He [Jesus] is before all things and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17
My faith in the existence of God comes easy. Hence, I’ve always thought that it should come easy to everyone else.
Then we were blessed with children—basically stubborn little sinners being raised by two stubborn big sinners. But the reality is, there are those who insist on concrete facts before they’ll surrender ... if at all. And few are ever convinced to surrender their will to an invisible God by hearing a lame, “I just believe, that's all.”
Ask me how I know.
When apologist Frank Turek spoke at our church last February, I did the obligatory thing and purchased his book, (co-authored with Norm Geisler) I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (IDHEFTBAA).
After Frank's signature, he referenced I Peter 3:15 ...
Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
I spent the better part of the spring reading the weighty text. I gave it a good highlighting, took copious notes. A couple weeks ago, God prompted me to read through it again.
Oh how many times I’ve breezed over Colossians 1, which read to me like poetry, and subconsciously assigned them an A+ for mystery and lyricism. But when I matched these crucial verses with the vast amount of evidence for the existence of a supreme, limitless God, my faith made sense.
As God intended when he created the universe and the first man, there’s intelligent design behind it all. Even the order of appearance mattered. (I mean, on what would Adam have stood if he'd had to wait for God to speak the earth into existence?)
During my re-reading of IDHEFTBAA, I’ve been so utterly amazed at the scientific facts, investigative evidence, and historicity of scripture that I've paused to ponder the gravity of his supremacy.
Because, wow. In Christ, all things hold together!
What does that look like?
1. God—who is before all things, had no beginning, and exists outside of time, space, and matter—is choosing to suspend us in this orbit at the precise distance from the sun. Any closer or farther away and we'd not survive.
2. God provides the right percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere and regulates the carbon dioxide levels so we won’t incinerate or suffocate.
3. According to IDHEFTBAA … “If Jupiter were not in its current orbit, the earth would be bombarded with space material. Jupiter’s gravitational field acts as a cosmic vacuum cleaner, attracting asteroids and comets that might otherwise strike earth.” 😲 (I'll never look at my vacuum cleaner the same way)
God is holding the universe together.
At any moment during the writing of this post (or your reading it), he could release the elements under his control to behave as designed or renege on his covenant promise to Noah that he'd never, never cut off all life by way of destructive floodwaters. (Genesis 9:11, 15)
But over and over and over he’s spared the remnant of his people, though we’ve perpetuated the reasons why he could justifiably hurl the earth beyond the blackness of the thermosphere like a World Series pitcher and be done with us.
But in Christ, the lights are still on.
His motivation? That we would know his love.
When we go through our day and encounter reasons to kick up a fuss over things, let’s be a prayerful, thankful, and well-informed people who are encouraged by his supreme love for us.
Because he truly does have the whole universe in his hands.
✭How does knowing God chooses to hold the universe together in love help you in your current circumstances?
✭Who are the skeptics in your life who might benefit from rock-solid evidence?
Thanks for reading!
If you were inspired by today's post and know others who would enjoy it, I'd be super grateful if you'd share.
Until next time,
MARY'S FICTION SHELF
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Prequel to The Heart of Moreland Manor series.
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