Introduction
"God hath not left Himself without witness" (Acts 14:15-17). Though God has not revealed Himself to our senses we cannot see Him, hear Him, or touch Him He has not left us to grope blindly in confusion and doubt, without any evidence of His existence.
The writer of the well-known book Steps to Christ puts it this way: "God never asks us to believe without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His Word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason, and this testimony is abundant" (p. 105).
What are some evidences of God's existence, and where do we find them? In this lesson, we will study three of the clearest evidences for God, which we will call "Footprints of God in Creation." These evidences are readily available to all those who are willing to use their eyes, ears, and rational powers.
Footprints of God on the earth
"Ask now the beasts, the fowls, the earth, and the fishes and they shall teach thee" (Job 12:7-10). Read also Matt. 6:28, 29 and Rom. 1:19, 20.
All around us, in earth and sea and sky, are countless evidences of order, beauty, accuracy, adaptation, and intelligent planning. Consider these marvels of creative design: The beauty and perfume of the flowers. Snowflake crystals. A butterfly's wing. A spider's web. A bird's feather. A cob of corn. The marvelous instincts and mechanisms of the honeybee. The annual miracle of bird migration. The bat's ingenious "radar" system. Now let us ask: Could these wonders of creation have made themselves?
Footprints of God in the heavens
"The heavens declare the glory of God" (Ps. 19:1). Read also Gen. 15:5, Neh. 9:6, Isa. 40:26.
In the heavens above us, we see the same evidences of pattern, order, beauty, accuracy, and apparent purpose that we see in our own world, only magnified to a breathtaking degree. Consider these wonders of the starry heavens: The enormous sizes, weights, speeds, numbers, distances, and temperatures of the billions of planets and stars. The precise calculation and coordination of their weights, motions, speeds, temperatures, and orbits. The fine balancing of attractions and repulsions. Split-second timing. Perfect synchronization. Clock-like regularity. All maintained in a state of harmony by constantly-operating laws and controls. Now let us ask again: Could these marvels of creation have made themselves?
Footprints of God in our bodies
"Who hath made man's mouth? Have not I the Lord?" (Exod. 4:11). Read Ps. 94:9 and 139:14.
The human body contains the same amazing evidences of ingenious design, coordination, adaptation, and creative forethought that we see in the earth and in the heavens. Consider these wonders of the body-temple: the living cell, the heart, the brain, the eye, the ear, and the hand; the senses of touch, taste, and smell; the nervous system, the glands and the digestive system; the prolonged and intricate miracle of reproduction and growth; the body's marvelous defense and healing mechanisms. What shall we do with these countless evidences of intelligent planning and forethought in the earth, in the heavens, and in our bodies? We cannot ignore them. They demand a rational explanation. They have come into existence either by design or by accident. They are the product of God or of chance. There is no neutral ground. So, let us ask, for the third time: Could these marvels of creation have made themselves?
Did you ever hear the story of the watch that made itself? Late one night Joe Brown woke up with an uneasy feeling that something unusual was going an in his bedroom. He lay very still, listening and wondering. Presently he heard faint scratching and clicking noises from the direction of his dressing table. Reaching for his flashlight, he shone the beam towards the mysterious noises. His eyes bulged. It seemed that a miracle was taking place on top of the dressing table! Scattered about its surface were the parts of a watch. But the curious thing was that they were not lying still. Like actors in a play, they were all dancing about as if they were alive! The case of the watch was lying face downwards, and the other parts were scrambling into the case and snuggling down into their correct positions, as if directed by some invisible intelligence!
While Joe watched, open-mouthed, the mainspring, hairspring, and balance wheel jumped in and adjusted themselves with perfect precision. Then sundry minor cogs, wheels, and plates appeared, all in correct order, took their places, and lay still. Next a swarm of screws danced up, hopped in, and screwed themselves deftly and snugly into place. The back cover clicked itself on with a sharp snap. Then, with incredible ease, the whole watch flipped itself over on its back. Face, hands, and glass fitted themselves expertly into position. Finally, the winding staff appeared, slid smoothly into place, gave itself a few brisk winds, and the watch began a rhythmic Ticktick! Tick-tick! Tick-tick!
Do you believe this story? It doesn't make sense, does it? Yet such a fantastic impossibility as a watch that made itself would be a small miracle, indeed, compared with an eye or ear or heart or brain or universe that made itself!
Conclusion
In of Hebrews 3:4, Paul sums up the evidence for God. Can you find any fault with this conclusion? It is the only rational explanation for the marvels of creation that we have studied in this lesson.
Frank Breaden writes from Australia.
