God’s Creation: Decently and In Order

During the recent solar eclipse that was visible where I live, I marveled at the fact that the exact time, to the day and minute, that the eclipse could be predicted. This was an amazing event. I was at the doctor at the time, but got an excited phone call from Heather “I can see the eclipse. It is amazing.” I even learned via a Google search that there will be a total solar eclipse on September 23, 2090 at 12:29 pm in Lakeland, Florida, and will have a duration of seven minutes. I don’t think I’ll be around for that one. For me, the most ”Aha!” God moment was when I first gazed at the Grand Canyon. I could only wonder how someone could see something like that and deny God’s existence. That wonder turned to amazement as the words of an old hymn came to mind:

I stand amazed in the presence

  Of Jesus the Nazarene,

And wonder how He could love me,

  A sinner condemned, unclean.

  How marvelous! How wonderful!

  And my song shall ever be:

How marvelous! How wonderful!

    Is my Savior’s love for me! 

Aha Moments. There are other things that are equally marvelous in God’s creation. I polled my Facebook friends for things that make them go “WOW!” and shouts “God!” One person marveled at cicadas. Their life cycle starts with mating. The female then lays eggs in holes made in tree branches and shrubs. The eggs will hatch after six to 10 weeks and the cicada nymphs will burrow themselves into the ground, attaching to the tree’s roots.  They will remain underground for a “dormant period” of two to 17 years, depending on the species. Then they emerge in adult form only to die in a very short time. 

One person marveled at the way God had guided him in his life. Looking back, he saw a life of order with incredible things unfolding. Others mentioned things we think of as commonplace, but tend to overlook the miracle involved – a beating heart, the birth of a child. That the oceans know where to stop. 

Someone mentioned the dogwood tree. This tree symbolizes Easter as it is said that Jesus’ cross was made of dogwood. At that time the dogwood grew tall and straight. Legend has it that Jesus cursed the tree so it would never again grow straight. Legend also tells us that Jesus blessed the tree with the ability to produce beautiful flowers that would bloom in time for Easter. True or not, we can view a dogwood tree and remember His sacrifice. And it is a beautiful tree.`

Another mentioned the platypus. This mammal is unique, combining the features of ducks, beavers, and otters. Science tells us that it is well-adapted for their semi-aquatic lifestyle. Right here I would give science a “Duh.” While that statement is true, everything in God’s creation is well-adapted for its lifestyle. A scientist responded to my Facebook request, giving me scientific reasons for the “why” of all this, but still behind it is a God of order and not of chaos. Besides, I think the platypus shows us that God has a sense of humor.

Chaos and Order. Chaos is an interesting word. Merriam-Webster defines it as “a state of utter confusion.” But it goes on to another definition that gives me pause. It reads that chaos is  “the inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system (such as the atmosphere, boiling water, or the beating heart).” I would take exception to the “inherent unpredictability” part. It may seem unpredictable to us, but we don’t know what God has in store. This definition would likely classify the flood in Genesis as inherent unpredictably, but it didn’t take God by surprise.

In mythology, at least seven cultures have a god of chaos. There is a widespread belief that “out of chaos comes order.” In other words, it seems that chaos is the natural state of the human race. So a god of chaos was invented to explain that things are a mess (created by said gods). This was necessary so that the human race can then turn to the other gods or to themselves to bring about order.

Jonathan Petersen writes that, in creating earth, God brought perfect order out of what was “without form and void.” When man sinned, chaos was brought into the cosmos. As a result, chaos is often associated with sin and darkness. Two scripture passages lead us to the fact that chaos is not a trait associated with God. I Corinthians 14:33 reads “for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.” The Amplified Bible sheds some additional light on this verse, reading “for God is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order.” And a few verses later Paul pens “But all things must be done properly [decently] and in an orderly way (v. 40).” Our God is a God of order.

Creation is Explicitly Orderly. Jennifer Hereen writes “All of God’s creation is orchestrated explicitly. Nothing about the universe, the earth, or the human body is haphazard. There are patterns and laws of nature. There are intricate plans built into the wonder of science. God is a God of order. Of systems. Of science. He designed everything on Earth so that human beings can live in a way that they wouldn’t be able to on any other planet. God is Lord over it all. He designed it all for our benefit because He loves His children.” Since order is a characteristic of God, it is incumbent on us to live our lives in an orderly manner. We are to strive to be like God as we read in Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

In I Corinthians 14, as we have already cited, Paul is referring to our worship being decent and in order. This applies when we assemble to worship in song, Bible study, prayer and other forms of corporate worship. Paul does not describe how we are to worship only that it be done decently and in order. This does not rule out any genuine worship of our God. Just that it is to be decent (honoring God) and in order (proceeding in an orderly manner, not disorganized chaos). Worship goes beyond what we do corporately, beyond the four walls of our church. Real worship is living our lives in a manner that honors God. We live orderly lives within His ways.

God is Love. One might pause and ask “Why did God go to so much trouble to create an orderly universe?” I use the word “trouble” here as there are no words that easily describe the creation. When God creates, he simply speaks it into existence. We are told in Genesis 1:1 that “the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness.” God didn’t just happen on this emptiness. He created it, but when He did, He left it as a formless, desolate emptiness until it was time to create the earth and all it contains. At the ordained time, He spoke the formless earth into a new creation. We don’t know the when but we know the why. God created the earth and all it contained in order to display His glory. 

Don’t think for even a minute of our God as an egotistical ruler demanding worship and allegiance from his followers. He created earth for our delight. Think of the things that bring you joy – your spouse, your children, your extended family, friends, pets.  Or think of nature – a tapestry of color in the Fall mountains, the thrill of seeing the mighty waves of the oceans, the grandeur of an eagle flying through the air, the majesty of a lion ruling his dominion, the vast array of types of marine life. Or your hobbies – sports, reading, collecting things, skiing down a mountain slope, eating a five-star meal. All of this is made possible through God’s orderly creation. Order brings certainty.

Look and See. All of this should make us stop and worship God for his creation. God made all this because He loves us and wants us to enjoy Him. We reflect His glory back to Him. Psalm 19:1 makes this absolutely clear. “The heavens tell of the glory of God; And their expanse declares the work of His hands.” All we need to do to see God and His glory is to look for Him. Yuri Gagarin was a Russian cosmonaut, who reportedly said “I went up to space, but I didn’t encounter God.” That is false. Gagarin, in fact, was a devout Christian. The statement was made by Nikita Khrushchev. In a meeting before the Central Committee, he said “Here is Gagarin, who flew up to space, and yet, even he didn’t see God anywhere.” At a later point in his life Gagarin stated “An astronaut cannot be suspended in space and not have God in his mind and his heart.” We don’t have to go into outer space to see God, we just need to look for Him, wherever we are. 

The creation account in Genesis tells us that we, as human beings, were created in the image of God. An image is a visual representation of the original or a reproduction or imitation of the form of a person. Every one of us bears God’s image. God is everywhere in His creation in addition to his actual presence. Note the difference. We reflect God. God is in nature but nature is not God.  God, not human beings, not nature is to be worshiped. All of His creation should point us to Him. Isaiah 6:3 has the angels proclaiming “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies. The whole earth is full of His glory.”

As you go about your daily tasks, I would have you consider two things: 1. Does your life reflect order? 2. Does your life reflect the image of God?

All scripture is from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise stated.

I would like to thank Joan Creasman, Brendan Doran, Mel Rhodus, Kelly Miller, Richard Beamer, Harold Walsh, Mike Westall, and Nick Egoroff for sharing their “Aha” moments.

Photo credit  Grand Canyon S2dunguyn on Pixabay