Thursday, December 26, 2013

Heaven and earth belong to God


Isaiah 66:1-2 (NLT)
This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is My footstool.  Could you build Me a temple as good as that?  Could you build Me such a resting place?  My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are Mine.  I, the Lord, have spoken!   I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at My word.”

An internet article caught my eye.  The title was “Top Ten Greatest Mysteries of Life” (http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/090507-top10-greatest-mysteries-1.html).  This list was based on 14 original mysteries proposed by renowned scientists in different fields in 2009, then 8,000 people responded to a survey to list their top choices from this list of 14.  Here is the final list from #10 to #1 greatest mysteries:
10.  What drives evolution?
  9.  What happens inside an earthquake?
  8.  Who are you?
  7.  How did life arise on earth?
  6.  How does the brain work?
  5.  Where is the rest of the universe?
  4.  What causes gravity?
  3.  Is there a theory of everything?
  2.  Does alien life exist?
  1.  How did the universe begin?

When you review this list and then study what Isaiah writes about God, how many of these questions could be answered if we could get God to respond to them?  You know the answer-----all of them.  Note what He says above, “My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are Mine”.  “Everything”.  This is an absolute declaration from the Lord; He is claiming that He has made everything—no exceptions—in heaven and earth.  Can you believe this claim?  Is there any doubt in your mind?  Can you defend this claim to skeptics?  Are you comfortable with the position, “While I cannot explain the answers to these questions (Note:  believers would not list #10) and even if they were explained to me, I likely would not clearly understand anyway, but by faith built up in my studying the Word of God, I do believe God knows the answers to all these questions and I put my trust in Him.”  Can you take this position?  It’s a significant question to ponder and understand where you stand in your faith.

The fact that brilliant scientists in history has pursued answers to questions like these and discover many other truths along the way and yet still cannot come to the conclusion that there is a God and He alone is responsible for these mysteries simply astounds me.  Pursuits of knowledge and truth lead to some answers but then generate as many or more questions.  The more you know or learn, the more that you know what you don’t know and need to learn.  Humankind can never find the complete answers to these mysteries; they belong to God and God alone.  All pursuits of knowledge eventually lead to the need to rely to some degree on faith. 

Francis Collins, MD/PhD, famed director of the Human Genome Project, made this astounding statement[1] -- “Reason alone cannot prove the existence of God.  Faith is reason plus revelation, and the revelation part requires one to think with the spirit as well as with the mind.  You have to hear the music, not just read the notes on the page.  Ultimately, a leap of faith is required.”  Yes, in all things, especially life’s mysteries, ultimately a leap of faith is required.  What mysteries of life require you to have a “humble and contrite heart” that lead you to tremble at His word and put your absolute faith in Him?

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