Science is frequently seen as in conflict with faith. What’s missing from this equation is the fact that our science is the result of humanity’s trial and error efforts over centuries. Piece by piece, bit by bit, humanity unravels the secrets of our world and our existence.

Gradually, we have solved the mysteries of chemical reactions. We have learned the workings of the atom and the secrets of biology. We have learned about the motions of the planets and the stars. We have refined mathematics until it became a vital tool in many scientific efforts. We have harnessed the power of gravity and magnetism to serve our needs.

But we have yet to find the irrefutable evidence that God exists. Why?

Perhaps the answer lies in the tools we are using in our quest. As advanced as our science has become, it still relies on some basic tools.

While we have developed instruments that can expand our reach, we still rely on our senses and our ability to reason. We have developed microscopes and telescopes to expand our vision. We have created instruments to detect and convert frequencies of light and sound that lie outside our natural abilities. We peer into the farthest reaches of our universe by means of advanced mathematics.

But we are missing the answers to some of the most critical questions. We know how magnetic fields work, but we don’t really know why. The same can be said for the force of gravity which keeps our feet on the ground and holds our earth in orbit around our sun. We understand the force, but we cannot answer the question as to why that force exists. We understand how the balance between electrons and the protons and neutrons in an atom holds it together, but we don’t have an explanation as to why those forces exist.

In short, we know a great deal about how things work, but very little about why. Like the layers of an onion, every layer of knowledge that we uncover reveals another puzzle. Perhaps the answer is that solving such puzzles requires tools that we have yet to develop and may be incapable of developing.

It may be that this missing knowledge is, in itself, the answer we seek. Perhaps the why is simply the will of God, and we need to accept that in our earthly human existence, we are incapable of understanding.

And that is where faith comes in.