One of the biggest reasons why my career choice shifted towards engineering and the sciences at a fairly young age was the pure wonder and beauty contained in every minute detail of God’s creation. A famous poem by American writer Angela Morgan entitled “God the Artist” (which I ironically discovered after creating the title of this post) begins and ends with the line “God, when you thought of a palm tree, how did you think of a star?” The complexity behind every detail of the universe we find ourselves living in extends beyond all comprehension, and yet God walks with each and every one of us as we find our place in his majestic creation, telling the incredible stories I described last week. The topic of creation and the beauty around us is one that particularly fascinates me as someone so interested in science, and I’ll likely revisit this topic in future posts. For now, I’ll try to keep it brief with just a few examples of the marvel of creation.

Engineers at Washington University estimate there are 100 trillion atoms in a single human skin cell. Humans and other life forms are made up of trillions of cells, and there are an estimated 8.7 million species of plants and animals on Earth. Earth orbits one of the approximately 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of an estimated 10 trillion galaxies in the universe. If you ever want to feel small, just go outside and look up.

American astronaut John Glenn was interviewed after being the first American to orbit the Earth and told reporters “to look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible. It just strengthens my faith.” After landing on the moon, Buzz Aldrin decided to serve himself communion. Looking out at the expanse of the universe, to individual planets and galaxies (check out these recent photos of Jupiter shared by NASA), we have to wonder at the incredible beauty and design behind it all.

Narrowing our perspective from the vastness of space to our surroundings on earth, we can see incredible complexity and beauty all around us. As previously mentioned, there are an estimated 8.7 million species of plants and animals on earth, but that estimate is given with an accuracy of “plus or minus 1.3 million.” Yet, with all of that complexity, all of nature is in a delicate balance of harmony and interconnection. Plants produce the oxygen that animals need to breathe, and in turn animals exhale carbon dioxide which plants need to perform photosynthesis. The human brain is so complex that is still isn’t fully understood by even the top scientists in the world. The mantis shrimp, which is only a few inches long, has a claw that can punch with rapid acceleration similar to that of a .22 caliber bullet. Some species of whales, dolphins, and bats use echolocation, in which they listen to the echoes of their calls and can locate and identify objects around them. Owls have feathers designed to break down the air turbulence they create when flying into smaller currents, reducing the sound they produce so they can sneak up on their prey. Countless animals use camouflage to protect themselves, and others have armor, such as the armadillo which has armor so thick that a man in Texas trying to shoot one was hit by his own bullet when it ricocheted off the armor. Wernher van Braun, a 20th century German-American scientist, said “certainly there are those who argue that the universe evolved out of a random process, but what random process could produce the brain of a man or the system of the human eye?” Though some in the sciences or in faith would say that science and faith disagree, I am one of many that would argue that they agree much more than most people tend to believe. This may be the topic of a future post, but for a good reference on this, check out “Halley’s Bible Handbook,” specifically the section on Genesis 1 (the creation story). The book is a detailed study guide for the bible recommended to me by my grandfather, a retired pastor, and has been fascinating to read from the moment I purchased it.

The complexity and creativity behind the universe and even our daily lives is baffling. Still, Matthew 6:25-34 describes God as the one who feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field when telling us not to worry about what will come tomorrow. Through all of his creativity in designing the universe and everything in it, God continues to work in and through his creation to stitch together powerful stories of his love and grace. The “Music” page of this site, where I’ll be sharing some of the music that has inspired me and changed my life through the years, is still under construction. One song that will definitely be on there is “Orion” by Ghost Ship, which says “The hands that hold the stars above will never let me go. The one who holds the heavens up, in Him I put my hope. Yet, who am I that You should love, and bind in your embrace? What God is this who holds the stars and guides me in His grace?” God, who has designed the universe and everything in it, is walking with us and guiding us in ways we sometimes tend to forget. Psalm 139:5-14 (NIV) says “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say ‘surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

God, the artist, the creator, made us in his image with a purpose in mind. There is a comfort and a warm embrace knowing that in all things, the one who holds the universe together also holds us in his arms and will never let us go.

Related songs:

“On and On” – Housefires

“The Artist” – Rend Collective

“Orion” – Ghost Ship

“139” – Kings Kaleidoscope