God has placed the earth and every planet and star in its own special orbit through the vast reaches of space, and they all spin in perfect order and always on schedule. If this were not so, long ago they would have collided with each other and produced chaos too great to imagine.
Through improved instruments and computers, astronomers are continually amazed to find that the galaxies of stars reach farther away than has been thought. Some now say there may be no end to them! No one on earth will ever know for sure, but those who will be in the glories of heaven with their Saviour will then undoubtedly learn all about His wise creation. We have been taught that the earth turns on its axis every 24 hours (although it is actually 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds), providing an average of 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness every day of the year. Who do you think arranged this, and why doesn’t it ever run down or change? The answer is found in the Bible verse: “The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath He established the heavens” (Proverbs 3:1919The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. (Proverbs 3:19)).
The earth’s tilt of 23 degrees on its axis is another provision of the Creator, bringing a welcome change in seasons, as our opening verse states. This places more areas of the earth’s surface under the benefit of the sun’s warmth than would be possible if it were not tilted.
Imagine what life would be like (if there could be any life) if the earth did not rotate every twenty-four hours! On one side the heat would be so unbearable that nothing could live, and on the other side it would be so dark and cold that everything would freeze solid. Aren’t you glad the Creator is the One who controls this turning? We should thank Him, among other things, for the way this design takes care of all His creatures—some are active in daylight hours and go to sleep around sunset, while others sleep in the daytime and are active at night, all according to His plan.
It is sad to realize how mankind’s carelessness has spoiled many benefits our loving Provider has given us, yet He continues to provide for us in every necessary way. We can only agree with the psalmist: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament [expanse] showeth His handiwork” (Psalm 19:11<<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>> The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1)).
We are so used to these marvels that we rarely think about them, but it is good to stop and think about what this Bible verse tells us: “The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof” (Psalm 50:11<<A Psalm of Asaph.>> The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. (Psalm 50:1)).
ML-03/01/2009