In Nature
What can nature reveal about God? Ps. 19:1–6, 33:6–9, Rom. 1:19–23.
The Bible tells us that the world that God created was perfect in every way (Gen. 1:31). But Scripture also reveals that sin has altered the natural world (Gen. 3:17, 18). Prior to the Fall, only beautiful or useful plants were found upon the earth. God “never made a thorn, a thistle, or a tare. These are Satan’s work, the result of degeneration.” —Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 186. Nevertheless, there is still great beauty in the changing of the leaves in autumn, in a vivid sunset, and in the opening of a rosebud on a sunny morning.
Bible writers often refer to the phenomena of nature as a revelation of God’s majesty and greatness (Psalm 8 and 104). Consider the universe! On a clear night one can see with the naked eye thousands of stars. However, our Milky Way galaxy has about two hundred billion stars–and that’s only one galaxy among several hundred billion galaxies that we now can see. Who knows how many more are beyond our telescopes!
Distances in the universe boggle the mind: Apart from the sun, the nearest star to our earth, Alpha Centauri, is 4.28 light-years away (one light year is the distance light travels in one year—5.9 trillion miles). A spaceship traveling 100,000 miles per hour would require about 29,000 years to get there. In contrast, our Milky Way has a diameter of 100,000 light-years! The largest galaxy known thus far is Markarian, with a diameter of 1.3 million light-years.
Similar awe-inspiring facts would come to light if we used an electron microscope to study the tens of thousands of genes each individual possesses. Our finite minds are simply unable to comprehend all the wonders of the created world.
Yet, nature alone isn’t enough to reveal the fullness of God’s character (Rom. 1:25). Many of the fundamental questions about God cannot be answered through a study of nature. We will find it hard to see God’s love reflected in how cats and killer whales play with their prey before killing them. And while we can see God’s power and majesty in creation, nature does not tell us always that God is “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Exod. 34:6, NKJV).
| What aspects of nature truly talk to you about the love and power of God? At the same time, what things do you find disturbing, and why? What do your answers tell you about how limited nature is in revealing the fullness of God’s love and character? |
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