Hardly a day goes by that our science community doesn’t announce some new discovery. One day it’s astronomy, another day it’s chemistry, and another day it’s physics. Bit by bit, science seems to be unraveling the secrets of the universe.
And, while we find ourselves amazed at some of these revelations – including those that are beyond our comprehension – we are so focused on the incremental advances in scientific knowledge that we lose sight of the big picture. Likewise, those who believe that the universe, and our existence, is the result of some random series of events, have failed to fully comprehend the true complexity of all that exists.
When the question of life existing on other planets comes up, one of the factors that is considered essential, is the existence of liquid water. Living on a planet where the surface is 75% covered in water or ice, we seldom give water a second thought unless there is a drought situation or the well runs dry. We have become so accustomed to simple formula of 2 parts hydrogen combined with one part oxygen that we fail to recognize the miracle that it represents.
And that’s just the beginning.
It’s almost as if the elements of our world were custom-designed for our use. Oxygen, even without its hydrogen companion, seems to be the critical fuel that powers all animal life. Iron, alone or in the mix we refer to as steel, is probably the most commonly used building material. In its purest form, iron is also critical to our blood cells.
And the list goes on.
Copper, a soft, pliable metal, is a nearly perfect conductor of electricity. Gold, the most non-reactive of all metals, is becoming essential in electronic devices.
Most importantly, it is the use we put to those elements that cements the concept that these elements are not merely accidents of nature. These elements, alone or in specific combinations, become the products that we use daily, without giving them a second thought. Look through any window, and you are witnessing a miracle in action – a solid, brittle substance that light passes through. Turn on your furnace on a cold day and experience the heat and light that is the result of combustion. Flip on a light switch and enjoy the product of electromagnetic action produced by nuclear fuel, water flow, wind power, or combustion of gas, coal, or other fuels.
As the years pass, our science finds more and more uses for more and more of those occupants of our periodic table of elements – with many more yet to be discovered.
To those nay-sayers who deny the existence of a Creator, we might ask – “How many miracles, how many coincidences are needed to prove intelligent design?”
It’s almost as if the universe, and everything in it, were part of a master plan – a plan that only a loving God could envision.