Have you ever wondered if God is real? Or maybe you’ve had someone ask you, “How do you know God is real?” As Christians we have experienced God at work in our lives. However, the non-Christian does not always recognize God at work. They may consider events and circumstances as coincidental. Or “just being in the right place at the right time.” So how do you explain that God is real to the person who is unable to see Him?
One way to look at the world in which we live and the entire universe. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.” Nature was designed by God to proclaim His glory, show His power, and demonstrate His greatness. In every sunrise and sunset…in every creature, in every plant, in the vastness of the ocean and the rolling of the waves, in the roaring waterfalls, and silent starry night, nature is constantly showing us the existence of God and just how amazing He is.
The more we learn about our universe, the more we can see just how splendid the work of God is. Everything created points at God as creator. Consider, for a moment, the following points:
- Earth is the only planet that can sustain life…only because it is just the right distance from the sun so that life is possible. If we were any closer to the sun, we would burn up. Any further from the sun and the planet would be too cold for life. After Time Magazine ran an article in 1966 entitled “Is God Dead?” the astronomer, Carl Sagan, announced two criteria for a planet to be able to support life: First, the right kind of star and second, a planet the right distance from that star. With the estimated octillion (1 with 27 zeros) planets throughout the universe, there should be roughly a septillion (1 with 24 zeros) planets that could sustain life. In the years since 1966 both the government and private companies have invested countless of dollars searching for life on other planets and to date, nothing has been found. Since that time, scientist have learned that there are more than 200 factors necessary for a planet to be able to sustain life and every single one of them must be met perfectly. No mere coincidence could make all 200+ align perfectly. Only a creator could do so.
- Earth most rotate at a precise rate to sustain life. If the rotation of our planet was off by even 1/10 of its present rate, the length of our days and nights would increase so much that plant life would burn up in the long days and night temperatures would drop so low that anything that survived the heat would freeze.
- Earth’s size supports life. If it were smaller gravity would not be able to hold water or atmosphere. If it were bigger, gravity would be doubled so that its pressure would increase from 15 to 30 pounds per square inch. If Earth were as big as the sun, gravity would increase by 150 times, making life impossible.
- The Moon is the perfect distance (239,000 miles) from earth. If it were only 50,000 miles away, our tides would completely submerge us twice a day.
- The Earth’s Crust can’t be thicker and the oceans can’t be deeper. If the crust were only ten feet thicker, the metallic elements would combing with the oxygen in the atmosphere and there would be no animal life. If the oceans were only a few feet deeper, they would absorb too much carbon dioxide making it impossible for plan life to exist.
- The Atmospheric composition is roughly 78 parts nitrogen and 21 parts oxygen. If there was more nitrogen, bodily functions would slow down, causing certain death. Any more oxygen and bodily functions would increase so that life would be very short lived.
- Earth sits tilted on its axis at 23 ½ degrees and revolves around the sun, giving us seasons supporting a supply of food as well as a period of time for the soil to be idle, soaking up moisture and increasing its own fertility so that food is available once again.
- The atmosphere surrounding the earth acts as a protective shield from deadly radiation. It also protects the planet from millions of meteors that enter it every day. Jupiter’s gravity draws away asteroids and gives another protection from the Earth’s surface being hit by them.
These are just a few of ways that our universe cries out that we are here by the loving hand of a powerful creator…not mere coincidence or chance. No matter how the universe is studied, precision and order are found everywhere. From the smallest atom to the largest galaxy God has revealed Himself and all of His glory through the creation of the world. While creation reveals the power of God, it does not bring us into direct contact with Him. From nature, we can see God’s wisdom and power. It can be a source of learning truth about God. And yet, the miracle of the universe is a testimony to the existence of God. The more we learn about the world around us, the more of God’s glory we see and the more evidence we have that He is the One responsible for its creation…and He is the one that sustains it. Proverbs 8:29 tells us that God set a limit for the sea and that He laid out the foundations of the earth.
While the only way one can have a relationship with God is through the free gift of salvation, one only needs to look at the world around us to realize that God exists and that the heavens declare His glory and the work of His hands.
