This Is My Father’s World–Or Is It?

Creation and redemption are part of one great plan, because the redemption wrought by Jesus on the cross will bring freedom to all nature. One day God’s creation will joyfully enter into “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). Hallelujah!

But not everybody agrees with David and Paul and the heavenly worshipers that this is indeed “our Father’s world.” In his Prejudices: Third Series, the American newspaper editor and essayist H.L. Mencken wrote: “The universe is a gigantic fly-wheel making 10,000 revolutions a minute. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it. Religion is the theory that the wheel was designed and set spinning to give him the ride.” The British essayist Walter Savage Landor said, “Taken as a whole, the universe is absurd”; and American physicist Steven Weinberg wrote, “The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.”

Well, take your choice! But be careful, because the choice you make will determine the kind of life you’ll live on this earth and your eternal destiny when you leave it. The atheist says that the universe is only an orderly accident. Agnostics admit that they just don’t know and aren’t too worried. Theists confess that God originally created everything but has long since forsaken what He made. But the Christian believer still sings, “This is my Father’s world.”

What difference does it make that Christians believe in a Creator who not only made the universe but presides over it and controls its destiny? If in church we sing “This Is My Father’s World,” then how should we live in the marketplace and the neighborhood to prove that we really mean it?

1. We will worship God alone

“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere Him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm” (Ps. 33:8-9, niv).

Creation reveals the existence of God, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. That this complex universe should appear by accident out of nothing from a “big bang” is as probable as the works of Shakespeare resulting from an explosion in a printing plant. Only a God of power could create something out of nothing, and only a God of wisdom could make it function as it does. The scientist is only thinking God’s thoughts after Him and discovering the laws that God built into His world at creation.

Paul affirmed that creation proves God’s “eternal power and Godhead” (Rom. 1:20); and David sang, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1, nkjv). Jesus didn’t hesitate to use the word “creation” (Mark 10:6; 13:19), nor did Paul (Rom. 8:1-20, 22) and Peter (2 Peter 3:4).

Romans 1:18-32 explains the devolution of mankind from the knowledge of the true and living God to the worship of false gods and dead idols. Contrary to what some comparative religion scholars teach, mankind didn’t begin its religious journey by worshiping the things of nature and then gradually climb upward to worship one God. Actually, mankind began at the top, knowing the true God; but to gratify their passionate appetites, they refused to worship Him and turned instead to idols. “Thus does the world forget You, its Creator,” wrote Augustine, “and falls in love with what You have created instead of with You.”

When David considered the greatness of the heavens, he had to ask, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” (Ps. 8:3-4) The Prophet Isaiah contemplated the greatness of the Creator and clearly saw the foolishness of idolatry (Isa. 40:12-26; 45:5-18).

Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, Where’er I turn my eye:

If I survey the ground I tread, Or gaze upon the sky! -- (Isaac Watts)

A tour guide at an atomic laboratory gave his group opportunity to ask questions, and one visitor asked: “You say that this whole world that seems so solid is nothing but electric particles in motion. If that’s true, what holds it all together?” The guide’s honest reply was, “We don’t know.” But Paul answered that question centuries ago: “all things were created by Him [Jesus Christ] and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16-17, niv). This is the God we worship, and creation joins with us in praising Him (Pss. 19:1-5; 96:10-13; 148:1-13).

2. We will be good stewards of His creation

When God gave the first man and woman dominion over creation (Gen. 1:26-30), He put them and their descendants under obligation to value His gifts and use them carefully for His glory. God created everything for His glory and pleasure (Rev. 4:11) as well as for our enjoyment and use (1 Tim. 6:17; Acts 17:24-28); and we must always see ourselves as stewards in God’s world. To destroy creation and waste its bounties is to sin against God.

In this universe, we have God, people, and the things that God made, among them water, land, animal and plant life, air, and vast resources underground. We’re commanded to worship God, love people, and use things for the glory of God and the good of others. When this divine order becomes confused, then God’s creation suffers. When in our greed we start lusting after things, we soon begin to ignore God, abuse people, and destroy creation. Novelist Alan Paton wrote, “The ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator. Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.”

God wrote into the Law of Moses His concern for people, animals, plants, and the land with its resources. The Sabbath Day gave rest to both the workers and their animals (Ex. 20:8-11; 23:12), and the Sabbatical Year and Year of Jubilee gave rest to the land (Lev. 25). Because the Jews didn’t obey these laws, they went into captivity so that the land could enjoy its Sabbaths and be renewed (2 Chron. 36:14-21).

God gave Israel regulations concerning lost and fallen animals (Deut. 22:1-4), nesting birds (Deut. 22:6-7), plowing animals (Deut. 22:10), and newborn animals (Lev. 22:26-28). The psalmist praised God for His constant concern and care for animals and people (Ps. 102:10-28). There’s no escaping the fact that God hasn’t deserted His creation, but mankind has certainly desecrated and destroyed God’s creation. Why? Because people think they own creation. They forget that we’re God’s tenants and stewards of His gifts.

Ecology experts claim that 100 species of plants and animals become extinct every day, and that the destruction of forests and the pollution of water and air is producing more and more ecological tragedies as time goes on. Yet God loves His creation and wants us to use it lovingly. “The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made … The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made … The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made” (Ps. 145:9, 13, 17, niv). Dare we exploit and destroy the creation that God loves?

3. We will trust in God’s providence and not worry

The agnostic and atheist have every right to worry because (as someone has said) “they have no invisible means of support.” To them, the universe is a self-made impersonal machine, not the creation of a wise God and loving Father. But Christian believers see creation as their Father’s world. They call the Creator “Father,” and they trust Him with their lives, their circumstances, and their future.

Everything in nature praises the Lord and looks to Him for whatever they need. “These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season” (Ps. 104:27, nkjv). There’s no evidence that robins get ulcers or that rabbits have nervous breakdowns.

Said the robin to the sparrow, “I should really like to know,

Why those anxious human beings Rush around and worry so.”

Said the sparrow to the robin, “I do think that it must be

That they have no Heavenly Father Such as cares for you and me.”

The universe isn’t a vast machine that God created, wound up, and then abandoned. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Ps. 24:1, niv). “Whatever the Lord pleases He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deep places” (Ps. 135:6, nkjv). “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10).

The word “providence” comes from two Latin words that together mean “to see beforehand.” No matter what has to be done, the Lord will see to it (Gen. 22:13-14). Planet Earth isn’t staggering around in space like a helpless drunk. God has the whole world in His hands and is working out His divine purposes for the good of His people and the glory of His name. It’s that assurance that gives His people peace, no matter how difficult the circumstances may be. “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge … Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:7, 10).

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7), Jesus tells us how to cure anxious care. We must put our lives in the hands of the Father and trust Him to guide us and provide for us a day at a time (Matt. 6:24-34). If we put things first in our lives, then we’ll worry and fret; but if we put God’s kingdom first, He’ll meet our needs and give us His peace (Matt. 6:33). He is working all things together for good right now (Rom. 8:28), even though we may not see or understand all that He’s doing for us.

4. We will pray to our Father

If God the Creator and Lord of the universe is our Father, then it’s reasonable that we should talk to Him about the things that concern us. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (Matt. 6:11, nkjv).

But if God is sovereign and has a plan for His people and His world, why pray? Isn’t praying interfering with God’s will? No, it isn’t. Prayer is one of the means God has ordained to accomplish His will in this world. It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get our will done in heaven but to get God’s will done on earth. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). If we don’t ask, we can’t receive (Luke 11:9-10; James 4:1-3); and Jesus, by His example, instruction, and promises encourages us to ask.

We pray to the Father because we know He is the Creator and “Lord of heaven and earth.” The great intercessors in the Bible could all say, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:2). This was true of Abraham (Gen. 14:22), Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:15), the apostles and the early church (Acts 4:24), Paul (Eph. 3:15), and even our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 10:21). When you focus on the greatness of God, your own problems and burdens will become smaller and lighter.

5. We will not fear to suffer for His sake

“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (1 Peter 4:19, niv). The Greek word translated “commit” is a banking term that means to “deposit for safekeeping” and implies two things: first, that His people are valuable to the Lord, and second, that He is dependable to care for us. “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, nkjv). After all, if the Creator is able to hold His universe together and keep it functioning to accomplish His will, can’t He do the same for our lives, our families, and our ministries? The Creator who knows the number and names of all the stars knows who we are and can meet our deepest needs (Ps. 147:3-6).

Peter wrote his letter to believers in the Roman Empire who were about to enter the “fiery furnace” (1 Peter 1:7; 4:12ff) and be persecuted for their faith. But when His people are in the furnace, the Creator keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. He knows how long and how much, and He is always in control.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply;

The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine. --(John F. Wade)

6. We will love and serve mankind

When Paul addressed the Greek philosophers on Mars Hill, he gave them a short course in theology and anthropology (Acts 17:22-34). He told them that God was the Creator and didn’t need their man-made temples and idols, because He is Lord of heaven and earth. We can’t give God anything because He made everything, and it’s He who gives to us “life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25).

Then Paul ventured into dangerous territory and declared that God made all peoples of “one blood” (Acts 17:26), a statement that must have disturbed the proud Greeks. At that time, they considered themselves a superior people and everybody else “barbarians.” But Paul knew that all peoples sprang from Adam and that all races and nations are one family before the Creator. In His providence, God has allowed nations to rise and fall and even to move to new territories, but they are all His creatures, made of the dust and sustained by His power.

In the Old Testament Law, God commanded the Israelites to show kindness to the strangers and foreigners in their midst (Ex. 23:9; Lev. 19:34; 23:22; Deut. 10:17-19; 26:1-11). Jesus showed mercy to Gentiles as well as to Jews, and He used a Samaritan as an example of a good neighbor (Luke 10:25-37). Some of the Jews in the early church had a problem accepting the Gentiles, but God made it clear that there was no place for prejudice among His people (Acts 10; 11:1-24; 15:1-29; Gal. 3:26-29).

As long as there are needs to be met, we must be neighbors to one another and help one another. It isn’t enough to be faithful in our religious duties; we must also be compassionate toward the needy (Isa. 58:6-11; 1 John 3:16-24; James 2:14-17). Even if people aren’t professed believers in Christ, they are humans made in the image of God; and we must do what we can for them.

The Jewish scholar Abraham Joshua Heschel called race prejudice “the maximum of hatred for the minimum of reason.” But if we’re all made “of one blood,” how can we despise and mistreat one another; for in so doing, we also hurt ourselves.

7. We will read and study God’s Word

“Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments” (Ps. 119:73, nkjv). The hands that wove us in our mother’s womb (139:13-16) also wrote the Word to guide us in our daily lives.^4-1

When you purchase a new car or a new appliance, you read the instruction manual to make sure you understand how it works. The Bible is the “instruction manual” for life; it tells us where we came from, what we are, and what God expects us to do. The God who made us knows best how we should live; and if we ignore His counsel and warning, we’re heading for trouble. To manage our lives without obeying His Word is like flying an airplane without first having read the manual and taken flight instruction: we’re heading for a fall!

The Lord has a divine purpose for each of us to fulfill, and we discover that purpose by reading His Word and obeying it. “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me: Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands” (138:8, nkjv). The Lord wants to guide each of us and enable us to enjoy what He’s planned for us, but we have to be willing to cooperate. To ignore the Bible is to abandon the greatest “life manual” ever given to mankind.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6, nkjv). Certainly we must use our minds and think things through, but we must not lean on our own reasoning apart from God’s Word. Common sense told young David that the giant Goliath was bigger and stronger than he, but faith said that God would defeat the giant (1 Sam. 17). Human reason told the three Hebrew men that the fiery furnace would cremate them, but faith said that God could protect and preserve them (Dan. 3). “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17, nkjv).

God is the Creator, and He’s given His creatures a book that helps them understand who He is, how He works, and what He wants them to do. It’s a book of precepts to obey, promises to believe, and principles to understand. It’s also a book about real people, some of whom obeyed the Lord and some who didn’t; and from the experiences of these people, we can learn a great deal about what to avoid on the path of life.

We should by all means learn all we can, but everything we learn must be tested by the Word of God. American physicist and Nobel Prize recipient Robert A. Millikan said, “I consider an intimate knowledge of the Bible an indispensable qualification of a well-educated man.” Yale University professor William Lyon Phelps agreed when he said, “Everyone who has a thorough knowledge of the Bible may truly be called educated … I believe knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible.”

If you believe that God is your Creator, and that you’re living in His universe, then listen to what He has to say and obey it; for that’s the secret of true fulfillment and success (Josh. 1:7-9).

Last time updated: Tuesday April 18, 2006 08:52 AM