“Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”. Proverbs 19:21
Scripture shares that on the fourth day, God created the heavenly bodies which we call the sun and the moon. Although the bible does not assign these exact names at creation, these are the globally accepted names. Today we know that the earth and moon rotate around the sun but, that was not always the belief. There was a time in our history when humans thought the sun rotated around the earth. Although many people wanted to believe that theory to be true it did not make it true. It took years of discussion and scientific verification to establish the fact that the earth rotated around the sun and not the other way around. Today because of our intellectual curiosity and a desire to know the truth, science is able to tell the world much about the sun and moon’s role and their impact on earth; which includes Genesis’ account of the greater light ruling the day and the lesser light ruling the night.
It should be noted that even if people do not believe God created and placed the sun and the moon, it does not deter from the truth that they exist, and they have a purpose.
Christians believe God is sovereign which means there is absolutely nothing that happens in the universe that is outside of His influence and authority. He has a purpose for all He has created. God established the purpose of the sun and the moon, and He gave us abilities to discover their purpose. He also gave us the free will to challenge His sovereignty and, so we can decide what we want to believe about the intended purpose of His creations. However, when we challenge God’s intended purpose because it does not line up with what we want to believe, we risk suggesting we know more than God.
What would be the response if a group of people gathered tomorrow and decided that they were not comfortable with the thought that the earth depends on the sun? Would that change the truth? These individuals could be very passionate about their position and despite all scientific proof, could declare that they believe that the earth and the sun rotate around the moon. Should their beliefs or desires be enough to change the known facts? The world appears to be getting more complicated everyday and worldly beliefs challenge Christian beliefs. Desire seems to outweigh reality and often we are encouraged to ignore facts when we do not feel comfortable with them.
Do you question God’s sovereignty because it doesn’t fit nicely into what you want to believe?
Do you look in the mirror and want to challenge God on what you see? Western culture accepts that everyone is entitled to an opinion however should one’s desire to hold a contrary opinion to something factual alter the reality? We do not have to agree with another’s viewpoint, but we do have to show Christian compassion and love to those offering one. We also do not have to understand God’s sovereignty, but we do have to accept it because, in the end, it will still exist.