Dr. Marc Drake, Sr. Pastor, First Baptist Church of Sun Lakes

There was once a boy whose father was an astronomer. One day, the boy came home from school and asked his mom to help him write a report on the moon. Understandably, she said, “Ask your father. He’s the astronomer.” The boy replied, “But I don’t want to know that much!” We may identify with the sentiment, yet the more we learn of creation, the more we stand in amazement.

For example, in His infinite wisdom, God gave perfect balance to the earth so that it moves flawlessly in space. I’m told that the technical name for this is the science of isostasy. But, of course, God did it before it was ever named! Consider the fact that the sun is 93 million miles from the earth. If it were closer, the earth’s surface would be too hot to sustain life; if it were further away, the earth would be too cold for habitation. Obviously, the sun is right where it is supposed to be, and so is the moon which is 240,000 miles from earth. If it were closer, the gravitational pull would be stronger and would produce enormous tidal waves on our planet. It is clear that an all-wise and all-powerful God knew exactly what He was doing in creation.

Physicists often long for some grand, unifying explanation of the cosmos, but the reality is that the sheer magnitude and majesty of creation point back to God Himself as the divine Creator. Yet, some still seem to believe that nothing caused something. But how can nothing (which does not exist) do anything? The first verse of the Bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” He alone made something out of nothing. How else can such order, symmetry and harmony in the universe be explained? No wonder Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

But the Bible doesn’t stop with the account of creation. This infinite and perfect God is also personal. Since there was no way we could come to God because of our sin, the Bible teaches that He came to us! God became man in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And He did so in order to die in our place, bearing our sin and paying its penalty in full (See 1 Peter 2:24). “Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me!” as Charles Wesley put it in his famous hymn.

With the Christmas season soon approaching, let us remember the greatest of all miracles: God becoming a man in the person of His Son – living, dying and rising from the dead that we might have full forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal salvation. Jesus is truly the Prince of Peace, and there is no real and lasting peace apart from Him. v