The Wonders Of God

by H. Darke, Vancouver, B.C. | Category: General | Mar 1962

"He made the stars also" (Genesis 1.16). Possibly no greater testimony has been given to the power of God than this brief description by Moses of the making of the millions of stars which fill the heavens. Today men marvel at the ability of scientists to put an astronaut into space, and books and articles manifold have been, and still are being, written about this achievement; but under the influence of the Holy Spirit Moses uses only so few words to unfold the greatness of God's work in the making of those millions of lights, which so fascinate human eyes when uplifted to the heavens. David, the shepherd of Israel, who had many opportunities to study the marvels of the sky, wrote "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of Him? and the Son of Man, that Thou visitest Him?" (Psalm 8.8, 4).

This is only one of the many wonders of God which should occupy the meditations and conversations of God's people, causing us to exclaim,

"For Thou, LORD, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands. How great are Thy works, 0 LORD!" (Psalm 92.4, 5).

We are living in an age when many are inclined to worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1. 25), and continued spectacular achievements by scientists might even result in children of God becoming" space minded " rather than " heavenly minded" in their thoughts and conversation. This we must guard against, and instead of spending our time discussing the space accomplishments of men, great though they are, as though they were miracles, surely it will be more profitable to think and to talk about those things so close at hand which reveal the "everlasting power and divinity" of our great God! For instance, it has been shown that, under a microscope, a piece of the finest machine-made silk looks like a sackcloth alongside the rose petal. Also the sting of the bee is seen to be perfect though the finest of needles looks like a piece of rugged steel. In the ocean, creatures have been found so tiny that one thousand of them can swim abreast through the eye of a needle. Each of these tiny beings has a mouth, a heart, and a digestive system. What of man himself? Is he not a miracle from the hand of God, with a mental and physical mechanism that baffles the greatest of scientists? Think of the ability of the human heart to pump continuously for 24 hours a day without rest for 70, 80, 90 years, and even more ! Of the intricate processes whereby the brain calculates quicker, and more accurately, than any man-made machine, causing limbs to move, and eyes to flicker. Of a truth we are

"fearfully and wonderfully made: wonderful are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" (Psalm i39. 14).

When men boast of their achievement of putting the first man into space, the thoughts of God's people should go immediately to the book of Genesis. It is over 5,000 years since "Enoch walked with God:and he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5.24). What of Elijah? He went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2.11-13). Confirmation that he lived through this remarkable experience is found in Matthew 17.3 where we are told that Elijah appeared with Moses on the mount of transfiguration, and they spoke to the Lord when three of His disciples were with Him. Finally, we read in Acts 1 of the Lord Jesus going into heaven. He was standing on the mount of Olives with His disciples, and "as they were looking, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1.9). After His ascension the two heavenly messengers foretold His return saying, "This Jesus... shall so come in like manner as ye beheld Him going into heaven" (Acts 1.11). Our hearts should glow at the prospect of the return of the One whom our souls love! Paul reassures us that

"The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven ... and the dead in Christ shall rise first : then we that are alive ... shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4.16, 17).

At His coming "we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye " (1 Corinthians 15.51, 52), and we shall ascend to meet the Lord in the air. What a moment that will be! This will indeed be one of the greatest of God's wonders. How we should rejoice over the great things in store for us ! Let us not be unduly concerned with the wonders of men, who have sought out many inventions (Ecclesiastes 7. 29), but let us rather contemplate and enjoy the wonders of God.

H. Darke, Vancouver, B.C. | Mar 1962
General