Sunsets And Chromosomes

Psalm 19:1-6

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1The heavens tell of the glory of God.

The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.

2Day after day they continue to speak;

night after night they make him known.

3They speak without a sound or a word;

their voice is silent in the skies;

4yet their message has gone out to all the earth,

and their words to all the world.

The sun lives in the heavens

where God placed it.

5It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom

after his wedding.

It rejoices like a great athlete

eager to run the race.

6The sun rises at one end of the heavens

and follows its course to the other end.

Nothing can hide from its heat.

A student stood on the crest of a hill silently admiring the sunset. As the colors came to a brilliant crescendo, he suddenly shouted, “Way to go, God. Fantastic!” Then he raised his hand in praise to the Creator.

Dr. Carl Sagan marveled that a single human chromosome contains 20 billion bits of information. This corresponds to four thousand 500-page books—and that’s only one chromosome! Yet Dr. Sagan never professed any belief in God.

When it comes to praising God for his incredible work in creation, some of us are more like Dr. Sagan than the student. We are quick to condemn those who deny that God created the universe, yet we, too, often forget to praise him for all that he has made.

The first six verses of this psalm remind us that all of nature testifies of the glory of God. The apostle Paul reiterated this truth when he wrote, “From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. . . . So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God” (Romans 1:20).

We praise God for salvation but forget to praise him for creation. Whether we look at the grandeur of the heavens or the intricacies of a chromosome, we should stand in awe of our Creator. Praise him today for his masterful work.

The unwearied sun, from day to day

Does His Creator’s power display,

And publishes to every land

The work of an Almighty hand.

JOSEPH ADDISON

Bible Networking

It is a good thing to see God as the creator of the heavens, but the Bible warns against worshiping the stars themselves. See Job 31:26-28 and 2 Kings 23:5.

Notable Quotable

One of the leaders of the French Revolution, Jean Bon St. Andre, said to a peasant, “I will have all your steeples pulled down, so you will not be reminded any more of your old religion.” The peasant replied, “But you cannot help leaving us the stars.”