Fellowship focus 3 - July 1997
Providence: God's care for his creation
Grass and water, food and drink.
The bible teaches that God created everything, and made what was needed to support life. When scientists study what they call "nature", they are studying what Christians call "God's providence".
There are wonderful things about grass and water which should make us praise God for all his wonderful works of providence. Grass and water give us our food and drink. We could not live without them
Grass
The grass family (gramineae) is the family of food plants God has designed to feed his creation. The grass family includes cereal crops like wheat, corn and rice. These provide grain for people to eat.
Grass has been designed differently from other plants. God designed grass to be eaten! Most other plants are damaged by grazing because they grow from the main stem. We can mow the lawn, and the grass keeps growing. What would happen if we mowed the flowers, cabbages and runner beans?
Grass is made with leaves wrapped round the stem. The leaves grow from the base and, if they are cut, keep on growing. It is clear from a study of grass that it has been designed by God to feed grazing animals. Could rabbits and guinea pigs be used to keep the lawn tidy?
Cereal crops must be protected from grazing animals so they can grow tall and produce seeds.
Water
Water is the main liquid we find on earth. It is the first substance mentioned in creation. Everything else is solid or gas. (Oils are found in fruit and seeds - like olives, sunflowers & corn, and underground as petroleum.) Water is not just clean (or dirty) drinking water. It dissolves all sorts of things - it even dissolves air, so that creatures can live in water. In our bodies it makes the food we eat liquid so we can use it.
God created water with special properties. Water can be liquid, solid or vapour at temperatures which support life. Liquid water evaporates into the air. It forms clouds which return water to the earth. When water freezes, it becomes solid ice or snow. Ice floats on water, and the wter underneath the ice stays liquid. If ice sank in the water, the surface water would keep on freezing and fish, and other water creatures, would die.
These are some helpful bible verses about God's provision of food for his creation: Genesis 1:29-30, Job 36:26-28,31;37:10-13, Psalm 65:9-13. These verses show that the bible writers, inspired by God, knew about these things. If scientists or science teachers question the bible, their science is questionable!
Whenever we eat, we have good reason to thank God for his providence!
A sermon from science by Ian