Living Out Creation
Recognizing our creatureliness humbles us and teaches us to praise our Creator.
If the opinion polls are right, most of us believe God created the universe. We may argue about how long ago the Lord began creating or what methods He used, but most of us agree that God did it. In the U.S. and Canada, roughly half of the people who were surveyed take the Bible quite literally and reject Darwin’s theory that people evolved from lower forms of life.
OK, then, so we believe in divine creation. So what? What difference does it make that we believe in the Creator?
Image: Danist Soh
I have spent much time trying to offer to people solid reasons for believing in the Creator and for taking seriously the Bible’s account of creation, and showing how much of evolutionary theory is based more on dogmatic assumptions than on scientific data. But what difference does it make for our lives today? How do we live the truth of creation?
Belief in the Creator isn’t just a fact to be stored away in our mental filing cabinet. It’s not just a theory about something that God did a long time ago. A living faith in the Creator drastically affects the way we relate to Him.
How? First of all, it enables us to live with confidence in God. It allows us to trust Him for today and tomorrow, because we know that He is in charge. Instead of worrying, we should seek His kingdom and His righteousness, and leave the rest to Him (Matt. 6:25-34).
Our worries would be understandable if we believed that everything in the universe happened by pure chance, that there’s no plan for our lives, and that nobody’s in charge. But if we believe that the entire universe is God’s creation and that He continues to uphold and direct it (Heb. 1:3), then it’s time to stop worrying and start trusting.
Secondly, a living faith in the Creator gives us an attitude of gratitude. One of the Bible’s great songs about creation, Psalm 104, says, “He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate–bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart” (v. 14-15). Acts 14:17 says, “He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” The Bible makes it clear that God didn’t just get the universe going a long time ago. He’s the One who supplies every good thing right now (Jam. 1:17), and that calls for thankfulness on our part.
Unfortunately, though, it’s possible to believe the correct theories about creation and yet live as though we’ve earned everything we’ve got. Are you intelligent? “Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?” (Job 38:36). Are you successful? “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth …” (Deut. 8:17-18). We wouldn’t have the ability to do anything if our Creator hadn’t given it to us.
If you and I believe in the Creator, pride has got to go. There’s only room for humble gratitude. We can only say thank-you to our Creator for giving us so many good things.
A living faith in our Creator also affects our relationship with God in terms of asense of wonder and praise. Creation isn’t just an academic theory. Creation is a present reality. It’s a grand theater that displays God’s glory, and we should be ever applauding.
Psalm 104 is a beautiful song about God’s creation. It begins, “Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty” (v. 1). The inspired writer sees God’s splendor in the dazzling brightness of the sun. He hears God’s power in the deep roar of the thunder. He sees God’s creativity and loving care in the sky and clouds, in meadows and mountains, in birds and fish. The writer is so full of awe and amazement that he ends by exclaiming, “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works … I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live” (v. 31,33).
So don’t just believe certain facts about creation. Experience the creation itself, and offer the Creator your wonder and praise. When you’re looking at a flower, watching a sunset, walking through a park, or hiking up a mountain, it’s a good time to praise the Creator and marvel at His greatness.
And the most amazing thing to me is this: God has birds to sing His praise, lions to roar His praise, elephants to trumpet His praise, breezes to whisper His praise, thunder to rumble His praise, and yet He also seeks praise from you and me, and He loves to hear it! Let’s pay attention to what the Lord has made, and praise Him for it!
So how about it? We say we believe in the truth of creation. But are we living the truth of creation?
This guest article originally appeared on the Pneuma Foundation (parent organization of PneumaReview.com) website in October of 2008.
Category: Living the Faith
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