Creation's Cache #9

    Wow, over the last few days the weather has really taken a turn- winter is truly upon us. Each morning I've gone to get into my car to discover the windscreen misted and frozen; I can see my own breath in front of me, and yet I can't see much further! I drove into work today and a deep fog was mysteriously floating just over the fields. The whole countryside has a surreal atmosphere to it, while the silence and almost dreamlike surroundings are occasionally punctured by the the faint lights of oncoming vehicles. After exiting the car, the nip of the cold reminds me that I am no longer in a dream- this world is very real! Even amidst the frost and the fog (one could even say because of the frost and the fog...) a wonderful beauty is accented.
   By April spring will have come and by July we will be knee-deep in the British Summertime! The Seasons come around year by year, month by month, ordered by the creator and sustainer of the universe.

   I do hope that in your lifetimes, you experience the diversity and vastness of this planet. I hope that you dive into the tropical seas, surrounded by iddlyic sands and palms. I hope that you ride on llamas across the Chilean mountains. I hope that you explore caverns and caves. I hope that you climb mountains and splash around at the base of waterfalls. I hope you see Eagles and Stags. I hope you get to see wild dolphins in the ocean. I hope that you visit Delhi and Tokyo. I hope you exchange laughter with people of all cultures and races. I hope that you watch ganets diving into the sea from great heights. I hope that you experience all of that and even more!
    But more than the greatest experiences this world can offer, I hope that you know God more and more. I earnestly hope that you discover the vastness of God's love- for He has removed our sins further from us than the east is from the west*. I hope you learn of His wisdom- wiser than the owl or the greatest philosopher. I hope that you know what it is to receive God's grace-  deeper than the Atlantic Ocean. I hope that you learn of the might of God's right arm- stronger and more powerful than the Leviathan or Whale. I hope that you see the goodness and righteousness of God- the one who established right and wrong in our hearts. He, in his glory, is brighter than the Sun; more inspiring than the sunset; and more beautiful than the most desirable paradise on earth.
    For if this creation is wonderful, as it most undeniably is, then the Creator must be more wonderful and awesome still!

    It is my hope that each day you will live seeking to see God in His creation, that you will live desiring to know and serve him more. Creation's Cache can be a minefield if handled recklessly- remember, creation, although wonderful, was created by an even greater God!
    In Ancient Israel there was a man who thought that he could enjoy all of the pleasures of creation and yet he forgot who the creator was. The man's name was Solomon.

    Solomon was born the son of David, the great warrior-king of Israel. Solomon was very wise and wrote whole books of proverbs and songs. When he became King, he ruled over a strong and illustrious nation- all of their enemies having been pacified by his father. Solomon turned his attention from serving God and the Nation, to serving his own desires; he wanted to discover what  would give his life meaning or satisfaction. We take up his story in one of his books, Ecclesiastes:

I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the children of man. 

    Life must have been good for Solomon. He woke up each morning and doubtless enjoyed a refreshing bath in the finest waters straight from the Dead Sea, after being dried upon a towel of silk by his courtiers, he would partake of a hearty breakfast of the most delicious delicacies of the Israeli countryside. Later, after perhaps enjoying a bit of boating on the royal lake, he would watch a chariot race or competition. Once he had satisfied his appetite once again, Solomon might commission the construction of a new city or sculpture. He would review his armies or spend a few hours examining his collection of exotic and amazing animals, bought to his zoos by his great naval fleet. The evening would be taken up with a great banquet, accompanied by dances and music (doubtless played by his own band of bards and minstrels), during the meal he might converse with visiting Kings, Queens or other great minds of the Ancient world. Finally, he would retire to his chambers, while across the land his servants and stewards packed up for the day after working in his gardens, orchards, vineyards and estates.

So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.    

    But intriguingly, as time passed, Solomon was becoming less and less happy with the pursuits to which he had thrown himself into:

Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. 

    Solomon had discovered that creation, when approached without thought of God, left little lasting satisfaction. This legendary King, who had the means and wisdom to do or have anything he wished, found that a Godless creation was meaningless and void. He had a desire, which this world simply could not fulfill.
    Do you have a similar desire? Do you find that your job, relationships, food and pleasures just do not satisfy you? C.S. Lewis felt the same, he came to an obvious conclusion:

“If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world”

    The Bible teaches that one day the Lord God will return to his creation and will wrap it up. Man's sin (or rebellion against God) has caused sickness, decay, evil and death. God will remove all of this, and anything else which does not reflect his character, and he will create a new Heavens and a new Earth. The Bible tells us some wonderful things about this new creation. But one thing about it is particularly important: no sinner can be there.
    "Well", you say, "neither of us will be there then!" And you would be right, if it wasn't for the great love and mercy of God. He knew that we were sinful and rebellious, so he sent His only son, Jesus, to die on a cross and to pay the debt owed by us. Jesus Christ has paid for our sin. If we believe on him, and trust in him as the payment for our wrongdoings, then he is faithful to forgive us! More than that, he gives us his own righteousness, so that we are perfect and holy in God's eyes. No wonder that Christians sing so much! We have a lot to sing about!
    As I "wrap up" the Creation's Cache blog series, I would like to leave you with some of the words of a beautiful hymn:

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder, Consider all the works thy hands hath made, I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed....

Then sings my soul, my saviour God to thee, How great thou art, how great thou art!

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent him to die- I scarce can take it in. That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin....

Then sings my soul, my saviour God to thee, How great thou art, how great thou art! 

Enjoy Creation's Cache of marvels and wonders, but remember, the Creator is even greater!

* This reminds me of one of the songs we got the children singing at the Holiday Bible Club this year: (to be sung to the tune of "The Flintstones"!)

God's Love is the best love that the world has ever ever known,

Deeper than the deep sea, its a love that only God can show,

Wider than the total human race,

Higher than the planets up in space,

God's love is the best love that the world has ever ever,

Will ever, ever,

Can ever, ever know......

[Yabadabadoo!] 

    

Creation's Cache #8

     In 1782, in Switzerland, Anna Goldi was executed for committing the offense of "Witchcraft". She was the last of thousands to be killed across North America and Europe for various forms of the crime; the deaths spanning over 200 years. Estimates vary on the total number, but the number of trials that led to official executions was as high as 12,000. 
     The Witchcraft Act of 1735 de-criminalized the act of witchcraft, instead punishing those who claimed to be witches. Helen Duncan in 1944 was jailed under the Act, although her followers claim that she was arrested due to the Military's fear that she would reveal the top-secret D-Day plans. 
     In 1951 the Act was repealed. 




     Why am I telling you all this? Hmmmmmm. 
     I wonder how you feel about the Witchcraft Act of 1542 which first made witchcraft illegal in England? Perhaps you see it as a testimony of how far our nation has advanced in the 500 years since? Perhaps you see the 16th Century populace as foolish or naive? Perhaps you judge the witchcraft-frenzy of the Middle Ages as cruel and inhumane? I don't know. But this I can say for sure: if the average 21st Century person still believed that witches exist- people who summon evil spirits and forces up in order to torture or mutilate others; who use wicked powers in order to cripple nations and to reek havoc upon innocent neighbours; who commit perverted and twisted acts and rituals- then they would demand that Governments took action against these 'witches' and locked them up in a high-security detention facility! Maybe you do not believe in traditional 'witchcraft', but you still must regard the very idea as being utterly heinous. 
     I can hear you cry: "What does this all have to do with Creation's Cache?!" Well, let me explain...


     We have seen that the Creator has formed life. This "life" is not a simplistic survival-based one, but involves emotions, desires, passions and thoughts. What more can we see by exploring life? 
     C.S. Lewis begins his book, Mere Christianity, with some very interesting observations he makes of the world around him. Everyone experiences quarreling, Lewis says. And listening to this quarreling can teach us an invaluable lesson. What do quarreling people say? "That's mine!" "I was here first!" "Its my turn!" "Thats not fair!" and so on. Even in the act of arguing people still appeal to a mutual sense of justice, honour and fairness, perhaps only on a subconscious level but still present nevertheless.  
    Lets follow another train of thought for a moment: 

Big Bang makes universe. Life forms begin. Blob turns into newt. Strongest newts survive while weakest die. Newts evolve into apes. Stronger and more intelligent apes evolve into rudimentary men. Early man kills off weaker men that do not learn to use tools and weapons. Early man evolves into Man as we know him. 

Where in this course of events did man gain any concept of "fairness" or "sharing" or "taking turns"!! Surely the homo-erectus who lent his flint to another would never get it back and would eventually die of frostbite? Silly example, but you see my point: survival-of-the-fittest leaves no room for a sense of morality. 
     The 'morality' that C.S. Lewis observed in quarreling is prevalent throughout all cultures, ages and peoples. Perhaps you can appreciate my witchcraft example now- although we do not believe in witchcraft, generally speaking, we abhor what it would entail if it did actually start to happen.* The morality of the 1500s was not dissimilar to ours at all. Selfishness, dishonesty and greed has always been frowned upon, and always will be. C.S. Lewis expains that when differing cultures are stripped away, the laws and morals of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Hindus, Chinese, Greeks and Romans are all very similar to each other, and to ours.
    But where, if man simply evolved from blobs of jelly, did this 'morality' come from? Where, in the long process of survival-of-the-fittest, did we stop looking out for ourselves and start looking out for others? At what point did apes start to give to charitable causes? When did men start feeling this strange sensation called "guilt". When did we decide that certain actions- although they make us richer, stronger and more powerful- are not acceptable? Was it in the 20th Century? Or did "honour" and "justice" exist before that? Was it the founding fathers of America who began the trend? Was it in the 1500s? Or did Chivalry exist before that? Was it during the Saxons era? Is that when morality began? No, Greek literature is full of stories of bravery and hope and honour. What about the Egyptians? The Mesopotamians?
    Why weren't these "moral" people wiped out by the self-preservationists? Why weren't they killed when they acted in kindness? Why weren't their homes and possessions stolen from their charitable arms?

     Hmmmmmmmmm. I wonder.

    Maybe, just maybe, the creator of this world -of the entire universe- instilled a sense of morality, a sign post showing what is right and what is wrong, into the hearts and minds of the pinnacle of his creation: us.

     In the book of Romans, which is found in the New Testament of the Bible, the writer is talking about people called Gentiles. Gentiles were people that were not hereditary Jews (so probably including both me and you). The Gentiles had not been given the 10 Commandments, however:

...They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them...

    So, even though they had never heard the 10 Commandments, or any other God-given laws, they still had a law written on their very hearts! How could the writer see this? Through their consciences which "accused" them!  
    Ever felt the pang of your conscience? I have. My own guilt and conscience are not things that I have imagined or whipped up. Why would I, naturally speaking, want a force inside of me that stops me doing what I want to do? Why would anyone? No, but a creator put them in me when I was made. God put barriers in each of us, check-points to warn us when we stray from right and into wrong.
    In his book, The Holy War, John Bunyan (author of the world's #2 Bestseller (after the Bible)) uses the allegory of a city to picture a man. In his city are many colourful people and places. One such person is Mr Conscience. Mr Conscience is a loud sort of fellow, he makes everyone else feel bad and unhappy with his cries of doom and gloom. However he is locked away in his home and passersbys mock him for his bad-news-mongering. Perhaps we can feel a similar way about our consciences- lock them away and laugh at them. But remember: our conscience is a God-given gift, we must heed it and ensure that it has not been blunted through us ignoring its warnings.

    What does this 'Law of Human Nature' tell us about God then? He is the source of all goodness, he gave us our knowledge of right and wrong. He has created us as beings that are more than simply flesh and blood, but as beings who are deeper- spiritual beings. Not only this, but he has clearly shown us his will and his law. The Psalmist, in Psalm 97, looked around him at the world and the sky, and had this to say about God:

The Heavens proclaim His righteousness...

And again, in Psalm 50,

The Heavens declare His righteousness...

Creation doesn't whisper of God's goodness; it doesn't give us a small nudge and cautiously say, "God is quite good, you know." No! It proclaims, it declares! God exists, therefore good exists!
    The Creator and sustainer of the whole Universe is not fickle, he is not unconcerned about what he has made. God did not create us then just leave us to get on with life with no regard to him. Instead he set in our very hearts a law that teaches us of his goodness and love. Pause for a moment and consider the 'morality' we have been looking at. At its very crux is love for others! What a loving God we must have! He has given us a glimpse of His goodness and righteousness. He created us with something more than the animals had- with a sense of what is right and what is wrong!

I will keep your law continually,

forever and ever,

  and I shall walk in a wide place,

for I have sought your precepts.

  I will also speak of your testimonies before kings

and shall not be put to shame,

  for I find my delight in your commandments,

which I love.

  I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,

and I will meditate on your statutes.

  

*Incidentally, if you do totally disagree with me- if you think that the people of the middle ages were cruel and murderous to kill anyone they suspected of witchcraft- then you yourself are judging them by a higher standard. You are comparing our 21st Century morality with theirs and deciding which one is "better" according to an even greater standard. Where did that higher standard come from I wonder? 

Creation's Cache #8

Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.                    John Muir

The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities; but to know someone here and there who thinks and feels with us, and though distant, is close to us in spirit - this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.  Ashley Smith

 The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax.                      Albert Einstein

     What stops a man from killing his neighbour in order to take his car? Why, if we see something we want, that will make our lives 'better', why do we not just take it? When someone stands in my way, why don't I just push him out of it? Why do people all across the world understand the principles of justice, honour, compassion and loyalty?
     Why did the Romans have a system of democracy? Why are politicians expected to account for their expenses? Why do we expect them to be honest? Why do I share in the washing up? Why do we exchange insurance details after a crash and not simply just drive away?
     Huuuum. I wonder.

     Where did this sense of morality come from? Where, in the long process of survival-of-the-fittest, did we stop looking out for ourselves and start looking out for others? At what point did apes start to give to charitable causes? When did men start feeling this strange sensation called "guilt". When did we decide that certain actions- although they make us richer, stronger, more powerful- are not acceptable? Was it in the 20th Century? Or did "honour" and "justice" exist before that? Was it the founding fathers of America who began the trend? Was it in the 1500s? Or did Chivalry exist before that? Was it during the Saxons era? Is that when morality began? No, Greek literature is full of stories of bravery and hope and honour. What about the Egyptians? The Mesopotamians?
       Why weren't these "moral" people wiped out by the self-preservationists? Why weren't they killed when they acted in kindness? Why weren't their homes and possessions stolen from their charitable arms?
       Huuuuum. I wonder.

     Maybe..... maybe, just maybe, the Creator of this world, the Lord of the Universe, instilled a sense of morality, a glimmer of what is right, into the hearts and minds of mankind- the pinnacle of his creation.
      Ever felt the pang of your conscience? I have. My guilt and my conscience are not imagined things. I certainly didn't mix them up and bring them into being. Why would I, naturally speaking, want a force inside of me that stops me doing what I want? Why would anyone? God put them inside of me. He put barriers in each one of us; check points which warn us when we stray from right and into wrong. When culture is stripped away, all of mankind has the same basic law imprinted on them. C.S. Lewis uses the example of Witchcraft to show this point:
One might argue that in the middle ages people were burned as witches. A 21st Century Government would be laughed to scorn if it attempted to arrest "witches". Therefore "morality" has changed, and is not a definite set law. However if we believed, in our modern culture, that people existed who made sacrifices to demonic powers, who performed disgusting and cruel rituals and caused harm and injury to others, then they would demand that they were locked in a high security prison!
      So, morality doesn't change like culture does. Right and Wrong are not flexible principles, they are specific and unchangeable facts.
      A famous philosopher once said:

I think therefore I am.

     One of his contemporaries went one step further:

I think, therefore thinking exists. 

     Perhaps I can make my own assertion:

God is, therefore good is.

      Those who claim that "Everything is true" or "Everyone is right" condemn themselves by their own arguments! If everything is right then nothing is! If what everyone believes is true "for them" then those who believe that they are 'exclusively right' must also be right! That is a paradox that cannot exist!
      But I digress. My point is this: we all know that certain things are 'right' and certain things are 'wrong'. We have been formed with a sense of morality.

      Why is this so important? Because it shows us that there is something more, something deeper, than simply the external. This world, although amazingly beautiful, vast, majestic and just astounding, is only one layer. There is more to creation that what we can see, hear, taste or smell. God has made us as spiritual beings. Unlike the animals, we know 'good' and 'bad'. The Psalmist sees more than simply the beauty of the sky when he says this:

The heavens proclaim his righteousness,

and all the peoples see his glory.

God's goodness, or righteousness, is clearly seen in his creation, the Psalmist saw it and so can we. Romans 1 tells us that God is clearly visible.

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.......

Creation's Cache #6

   I wonder which two aspects of creation you thought about after reviewing the locations, ecosystems, fauna and flora of Creation's Cache #5. There are doubtless many things we could see by looking at them. I have just picked two however. Creations is big. There is no doubt about it! It would be an impossible task to discover everything about it; if we claimed to be able to then we would be placing ourselves in the Creator's place. You will forgive me, I'm sure, if I have chosen some of the most obvious aspects to our world- Romans 1 tells us that the attributes of God have been "clearly shown", therefore a long theo-scientific thesis should not be necessary!

   After seeing just four of the animals occupying creation, I think we would agree that they are very different! Two can swim, one can fly, and one crawls! One is huge, one is large, one is medium sized and one is tiny. They have different shapes and skins and attributes. And they are just the beginning of the thousands upon thousands of species that live among us. It is no wonder that the Psalmist sung the following words:

O LORD, how manifold are your works!

In wisdom have you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

  Here is the sea, great and wide,

which teems with creatures innumerable,

living things both small and great.

      The world is made up of various environments- deserts, tundra, oceans and mountains, to name but a few. Throughout the planet plant-life and crops vary dramatically. Weather and climate also changes. Three years ago, I spent four weeks in the sub-continent of India. During the month, I travelled from the Himalayan region of Himachal-Pradesh south for 12 hours via coach, sleeper train and rickshaw until I reached Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. The scenery, climate and smells changed quite a lot, however if you glance at a map of India you will see that I had hardly journeyed 20% of the length of the country. I saw this change even more dramatically during our trek across a small length of the Himalayan mountains. After about 5 or 6 days of rocky, almost desert-like, surroundings- traversing through dusty mountain passes and sometimes over the peaks themselves- we passed through one valley to find ourselves in a region that could be described as  luscious! Vegetation and wildlife flourished, allowing villagers to live amongst the mountains. A traveling coca-cola salesman also managed to find our team!
    To match this amazing diversity in creation, accents and skin colours change amongst mankind. Culture and civilization is shaped by their surroundings; Tokyo, New Delhi, Timbuktu and Royal Lemington Spa are all very different from one another! Language, Architecture, society and fashion are as diverse as the planet they inhabit.
     The point I am trying to convey is the huge diversity across Creation. The Creator has not made a "one-size-fits-all" world (although that is his prerogative as the creator). Rather he has given us a whole planet, nay universe, of new and exciting things. In a very reverent way, God has an imagination that is endless, way beyond our comprehension. The diverseness of the world only reinforces our earlier discoveries as to the vastness of our God. The amazing spectrum of places, creatures and plants sings out to the amazing creator.
     Perhaps you've heard of the song "All things bright and beautiful", well here a a couple of verses from that lovely hymn, they are a neat bridge between the two 'attributes' of creation and the creator that we are looking at:
  
                 Each little flower that opens, 
                 Each little bird that sings, 
                 He made their glowing colours,
                 He made their tiny wings...
                 
                 The purple-headed mountain,
                 The river running by,
                 The sunset, and the morning,
                 That brightens up the sky...


                 The LORD God made them all...


     Have you ever considered taste? Why does chocolate cake taste so good? Why do I love to munch on a warm sausage roll? After a long road trip why do I get that mmmmmm sensation when biting down into a double-decker cheese burger? My body could survive-physically speaking- on slop and water, perhaps with the odd slice of bread. Why did the Creator give us taste? Why did he creator flavours? Salt and Vinegar- why do we have them? And why is their so much variety? How come we can create a whole range of dairy products from one cow?
     Why does bread smell so good? Why do flowers give off such a lovely smell? Candles, what are they all about? Ever caught the smell of rain? That is a hidden treasure!
     How come we are born with our own little choir? Why does the movement of muscles in our throats create such a stunning symphony? Why did the creator decree that the plucking of tense strings would form waves of sound that would land upon our ears? Talking of ears, how come music is so delightful to them? (Whereabouts in the "evolutionary path" of "survival of the fittest" did man decide to ignore home building, food production and defense in favour of listening to music?!)
     Colours? Why?... Imagine how dull a world in black and white might be- but we would never have known what we were missing, surely. So... why do we have colours then? Shades of brown, hints of blue, splashes of red, hughes of green, indigo, violet, maroon, lime, purple....
  
     Why does a sunset bring such joy? Why does a mug of steaming tea cheer me up? Why does the morning song of the birds twinkle on my eardrums? Because God has created a beautiful world. God has created a world crammed full of beautiful and wonderful things. Taste, Smell, Sound.... all working in unison to amaze and astound us! The whole realm of nature glorifying the magnificent Creator!
      How can anyone when confronted with the beauty of this world say anything but 'Praise the LORD!' The Bible says that men have attempted to twist and pervert what we plainly see into their own 'wisdom', however their wisdom is total foolishness. Many philosophers and writers have been known to say, in one way or another, this:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

      One question for you geniuses: Who created the eye?!

     Well, the Creator God did! He has not only filled the world with beauty and wonder, but he has given us the tools and the emotions to begin to appreciate it.
     Whenever we see something, a huge process has already taken place. After light has shined into our pupils it hits the lens. The lens focuses the light onto the retina which is situated at the back of the eyeball. Millions of light-sensitive cells on the retina receive the light and changes it into nerve signals which are sent to the brain, which in turn deciphers the signals and tells us what we are seeing. God has designed and created two eyes for each of us; they are capable of taking in everything around us, including distance, perspective and colour.  He has not only created this beautiful world, but also given us the eyes to see it!
     "All things bright and beautiful" goes on to say:

                He gave us eyes to see them,
                And lips that we might tell
                How great is God Almighty,
                Who has made all things well.


     So what have we learnt about our Creator? Well, firstly, he is so much bigger and more imaginative than us! The wonders of the whole creation, the diverseness of the it all, the smells, tastes, sounds and sights are all the work of our God! Colours, chords, crocodiles, chocolate cake and cashmere: all the creation of God!
     Secondly, he has made a world that is full of beauty, that reflects his own beauty. The whole world glorifies God himself. The purpose of creation is to rejoice in its creator. And he hasn't left us unable to enjoy it either: he formed in us the tools we need to hear, smell, taste and see. He gave us an appreciation of the divine. He gave us the emotions, feelings and desires that allow us to enjoy and marvel at his works.
     Are there things in creation which confuse you? Why are they there? Well maybe God made them so that we can praise him for his knowledge and vastness!
     In Ancient times there was a great sea beast called Leviathan. The Leviathan swam in the deep oceans, fearsome and mighty. It was the stuff of legends: the bible describes the creature as boiling water through its very breath! Why did God create Leviathan? Well, the Psalmist gives us one reason- he is talking about the seas and oceans and all that live in and on them:

  There go the ships,

and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

     That certainly would not be the purpose I would have given Leviathan! But the mighty sea beast was formed to play in the sea! Its purpose in life is to paddle and splash and have fun! It was formed to enjoy creation and to glorify the maker: God!
      Praise God that He has given us such a wonderful world to live in! I will live you with the words of Psalm 148:

Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, all you shining stars!

  Praise him, you highest heavens,

and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the LORD!

For he commanded and they were created.

  And he established them forever and ever;

he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all deeps,

  fire and hail, snow and mist,

stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars!

  Beasts and all livestock,

creeping things and flying birds! 

Creation's Cache #5

 For the LORD is a great God,

     and a great King above all gods.

   In his hand are the depths of the earth;

             the heights of the mountains are his also.

         The sea is his, for he made it,

              and his hands formed the dry land.

    Over the next two posts in the Creation Cache Series, I hope to show two amazing things about the Earth, and from this small selection of case studies I think we can really begin to see something of the Creator amidst the Creation. Have a read and a look at this post, and, I wonder, what two ideas do you see coming through?

     Situated in the Gulf of Arden, south of Yemen, and east of Somalia, is a four-island archipelago- the largest island is Socotra. 

    Socotra has been described as "the most alien place on earth"; its diverse foliage and fauna includes the Dracaena Cinnabari, or the "dragon's blood tree". The deep red resin produced by the tree, from which it was given its name, has been used for medicines and dyes, as well as lipstick and air freshener!

    The Narwhal is a whale that can be found only in the freezing waters of the Arctic. Male Narwhals have two teeth, one of which grows outwards in a spiral manner, it can eventually reach up to 10 meters in length. 

    Some Narwhals grow up to 16ft in length (not including the tusk) and can weigh up to 1.7 tonnes. Their average life span is 50 years, during which they live in "pods" of between 4 and 20 whales, occasionally multiple pods travel together thus forming larger groups. 

      In the Jordan Valley, 400 meters below sea level, is the Dead Sea- the lowest body of water on the earth. Due to its position, the sea contains 4 times the normal content of salt, as well as many other minerals, this means that you can float on its surface without any effort. The rocks  lying around its edges are covered with a white deposit, giving the entire sea a surreal and magical appearance, its waters are also famed with nourishing and therapeutic qualities.  

    Scattered in gardens and parks across Europe, North Africa, China, Iran and Asia you will find Tulips. Beautiful flowers in varying shades and colours. Varieties of tulips can be found in the Hindu Kush mountains and on the steppes of Kazakhstan!

     Corals are tiny marine organisms that, when joined together into colonies, secrete a skeleton  substructure over many generations. These skeletons go towards forming huge coral reefs. Reefs normally exist in shallow tropical waters, such as those in the Pacific Ocean; they have been described as the "rainforests of the sea", and are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the earth, providing shelter for 25% of all marine species. 

    Regarded as the mightiest of all flying animals, the Eagle is an extremely large bird-of-prey. Various species of eagles can be found in Europe, Africa, South America and Australia. As a predator, the bird has a hooked nose, for tearing apart its prey, as well as strong legs and talons. The eagle is also renown for its amazing eyesight- large pupils allow them to spy potential victims from dizzying heights in the sky. One species, the Steller's Sea Eagle, has a wingspan of up to 9ft wide! It is no wonder that the eagle has attracted so much attention in national culture and emblems! 

    In the space of 365 days, the earth transforms through four distinct stages- the seasons. Our streets and fields metamorphise from being white with snow, into the yellows of spring, as new flowers burst forth and lambs leap around. Later this deepens into the warmth of summertime. Summer soon moves on in Autumn, and shades of brown cover the landscape (I love Autumn time the most of all!). The seasons are vital to supplying crops and vegetation with sunlight, water and nutrients. 

  

    Situated in the Philippines is one of the wonders of Asia! I owe thanks to the 2011 Calender that AiG have recently sent me, for sharing the beauty of this with me. The Chocolate Hills is 

a formation of over 1000 perfectly conical shaped hills, spanning over 50 kilometers, each one between 40 and 120 meters high. During the dry season, the grass-covered cones turn brown, giving the illusion of a chocolate covering!

    Living in the islands around the Philippines, nearby the Chocolate Hills, are the earth's smallest primates- the Tarsiers. Each one only 10 to 15 cm long, but with tails reaching up to 25cm! They have strangely large eyeballs for their size, as well  as large hind legs. Not content with being the smallest primates, they are also the only primates to live off of an entirely caniverous diet: feasting on insects and small lizards. 

    The Arctic is one of the most inhospitable places on earth. It is the northern most point of the globe, opposite the Antarctic. Temperatures regularly reach -40 degrees centigrade, and have been known to be as cold as -68 degrees! Rain normally falls as snow, and high winds cause heavy snow storms. Areas of tundra are caused by shrubs and mosses, which form the bulk of the arctic vegetation (but this only in the warmer extremities). The animals living in the freezing conditions are, for the most part, white, so as to be camouflaged in their environment. One such animal.....

    ...is the seal, which, I'm sure you will agree, is adorable! 

    About 20% of the earth's landscape is desert. A desert is an area that receives an extremely low level of rainfall, therefore leaving plant life non-existent. They are normally comprised of rocks and sand, often in the form of sand dunes. The largest hot desert, the Sahara, covers 3,320,000+ miles as well as 12 countries. Occasionally in a desert is an Oasis, a vegetated area, supported with springs or irrigation. An Oasis is the only place where habitation can be supported. 

     Having seen the images and read the brief descriptions of just a fraction of the plants, animals and ecosystems this planet contains what two things can you discover about the maker? 

     Read Creation's Cache #6 to find out more! 

Creation's Cache #4

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
  Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.


  (N.B. Apologies for the rather scientific approach I have taken today! Normal service will be resumed shortly!- Matt) 


   I started out this blog series, only a few short days ago, with a list of various points and ideas I wanted to emphasise. Since then I have added scribbles and scrawls all over the page, and now my writing is barely discernible! I have just found the July/September 2008 edition of "Answers" magazine, which looked at the "Wonders of Creation", it contains some really amazing articles, which mesh in with my general theme. In this post, I wish to look at one main topic but also to throw in a few other smaller "wonderlets" (not wander-lust, as my spell checker thinks!) that the magazine describes.

   Jonathan Edwards was an 18th Century theologian. Edwards began what he called a "Types Notebook", which he planned to use as proof of God's character revealed in nature. He wrote these words:

...the whole universe, heaven and earth, air and seas, and the divine constitution and history of the holy Scriptures, be full of images of divine things, as full as a language is of words.

    Lets take a look at one of those "images". (This is one of those highlighted in the "Answers" magazine.)


Atoms
  Everything on this planet is formed of atoms. Atoms are entirely hidden from the eye, and are rarely considered in day-to-day life, however they form the very building blocks of our existence. The atoms consists of a dense central nucleus, formed of neutrons (neutral) and protons (positively charged), surrounded by orbiting electrons (negatively charged). The electrons are held in place by an electromagnetic field. Groups of atoms are held together by a similar force, these groups are called molecules.
   Atoms contain huge amounts of energy, due to the electromagnetic fields. In 1945 the USA managed to "split" an atom, thus utilizing its power. The US Air Force dropped a bomb, code named "Little boy" over Hiroshima, in Japan. The blast delivered by the bomb was the equivalent of  between 13 and 15 kilotons of TNT (one kiloton would be a cube of TNT, with each surface being over 8 meters across). Modern day Nuclear weapons and Nuclear Reactors release much much more energy.
   By rearranging the three basic particles in an atom (the protons, neutrons and electrons) different substances, or elements, are seen. Each one is distinct, with unique texture, smell and other properties, and each one serves a different role. As the writer of the "Answers" article points out, everything from our morning milk, to the walls of our house, to our fingernails, is all formed from these three basic particles. Amazing or what?!
   This is creation at its minutest (as far as we know!), and here, as elsewhere, we can see the order of a designer. The Creator is not a reckless one, who cobbled a few lumps of rock and earth together to form a rough creation. No, rather all creation is ordered and organised.

   Where else can we see this order and organisation?

The Water Cycle
   Heres one that we all must know! Its a primary school favourite! The Water Cycle. Water begins in the sea, where it is evaporated and turns into water vapour. This then heads up into the sky where it joins with more vapour and forms clouds. The clouds are whisked about by the wind, and eventually they become so heavy that the vapour turns back into water. This water falls as rain over the land. Rivers and streams carry the water back to the sea, where the cycle begins again.
    This occurs every day. The whole system means that water, the earth's most precious resource, is filtered across the land, even where any sea is hundreds of miles away. The water that rains down on crops and vegetation allows them to grow, therefore providing food and other resources.
    God has established systems and cycles such as this one to provide for all of his creation. The earth is self-sustaining- something that mankind has never properly achieved. A few weeks back I visited the Natural History Museum in London. As part of an exhibit on Ecosystems, there was a display regarding a NASA project to create a totally self-sustaining pod in the Texas desert. Although lasting a long while, and providing (apparently) lorry loads of vital data, it was a failure. Man cannot make an ecosystem that can function apart from this earth. Ecospheres Associates Incorporated claim to have made "the world’s first totally enclosed ecosystem - a complete, self-contained and self-sustaining miniature world encased in glass." Curiously however, the prices page contains a column called "replacement period", presumably therefore their ecosystems, although obviously fully self-sustainable, cannot fully self-sustain themselves for over 6 months! As far as I can tell, the only creature capable of living inside an EcoSphere is a small fish- so a long way still to go! Putting that to one side, I think that both the scientists at NASA and the entrepreneurs at E.A.Inc would agree that neither of their ecosystems created themselves, rather it took outside influence to generate any form of sustainability and environment. 




    I have been trying to show how the entire creation is ordered and functions by 'laws of nature'. From the tiniest atom to the great planets themselves, all of creation is working in order to sustain itself and provide for life. Other examples would include: the seasons, bacteria (which convert many useless waste substances into things which we need. This symbiotic relationship which we share with microbes is reflective of how much we depend on others, and ultimately, upon God!), photosynthesis (the work of plant life to produce oxygen for us to breathe), gravity and the rising and setting of the sun. In his book "The Genesis Record" Prof. Henry Morris gives his scientific thoughts on the pre-flood irrigation system that watered all of creation (remember, there was no rain until the flood). His theory may or may not be correct, either way it highlights how the creator provided for a thriving and flourishing world. 
    Creation was created for life. The order, cycles and systems are all parts of a complex ecosystem that clearly was made for habitation. The Genesis account of creation in the Bible tells us about God creating people to occupy his creation:

...then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.

    I realise that my first few blogs on creation have all been rather scientific and geographically based, and I apologise! I plan to delve into the much more exciting and personal aspects later on. However for now, what have we learnt about our creator?

• His creation is big! In fact, it is utterly incomprehensibly vast. It is awe-inspiring in its sheer scale. The Creator is so so so much bigger than us! He knows his whole creation! He is an amazing God! 
• He is not a reckless creator; he is not fickle. He has created an ordered universe, full of cycles and systems to maintain and sustain itself. 
• Even the minutest particles of creation contain huge amounts of energy and power- how much greater in power must the creator be to have made them? 
• Creation was made to be inhabited. The Creator made the universe to be populated (we will look further at this at a later point)

Creation's Cache #3.1- A blessing from the Cache

   Yesterday I penned Creation's Cache #3 describing the utter indescribableness of the vastness of Creation- how utterly beyond our comprehension and imagination creation's size actually is.
   I mentioned how NASA's astronomers think that the number of stars is over 10 billion trillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000).
   I finished my blogging and headed for bed, where I read over some of my bible passages for the day (part of the UGS:Psalm 27 (2010) Reading Scheme). I turned to Jeremiah 31. The Lord proclaims through the prophet the beginning of a New Covenant for his people. Their sins will be forgiven, their iniquities washed clean, and the Lord God will know them all. Then Jeremiah goes on to say something that quite astounded me. After spending some time considering the huge unimaginable vastness of creation, God was showing me his grace through that very same imagery. Have a read yourself...

Thus says the LORD:

“If the heavens above can be measured,

and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,

then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel

for all that they have done,

declares the LORD.”

    "Why are you so amazed?" I hear you ask. Surely God is talking about "casting off" his people?! Well, yes. But he is saying that the "chance" (for want of a better word) of that happening is the same as the likelihood of all the heavens being measured, or the foundations of the earth being explored. After our brief discussion on the size of the universe yesterday, I think that we can see that the Lord is promising, using a reverse logic to emphasise his promise, that he will never cast away his people, Israel. Do you see my wonder? God uses the lessons we learn in Creation and nature, through the teaching of the Bible, to know him more, to see his grace all the more!
     My feelings are penned much more eloquently through the hymn of Isaac Watts, "Give to Our God Immortal Praise":

He built the earth, He spread the sky, 

   And fixed the starry lights on high:

      Wonders of grace to God belong,

          Repeat His mercies in your song.

Creation's Cache #3

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, Chris Tomlin.


    According to the NASA website, there are over 100 billion Galaxies in our Universe. The average number of stars per Galaxy may be as many as 100 billion. Therefore, there may be as many as 10 billion trillion stars. I have attempted to discover how many naughts this number would actually include- result: no one knows. Generally speaking when we pass the "one trillion" marker everyone becomes confused. Words such as "quadrillion", "quintillion" and "sextillion" are flouted about amongst amateur mathematicians, but they themselves disagree as to the quantities involved. As far as I can tell, a trillion is "1" followed by 12 "0"s:  1,000,000,000,000. Nasa suggests that there could be 10 billion times as many stars as that! Following my logic that makes 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars! If you are anything like me, and I imagine that you are, then you lost any comprehension of the numbers involved after about 6! I tried to imagine 10 stars in my head and I sincerely struggled! 
    Let me tell you about a star. In fact, let me tell you about our nearest star- the sun. The sun is a "dwarf star"- astronomers think that some stars are as much as 1,000 times the size of the sun. Be that as it may, the sun is still an impressive 864,000 miles across. That is 109 times the diameter of the earth. All of the energy throughout the solar system comes from the sun- it is a ball of gas and the reactions taking place within its plasma core supply huge quantities of heat and light. The Sun also emits various types of electromagnetic radiation. 
    I am no scientist, I was a fairly unintelligent student where chemical reactions and astronomy were concerned, but even I can appreciate the amazing properties of the sun. And let me remind you again, there may well be as many as 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars- some bigger, and some smaller, than the sun. Beyond physical comprehension? You bet! No one, no one at all, can even claim to begin to imagine our universe. There is only one word for it- vast! 
     When I first began to jot down some notes about creation, one of the first things I scrawled done was "Sheer awe-inspiring scale and vastness." Is this how the ant feels when poised at the edge of a cliff?! The very first thing I wanted to notice about the Creator's Creation was this:


   ITS SO BIG! 


   Its is so unimaginably big! I cannot even twist my head around how unimaginable the bigness is! Im not going to bore you with the statistics (guesses) at how long it would take someone traveling at the speed of light to reach the far edge of the universe- after all, no one knows! We have wild stabs in the dark, but we have no way of knowing if we are even close! Man has got as far as playing golf on the moon (a small chunk of rock orbiting our own planet). Big whoop, we can't even breath there without apparatus! 
    Our fiction is saturated with stories of space travel, of mystical new planets, of technology allowing mankind to colonize the universe. Billions of pounds and dollars are spent every week on space exploration and discovery. We are obsessed with seeing what is "out there". Space fascinates us, we are baffled and awestruck by the vast expanse of the universe. It truly is vast!
    
     At the beginning of this post I quoted from the song "Indescribable", let me repeat the chorus again:

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

    Is that not the right reaction when we view the vast scale of creation? If this is the creation then who is the creator?! Not only was this universe created, but it is also sustained. The Creator of 10 billion trillion stars controls them and orders their every atomic reaction.
    "You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name." Does an artist not know everything there is to know about his or her painting? Does an author not know everything about the characters in their books? God knows everything about his creation. The scale of it does not daunt him, he is not dwarfed by the magnitude of the works of his hands. Rather, creation proclaims that its creator is vast and mighty.
    When away from home and away from street-lamps and car lights, I like to pause and stare at the night sky: to see the stars in the heavens. Scientists say that we can only ever see 3,000 stars at most. But those 3,000 stars are magnificent! They remind me that my God is not small, he is not contained by human wisdom or standards. No, my God is vast!

    The right response to seeing the magnitude and 'endlessness' of God's creation must be silence, and contemplation. I cannot comprehend even a speck of this universe, but I know who can: the Lord God. I might be tempted to ask, as the Psalmist did:

When I look at your Heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him...?

    But I know that although I am tiny in the grand scheme of creation, God cares for me. How do I know this? Because of what I see when I turn my gaze to the earth in which he placed me. Today we have only considered, and very minutely at that, the scale of creation. We have opened Creation's Cache and been amazed at the size of it, just wait until we see the content!!


       King David, the Shepherd King, looks at the skies and has this to say:

The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.