A taster article from the latest edition:
The stars also
If you’re anything like me when there is a clear night and you happen to be outdoors and you happen to be in a part of whatever country you live in where man-made light doesn’t take over the sky, you’ll occasionally look skywards and see stars. The stars just take your breath away. The longer you look the more you can see.
At first you see the constellations you know – the Plough, Orion – the obvious ones (at least in the northern hemisphere); then, if you’ve done this before, other less obvious constellations and star clusters (such as the Pleiades, shown here). The longer you look the more stars you see. The arc of our own galaxy, the Milky Way stretches out before our eyes. There are thousands upon thousands of stars glittering in the heavens. The longer I look the more amazing it is – and the smaller I feel. “When I consider thy heavens … the stars … what is man, that thou art mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:3,4).
Every time I am amazed and I am convinced of a Creator. I am convinced of the God of the Bible who spoke and it was so. I am convinced of a God with purpose. The most remarkable thing for me however is how God describes this sublime creation of the heavens at which I can look for hours (as long as it’s not too cold) and still be enthralled – “the stars also” (Genesis 1:16). That’s it – “the stars also”! It’s almost a throw away comment about the stars! Billions of stars in three words! Did this all happen by random chance? No way!
God spoke – it was created. This fact is challenged and belittled at every turn by the modern world. “Evolution made this”; “Evolution has led to that”. Statements like these come out of every TV documentary, radio programme and article about the natural world – they give God no space. The evolutionary faith (and let it never be forgotten that this is what it is – a faith) is assumed by most people without question. It’s a neat solution for removing God. It’s a neat solution for removing responsibility to anyone other than self. This issue of Faith Alive! has a few articles to look at on the whole creation / evolution theme. It’s a great way to get people we know thinking about what life is all about. Whoever we are, it’s a constant reminder to us all that God is at work in our lives.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork … there is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3).
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
The Bible states the simple facts. When we look at the world around us, from the microbiological level to the stars in the heavens, the glory of the Creator is seen. There is no excuse not to believe in the Creator. Let’s never be swayed by ‘scientific opinion’ – those who profess themselves to be wise (Romans 1:22) – to abandon the revelation of God Himself that the created world declares His glory and will again one day resound to His glory in all its parts. As we wait in 2008 for the Lord to return, remember these three words, “the stars also”.