the thunder and grandeur of an ever-caring, ever-present Father God who clearly put a lot of thought and effort into making and maintaining this planet — He might take it as an insult and get pissed off!
"So now look, for I, I am He and there is no god besides me. I, I put to death and I bring to life; I have have wounded and I alone heal and there is not any able to deliver out of my hand." (Deuteronomy 32:39)
Dirt to Cool Colours: Luke 12:27
Do you have flowers in your home? begonias? orchids? roses? Their living colours add so much to a room. And have you ever gone outside and planted flower seeds? for marigold? for zinnia? Those tiny seeds aren’t much to look at. But bury them in the ground and after a few weeks you've got bright red, orange or yellow blossoms.
But ask yourself: Where do the colours come from? The seeds are too small to hold that much flower colour. So consider this: The plants pull those snappy red and yellow hues from the dirt! And where else would the raw material for those delicate pedals come from but the soil. Each plant "instinctively" knows how to pull ingredients from the ground, mix the right molecules precisely together and show off natural colours paint stores can't even imitate.
"Think carefully about the lilies, how they grow. They don't work hard. They don't knit. I tell you, not even King Solomon in all his glory was dressed up like one of them." (Luke 12:27; author's translation)
Here's a website to brighten your day: Flowers from A to Z. (Be sure to click on the thumbnails to see larger photos.) Doesn't it astonish you that the plants find all their raw material for those colours in the dirt? Thousands of types of plants all growing unique flowers and each perfect colour made from chemicals pulled by the plants out of the ground. Wow! Did you really think it was the special way you watered them?
Peat Moss and Perfumes
Besides the good looks, how many flowers give off sweet, uplifting scents? Perfume making was taking place inside of plants long before Coco Chanel ever gave it a thought. But here is another monumentally complex chemical process which is a God-given gift to the greenery in our world. I am no nose, but friends in the industry can't begin to verbalize to me the complexities of making a new perfume or an eau de toilet. Yet your garden's roses and sweet peas don't get a whiff of a headache trying to smell good; for them it's child's play — even wild dandelions are pretty good at it.
Yes, you added fertilizer, peat moss and compost to the soil but all those things which you did would be fruitless if intricate instructions had not been placed into the DNA of every plant's cell. But who wrote the DNA codes?
Exhibit C: Heavenly Bodies
Lastly, let's return to the night sky and consider our major third reason to believe that 'someone is out there.' During the ten years I lived and worked in rural Central Africa, one thing I loved to do at night was stare up a the night sky. Because we had no street lights (or streets for that matter), we had no light pollution either. The stars were so clear, you could almost touch them. But standing there, looking up and knowing they were billions and trillions of kilometers away touched me.
3,000 years is a long time
Nearly 3,000 years ago a prophet in ancient Israel claimed the heavens would never be measured by man (Jeremiah 31:37) and that the objects in them would never be counted (Jeremiah 33:22). His predictions were more like a dare — a dare that mankind will never be able to fully comprehend the cosmos, though Carl Sagan came close!
But weren't those Jewish prophets rather reckless with their words? Especially given the fact that they made these claims before the invention of the telescope?!
The Observable and Unobservable Universe
Well, those predictions are holding up perfectly well. To this day, if researchers look out in any direction they cannot "find" the end of the universe and the star count is holding at 10 to the 24th power because they can't see further. And because researchers know that they don't know how large the cosmos is, they talk about the observable and the unobservable parts of the universe. However, given the limitations of physics, researchers admit already that no instrument will ever "see" to the end of the universe, let alone finish counting.
Never to be seen
What is shocking is how much they believe they will never "see."
According to the calculations of astrophysicist Ethan Siegel, the observable area of the universe is 100 billion light years in diameter. But he calculates that "the unobservable Universe ... must be at least 23 trillion light years in diameter" (2019). You do the math! And notice Dr. Siegel says "must be," given the fact we cannot be completely sure of the actual size of the unobservable universe.
It makes lovers of Scripture laugh to think that the Book — scorned by millions through the ages — instinctively had it right all along about the heavens. (And when I use instinct I'm just playing with words again!) Everything written in the Bible about the cosmos has been shown to be true. (There is still move below.) And those bearded Biblical prophets wrote long before Penzias and Wilson's and their discovery of CMB, and before Lemaître and his Big Bang theory, before Einstein, before Huggins, before Newton, before Galileo and Kepler, before Copernicus, and before Plato by two whole centuries.
The One who knows the Future, controls the Future
Because of the Bible's proven track record, I'm putting all my chips on it. When you bet on a horse, you want to pick a winner. Here are two claims which Scripture predicted perfectly. They demonstrate Almighty God holds the secrets of the universe and that He knows the future. And whoever knows the future, controls the future.
Job 9:8; spread versus spreading
If it wasn't enough Scripture claimed God spread the universe out forever, beyond our instruments, other passages claimed He would continue spreading it out.
A verse in the Book of Job — the oldest document within all of the Hebrew Scriptures — states, “[God] alone is spreading out the heavens” (Job 9:8). The Hebrew verb used for 'spread' is found over 200x in Scripture, often as "spread a tent" (Exodus 33:7), or "spread an arm" (Deuteronomy 5:15) or "spread a curtain" (Isaiah 54:2). But what is intriguing about the verb in Job 9 is its particular form. The conjugation of the verb is the participle form and should be translated as is spreading which stresses the notion that God is currently widening the heavens, or should we say, spreading the spacetime continuum.
The same verb and verb-form are repeated in six more verses — Psalms 104:2, Isaiah 40:22, Isaiah 42:5, Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 51:13 and Zechariah 12:1 — each time with a specific reference to spreading the heavens right now.
The ancients knew the night sky. They knew it well. Names of stars, planets and constellations were unremarkable. And they knew these heavenly bodies "rotated" across the sky. However, these seven verses are not talking about rotation. Scripture says the universe is immense, but God's Hand is making it more immense.
NASA: Bigger Every Second
And once again the veracity of God’s Word is confirmed by modern research. “The universe is getting bigger every second” (NASA, 2019). And not only is the universe expanding — as predicted seven times in Scripture — the velocity of the expansion is increasing, when gravity should be slowing it down. This was not expected and researchers have yet to find a reason for the increase.
And God’s Jewish prophets correctly and loudly claimed it three thousand years. They were proclaiming that from right here until the end of the universe, God Almighty is nearby and engaged and that He is in complete control.
“By the LORD's spoken word the Heavens were made, and by His mouth's breath the divisions of heaven were made as well.” (Psalms 33:6; author's translation)
Such knowledge that God planned out this incredible world and then simply spoke it into existence shows His wisdom and power.
"I will look at Your heavens, the works of Your fingers — moon and stars which You've set in order." (Psalm 8:3)
What's Your Conclusion: Is God Really Real?
Therefore my friends, take heart. God designed this world for His purposes. And though He is invisible to our eyes, He is still very much apart of our world — your world — in big and small ways. Any emergency and every epidemic is in His timing and control. Be secure that God is watching over you, your family, the planet, the entire universe. Every second, everyday, He has His fingers in everything. Yes, our lives are frequently fraught with trouble and sorrow, and we may feel helpless, but we are not alone. Whether right now your days are bright and sunny, or painful and perilous, trust God.
Search for Him.
Search His Scriptures. They are sensible and true.