Creation's Cache #7

  We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.       Jawaharlal Nehru

     We have explored some of the scenery of planet earth, we have wondered at the beauty and diversity of its valleys and its peaks, of its tundras and its deserts, at the seal and the eagle; but we have put to one side the very pinnacle of God's creation. Any guesses at what it may be?
      Is it the Himalayas? What about the Pacific Ocean? A Black Hole maybe? Or something closer to home: Steak perhaps?  Have you considered Gold or Brass, Platinum or Copper? The Cedars of Lebanon, or the Oaks of Europe? The Whale or the Cheetah? Maybe the Sun?
      Well, according to the bible, and indeed common observation, it is none of the above. Rather, it is mankind themselves. And when we stop and consider, we have to say that  we agree. Man, although not the strongest or the largest or even the fastest creature, is capable of utilizing creation in a way that even the brightest animal cannot. Throughout the ages man has mastered irrigation and farming techniques, allowing us to broaden our scope and to enter into other pursuits. Canals, hose pipes and combine harvesters are all methods used to eliminate the requirement for massive labour forces.
     Besides our ability to use tools and strategies to ease our workloads, we also have great gifts in other ways; man can think, laugh, socialise, enjoy and imagine. Our creator has given us a whole realm of emotions, all allowing us to better appreciate his creation and our place in it. After all, if we didn't have a sense of wonder or awe then how could we glorify and praise our Creator God?
     As we saw in an earlier post, this world was made to be inhabited, the bible says:

For thus says the LORD,

who created the heavens

(he is God!),

who formed the earth and made it

(he established it;

he did not create it empty,

he formed it to be inhabited!):

“I am the LORD, and there is no other".

     So, God created a whole universe, with a specially designed and prepared planet for habitation by us. Why? So we can glorify and praise Him! Even those who foolishly deny God still indirectly praise his works, think of the myriads of nature programs on the BBC! Planet Earth is perhaps the best known documentary covering creation. Although the series claims that all of the universe was formed by the big bang explosion, it is still glorifying the works of the true Creator, even if the producers would be aghast at even the thought of doing such!
     Imagine a sculptor had made a particularly impressive piece. The connoisseurs and experts examining it, while praising its masterful shapes and unspoken passion, attribute it to a 19th Century sculptor. Overhearing their discussions, the true sculptor, although amazed at their foolishness and angry at having been robbed of their direct praise, still is honoured by their admiration, albeit  aimed at the wrong recipient. The fact that we can imagine such a scene, as well as sympathise with the sculptor's emotions, is an argument for a creator rather than a "big bang" in itself! The famous Cambridge professor and author of The Narnia Chronicles, C.S. Lewis, said the following:

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.

     Some might say: If we do indeed have a creator, which I highly doubt, his work is done, why should we feel obliged to honour him in any way? He has no hold over me! The Israelites felt the same way in Isaiah's time. He had an answer for them:

You turn things upside down!

Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,

that the thing made should say of its maker,

“He did not make me”;

or the thing formed say of him who formed it,

“He has no understanding”?

      Its not hard to agree with the prophet Isaiah. Everything we have comes from our creator, both the physical things we use, eat and see; but also the invisible things that we need so much. Our intellect, skills, strength and intuition all come from our creator who formed us. Our health every day and our nourishment all flow from the hands of a Creator God. Every single blessing comes from this Creator. The Universe was created at a single point in our time, however God continues to maintain and sustain his creation every single moment.
      Each new born child was formed in their mother's womb; isn't the journey from embryo to fetus to child such a miraculous one?! We might be able to understand what happens during pregnancy and birth, but can we fully understand how or why it happens? What indeed is life? What physical difference can we see in the body of a person alive, and that of the same person a few moments later who is no longer alive? The life is gone, but all the cellular and physical matter still remains. Even if we could put together all the building blocks of a human, we could not make it any more alive than a brick! In the film Frankenstein, the professor manages to piece together a creature using various body parts of criminals, he then instills "life" into his masterpiece using an electrical current... utter balderdash! If life was an electrical charge then we would treat our mobile phones with much more respect! In GCSE Biology lessons I learnt that "life" is defined by the mnemonic MRS. GREN (Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition), however this is, at best, merely the visible properties of life; they certainly do not give us an explanation or definition of what life really is.
     We give a lot of time to talking about our "consciousness" or "inner beings"; almost all scientists or doctors appreciate that we are made up of more than simply our bodies, there is something much deeper, even spiritual perhaps, about who we really are. However no one can define "life" for certain.  Do you see what I am attempting to get at? Man (the clay) cannot begin to equate themselves with God (the potter). We can't even fathom who we really are, let alone pretend to be able to "create" life itself! When we think that we are intelligent enough to dispute with our creator we are simply deluding ourselves. As one man put it:

If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't.

     There is another part of humanity which we cannot fully understand (although some claim to be experts!). It humbles Kings and brings the downfall of empires. It breaks the strongest heart and cheers the saddest mourner. It directly reflects the very character of God himself. It is love. The Creator did not make man to be a solitary being, oh no! The Creator made male and female. He created love. The love that he shows to us is shadowed in our own love for one another, especially in the love between a husband and wife. The idea that that love is merely a reflection of Gods love for us is mind blowing! A creator who could form the mountains and who could mould the galaxies could surely make a manner of reproduction that required no intimacy or emotion. But God did not leave the matter at pure function, no he instead created love. Enjoyment, happiness, joy and love are all emotions that the Creator placed in his finest creation- mankind. Does that not speak vast amounts about our God!

     So, bringing it all together and tieing up the loose ends for today: the Creator has not only created a vast, beautiful and diverse world, but also has populated it with us, the pinnacle of his creation. We are intelligent, resourceful and capable of enjoying and "feeling" his creation. As the pinnacle of the creation we are not more deserving or righteous or special than a dung-beetle: we are what we are because of our creator who made us! Our role is to praise and glorify God, and there is a lot to thank him for!
     Sometimes, when it seems like the "world is against us" and troubles and strifes are multiplying, it can be easy to doubt God, to consider him as cruel or uncaring. And indeed, if we were only to look at creation then we would have to consider a cruel or twisted God as being a possibility, however unlikely. But the Creator has given us more than just (if I can use the word "just"!) his creation, he has also given us a whole book, the Bible! Although we can gather a lot from looking at creation, as I hope I have began to show in this series, we cannot tell all.
     There was a man, as told in the Bible (God's Word to us), called Job. If the world was ever  against anyone, then Job was the one. His family had been killed in various accidents, he had lost all his wealth, he was covered in sores and blisters and for company Job had a moaning wife who told him to "Curse God and die" and 'friends' who condemned him as a sinner. But Job was faithful and refused to deny God, he battled (metaphorically speaking) with his accusers for days. But finally Job did cry out at God, and became proud and bitter. God replied to Job with a blistering speech that humbled the man entirely.
    Lets remember that we are greatly blessed by our Creator. He has given us the breath of life, he formed us before we were born. He sustains us and provides us with our health. Our skills, passions, strength, desires and emotions all have flown from him. He has made us the pinnacle of his creation, so that we can glorify him. But remember this: God created us, not the other way around. We cannot be proud of ourselves- after all, everything that we are is from God- and we certainly cannot become equal to God. To keep us from this foolish mistake, I will leave you with some extracts from the Lord's speech to Job:

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.

  Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it?

Or who shut in the sea with doors

when it burst out from the womb,

  when I made clouds its garment

and thick darkness its swaddling band,

  and prescribed limits for it

and set bars and doors,

  and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,

and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

Have you commanded the morning since your days began,

and caused the dawn to know its place...

Have you entered into the springs of the sea,

or walked in the recesses of the deep?

  Have the gates of death been revealed to you,

or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

  Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?

Declare, if you know all this.

Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,

or have you seen the storehouses of the hail...

Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars

and spreads his wings toward the south?

  Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up

and makes his nest on high?

.......Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?

He who argues with God, let him answer it.......