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A Man Said to the Universe
Think for a moment: suppose there were no God, no Creator, no Divine Power who created us. Suppose, instead, we are what many folk claim we are: highly advanced apes, nothing more; just beings who arose amid a godless universe that cares nothing about us at all. Suppose we were at the mercy of mindless forces that have no interest or concern about us or our well-being? What kind of world would that be?
In contrast, that is not what we as Christians believe. We believe, instead, that God created us, sustains us, and cares for us. Because of this, we of all people should have reasons to be able to deal with the fears and trials that beset all humanity.
Look up the following texts. What hope and comfort, even amid fearful times, can you draw from these texts? Ps. 118:6; Prov. 3:5, 6; Luke 12:6, 7; Rom. 8:38, 39; Heb. 13:6; 2 Tim. 1:7; 1 John 4:18.
There is no question, even as Christians who believe in the existence of God, that we face a scary world out there, a world where anything can happen. With our knowledge of God, however, we have a context, a background, to help us
better understand the world as a whole and our place in it.
And thus, ideally, we can have hope and comfort even amid the most trying times. This does not mean we do not face bad things, or things that can cause us to fear. It means, instead, that we have a firm foundation upon which to meet and deal with those fears.
| MONDAY | May 3 |
A man said to the universe:
“Sir I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”—Stephen Crane
Read the poem above. What is the message there? How should we, as Adventist Christians, differ in our view of our place in the universe from the idea presented here? What is the main reason for that difference? Think for a moment: suppose there were no God, no Creator, no Divine Power who created us. Suppose, instead, we are what many folk claim we are: highly advanced apes, nothing more; just beings who arose amid a godless universe that cares nothing about us at all. Suppose we were at the mercy of mindless forces that have no interest or concern about us or our well-being? What kind of world would that be?
In contrast, that is not what we as Christians believe. We believe, instead, that God created us, sustains us, and cares for us. Because of this, we of all people should have reasons to be able to deal with the fears and trials that beset all humanity.
Look up the following texts. What hope and comfort, even amid fearful times, can you draw from these texts? Ps. 118:6; Prov. 3:5, 6; Luke 12:6, 7; Rom. 8:38, 39; Heb. 13:6; 2 Tim. 1:7; 1 John 4:18.
There is no question, even as Christians who believe in the existence of God, that we face a scary world out there, a world where anything can happen. With our knowledge of God, however, we have a context, a background, to help us
better understand the world as a whole and our place in it.
And thus, ideally, we can have hope and comfort even amid the most trying times. This does not mean we do not face bad things, or things that can cause us to fear. It means, instead, that we have a firm foundation upon which to meet and deal with those fears.
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