“Tell me about these traces and clues and traces of clues,” he said.
“Well, many people believe that creation itself is evidence of something more, something transcendent, maybe even divine.”
“You’ve been reading my book.”
“Yes, but even outside of the Bible, people have come to that conclusion.”
“Well, that makes sense,” he said. “Creation was the first book I wrote but most have lost the ability to read it.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
“It was a birthday present, you know.”
“A birthday present?”
“Yes, for Adam and for you. For each one of you on the day of your birth.”
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you, I guess.”
“Yes, not knowing what to say seems to be the appropriate response,” he said, “especially given what you’ve done with it.” A holy sigh slipped into the night.
I still didn’t know what to say but, after a moment, I continued anyway.
“The sheer beauty and grandeur of the world we live in seems to speak of something more, perhaps somebody, behind it all.”
“Beauty and grandeur?” he said. “It doesn’t sound very scientific.”
“Maybe not, but science isn’t everything.”
“Really? Do you really believe that?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. The world was a lot simpler, more mysterious and awe inspiring, before Copernicus.”
“Copernicus? The polish astronomer?” he said. “He did some good work in biology as well as astronomy. Why do you blame him?”
“He also proved that the earth rotates around the sun and not the other way around.”
“He was right, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, he was.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“Well, before Copernicus, we believed that the earth was the center of a universe you created and that everything existed for our benefit and your glory.”
“Well, that’s true, too.”
“But after Copernicus, science systematically explained how the world worked and the laws that govern it and we found out that we were just a ball of dirt caught in the grip of a star much larger than our planet in the midst of a vast universe seemingly without end.”
“But that’s true too. Without the “just” part.”
“What do you mean?” I said.
“You are not just a ball of dirt. You are my children.” He stood up and walked over to the tree, looking up into the night. Then he turned toward me and said, “Perhaps you needed to learn the difference between understanding the world, the way I have created it, and jumping to conclusions about who was behind it all and the role that humans play in the drama of the cosmos.”
“Yes, I see what you mean.”
“Now it appears that your scientific method has brought you in recent years to the far reaches of the universe as well as the intricacies of the smallest atom. And what did you find there?”
“Science has discovered eternity,” I said.
“Discovered eternity. That sounds exciting. What do you mean?”
“We discovered time before time and space outside of our three dimensions at the very beginning of the universe.”
“Impressive. I want to hear more.” He looked out at the expanse of the stars. “I was hoping that mankind would also discover eternity in their own hearts. That would be a discovery that could change everything.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I kept quiet. But he wasn’t finished.
“What else did your scientists discover recently?” he asked.
“Apparently, there is very strong scientific evidence for intelligent design in creation and the belief that the entire universe was created for the purpose of sustaining human life on earth.”
“Amazing,” he said. “So we are back, full circle, to Copernicus. Now mankind realizes again that the universe is about them and that everything exists for your benefit and my glory.”
It was a statement not a question.
“In the meantime,” he said quietly, “you lost hundreds of years in doubt and unbelief and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people lost their faith in me.”
I could not answer. I didn’t know what to say.
“You were right,” he said. “Science isn’t everything.”
*****
Click here to read more……. A Conversation with God by Bert A. Amsing. Used with permission. Excerpt from Whispers of the Desert Warrior by Bert A. Amsing. Copyright © 2012 by vanKregten Publishers. All rights reserved. www.desertwarrior.net info@desertwarrior.net Footnotes and references included in the original manuscript.
