City Life Starter

By Heather Mattingly

The WORD:

Genesis 1:1-2

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

Hebrews 11:1-3

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

Psalm 147:4

“He counts the number of the stars;

He calls them all by name.”

Reflection Question:

Are science and faith mutually exclusive? Or complementary?

Pastor Chris wonderfully taught the co-existence of science and faith on Sunday; and today, I’d like to take this experience a step further by sharing what a scientist taught me years ago:

One of my brothers is a physicist, and his first boss was not only a brilliant scientist but a strong believer. The first time I met this gentleman we discussed the Lord in science. Particularly Physics. He said, “the deeper I dive into Physics and particles and splitting atoms, the more I see God. It is not possible for our world – for life – to exist as it does without a Creator behind it all. It is too intricate.”

I asked, “have you ever been questioned about proving God through science? How do you address this?”

He answered, “what you have to understand about science is that it is grey. It is all grey. And the deeper you dive into science, the greyer it gets, and the more faith you need to move forward.” I was shocked at this. “What do you mean?” I exclaimed.“I thought science was black and white! There is either an answer, or there isn’t!”

“No,” he replied. “Science needs faith. The more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know. Since science is so grey, there is a lot of theory within science, and it takes faith to move forward and prove any given theory. It not only takes faith to prove a theory, but it also takes faith to accept when the theory is found to be false.”

This conversation stuck with me. Science needs faith. What a profound thought! Science and faith are not enemies, are not mutually exclusive, and do not disprove each other. God created our human brains, and He created science. He wants us to use our brains and science for His glory. Why would He give us brains if not to use them

We see science in the beginning of the Bible; it is written in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning…” (God created time), “God created…..” (God, the Creator was working – creating.), “…the heavens and the earth.” (He created His creation – heaven and earth)

We also see faith in the beginning of the Bible; it is written in Hebrews 11:3, “[b]y faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that the things which are seen were not made of the things which are visible.” By faith, we believe that what we see was made by Him who is unseen. But how can we prove this? We can’t. It is a choice. Faith is always a choice. That being said, if we demand proof from God and diligently seek after Him looking for said proof, He will indeed reveal Himself, because it is also written, “….those who seek Me diligently will find Me.” (Proverbs 8:17).  God does want us to think as we’re seeking Him; to use our brains to pursue Him, to find Him, and to know Him.

We worship a God whose “…path led through the sea, [His] way through the mighty waters, though [His] footprints were not seen.” He is also the Lord who “…counts the number of the stars [and] calls them all by name.” (Psalm 147:4). Can you imagine?! He not only walks through the mighty waters, and leads a path through the sea, but He also numbers all of the stars and names them. (I have a difficult enough time remembering names, much less knowing the number of all the stars in the sky, along with their names). The verse immediately previous to this one says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3). This same Almighty God, whose footsteps lead through the sea and make a way through the mighty waters, whose hands made everything we see, and numbers and names all of the stars in the sky, also holds my broken heart in His strong hands. This may not be a phenomenon I can figure out, but one thing I do know: a God that does this is a God that I want to give my life for.

Prayer:

“Father, thank You for my brain. And thank You that You want me to use my brain. I am being obedient to You and glorifying You when I use my brain to think out my faith in You and seek harder after You. Lord, please show me how to ‘think out my faith’ for Your glory. Holy Spirit, please also transform me by the renewing of my mind, like Your word says. (Romans 12:2). Holy Spirit, please help me to reconcile my brain with my faith, and show me how to use both of these for Your glory. Please increase my faith! (Luke 17:5). Amen.”