“In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.””
Acts of the Apostles 14:16-17
I found some evidence.
You see it, yes?
Evidence of something ordinary – yet extraordinary at the same time.
See those tiny arrows in the snow?
Yet, hardly arrows. They are footprints – the footprints of a Hungarian Partridge.
And those swoopy markings?
Feather marks.
Evidence that in this spot, not long ago, a wee prairie chicken went for a wee walk, and stopped here to preen.
More evidence – disturbed earth. Droppings. Scratch marks in the snow, trails and tracks of all sorts signalling their presence.
Moreover, we’ve seen them – congregating on the edge of the gravel road, picking up small stones to help their gizzards digest their food. Flying in formation. Spooking up from beneath their snowy tents, where they hide from predators and stay warm.
It’s evidence, all right. It just needs to be interpreted correctly.
It’s all adding up.
You can’t miss the implications.
One – Hungarian Partridges exist.
Two – they exist here.
So, too, the evidence of a Creator who runs the Universe.
Sunsets. Baby animals frolicking. The delicate and precise balance of gravity – any stronger, and objects larger than a dog would be crushed by their own weight. Any weaker, and we would lose our atmosphere and be dead within minutes.
The tides. The ridiculously complex habits of bees. Rain. Photosynthesis.
Love.
God has left His evidence.
How good are you at interpreting it?
I see a sunrise, and my heart sees evidence. My mind interprets – this was the Great Artist’s hand.
I see an intricate pattern of ice in a window pane. More evidence. I watch the mystery of a child nuzzling her father’s neck, a mama cat twitching her tail as enticement for her kittens to attack, hear the call of an oriole, feel sun on skin, watch a rose bud develop, catch its scent in a breeze.
I respond in worship.
And in my soul, I know. I interpret all as evidence of a Wiser Mind than mine. I am a part of something bigger than myself. There is a purpose behind my existence.
The God who gives rain and crops and food and joy – has left His mark on all He’s made.
Even you.
Gather more evidence with me?
Father, how beautiful Your creation is. How amazing the Mind who designed it! Help us to see You behind every good gift, and correctly interpret the evidence You plant all around us. Amen.
Growing in Grace 