Who among us hasn’t grumbled when a rainy day spoiled our picnic plans? Who among us hasn’t suffered a bout of depression when rainy days stretch out day after day and we long for a little sunshine?
It might help our mood if we took a moment to recognize how important that rain is to our survival.
In the on-going debate over whether our existence and our world are the result of intelligent design or just the result of a random collection of lucky events, we need to see the miracle of rain for what it is, and what it contributes to our existence.
Science claims that the possibility of any type of life form on other planets is heavily dependent on the availability of liquid water. Our planet, where more than 70% of the surface is water, seems the ideal setting for life. The missing element from this equation is transporting water from the oceans to the dry land, to nourish the plant life and provide drinking water for the animal life.
Enter – rain.
Rain and snow are so common that we seldom give them much thought except when they interfere with our activities. It’s another one of those things that we take for granted, but, if we stand back for a moment, we might begin to appreciate the intricate and complex dance of the elements that provide water to our crops.
The simplest explanation is, of course, that clouds pass over the land and drop rain on the landscape. Digging deeper, we find that there needs to be a host of complimentary actions taking place to allow that to happen. First, we need an atmosphere that allows moisture to form those clouds. Sunlight causes water to evaporate from oceans and other bodies of water and rise to the necessary altitude where it accumulates in cloud formations. As the tiny droplets of moisture cling together, eventually they become too heavy to remain suspended in the air. The result – rain.
Add to this mix, the actions of wind currents along with warm and cold fronts colliding. Any number of atmospheric conditions can interact to determine when, where, and how much rain will fall.
While we may be distressed at the havoc caused by floods and other water-related events, we might be reassured if we consider the cleansing and renewal effects on the landscape.
As we reflect on the debate over intelligent design, we find that, once again, we need to confront the odds of all these elements coming together in perfect harmony as part of a random collection of lucky happenings.
Perhaps the odds favor a perfect system, designed by the Master Craftsman we call God.