I Believe: Reflecting on Nature and Faith

 

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.  There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." (Psalm 19:1-4)

I believe "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)

I believe "In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men." (John 1:1-4)

I believe "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;" (Psalm 24:1-2)

My Christian faith affects how I see rocks and sunrises, how I hear birdsong and laughter, how I think about bird migration and photosynthesis.  It shapes who I am, as a person, as a wife, daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend, citizen and child of God.  And it ultimately shapes who I am as a naturalist as well.

My Biblical worldview affects how I view environmental issues.  

The book of Hosea tells us that "Because of this [turning away from God] the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying."  (Hosea 4:3)  

While this is referring to a specific set of events in history, it's not a stretch to apply this to our world today.  Environmental issues around the world can largely and ultimately be traced back to one or two major human failings, greed and selfishness.  If we lived lightly on the land, if we took only what we needed and no more, if we respected the land and the people who depend on it, if we truly treated others as we would like to be treated and viewed the earth as God's good creation, belonging to him, and viewed ourselves as stewards that will one day have to give account, I suspect we would not be facing the environmental crisis that currently looms in front of us.  

It's not hard to see that the world is a broken place.  Even the most pristine remaining wildernesses are not exactly Edenic idylls anymore, and we will never be able to return them to that state, no matter how hard we, the environmental champions, work.  

That is not to say we shouldn't do our very best to preserve, protect and restore as much of the natural world as we can.  We absolutely should and must! 

 

We have been tasked, since the very beginning, with caring for God's beautiful creation, his gift to us (Genesis 1:26-28).  And we have failed. 

But this world is not where our hope ultimately lies.  As a Believer, my hope lies in something more, something beyond; it lies in God's promise to one day make everything new.  The Bible is pretty clear that the kind of total destruction environmentalists fear is reserved for God himself, when he will ultimately bring this world to an end in order to usher in his New Earth. 

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare...  But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." (2 Peter 3:10, 3:13)

"See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." (Isaiah 65:17)

My faith in God affects how I study science.  

"Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?" (Job 38:36)

The sense of curiosity that compels us to study science and nature, the intellect that allows us to process information, and the very ability of our minds to discover and learn all point to an intelligent Creator.  The intelligence of mankind is a wonderful gift God has given us, reflecting his own mind.  

He designed us to look out into the world around us and see himself in it, to see his handiwork in every sunrise, in every leaf, in every rock, in every eye.

"Where does wisdom come from?  Where does understanding dwell?  …God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens." (Job 28:20, 28:23-24)

God and science are entirely compatible, in my view, and I have great respect for scientists and the knowledge they have amassed through the generations.  The more I learn about science and the natural world, the more convinced I am that an intelligent and loving Creator was and is behind it all, from the beginning of the universe, to the shaping of continents and building of mountains, to the existence of all living things.  

Of course, the Bible is not a science text, and its purpose is not to give us all the answers.  For example, nowhere does the Bible indicate the age of the earth; one can read and believe the Genesis account of creation, accepting it for the beautiful literature and true Word of God that it is, while also reading the rocks themselves, accepting what they have to say about their great age.  And if the rocks are as old as they seem to be, remember that God existed even before the conception of the universe some billions of years ago; billions of years ago, he was already designing and planning and shaping this earth for us, his beloved creation.

I can't think of that without stopping everything else to ponder and reflect in amazement and wonder.

There is so much about the world that we, as humans and scientists, still don't know; even the things we do know, we often cannot fully understand.  The universe is too vast, too wonderful, too far beyond description to fully comprehend.  The bottom line, for me, is that studying science instills a massive dose of much-needed humility in humans.

"No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun.  Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning.  Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it." (Ecclesiastes 8:17)

We are put back in our place, alongside Job, when the Lord speaks to Job out of a storm (Job 38-41).  Imagine being questioned as Job was:

"Where were you when I [God] laid the earth's foundation?  Tell me, if you understand.  Who marked off its dimensions?  Surely you know!  Who stretched a measuring line across it?  On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone - while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? …Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?  Have the gates of death been shown to you?  Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?  Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?  Tell me, if you know all this."  (Job 38:4-7, 38:16-18)  

That ought to humble even the best scientists.

Look into the microscope; peer into the telescope.  Upon examining the natural world in its incredible complexity, let us also say, like Job, "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you." (Job 42:5)

My belief in the power of Jesus Christ affects how I see other people.

People are beautiful, horrible, fallible, lovable, incredible beings, fellow pilgrims through a hard and wonderful life.  Each person is, in all of his or her many imperfections, a little shadowy reflection of God himself.  

People are not, absolutely not, just animals.  We are made in the image of God; we carry his trademarks of intelligence, love, appreciation of beauty and desire for justice.  We carry his moral code embedded in our conscience.  We are sub-creators, designed to make and work and rest.  And we are capable of such great love, kindness, forgiveness, joy, peace and laughter only because we reflect God himself.

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them reign over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'  God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:26-27)

Because of this, every human life is precious.  Life begins in secret, at conception, and continues to be of highest value through old age and beyond.  And regardless of what happens in between, no life is beyond redemption, no life is beyond God's forgiveness and his redeeming love.  

The following verses don't pertain only to David, their author; they tell the story of every human life that has ever lived:

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous - how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!"  (Psalm 139:13-17)

Like Job, I recognize that "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4)

And, as a naturalist, my relationship with the Creator God affects how I respond to the natural world around me.  

I stand in awe of the mountains.  

"I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2)

I stand in awe of the ocean.

"The seas have lifted up, O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.  Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty." (Psalm 93:3-4)

I stand in awe of the sunrise and sunset.  

"Where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy." (Psalm 64:8)

Clearly, I spend a lot of time standing in awe, filling my soul with the beauty of God's good creation and letting it overflow into praise and thanksgiving.  And just think: the most breathtaking, stunning, incredible natural wonders still only hint, in the faintest whispers, at his greatness (Job 26:14).  

If the beauty of nature tugs at your heart, recognize it for what it is: the beckoning of the Creator himself, his invitation to draw near and believe.  

After all, we were created with the purpose of joining the whole earth in praising him!  

"Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. 

Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. 

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. 

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. 

 He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away. 

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 

lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, 

you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 

wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, 

kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, 

young men and maidens, old men and children. 

 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; 

his splendor is above the earth and the heavens." 

(Psalm 148:1-13)

Continue reading: Additional Reflections on Nature and Faith