Some Things Are Too Big to Be Seen

A California daredevil, Mike Hughes, shot himself 1,875 feet into the air in a homemade rocket. Why did he plan to do such a foolhardy thing? He wanted to prove to himself that the earth is a flat disc instead of a round sphere.

Yes, this is very stupid—and conceited. The man cannot accept the combined research and testimony of a hundred generations who have concluded the earth is a Sphere. He has to find out for himself. He has to do his own research by building his own rocket and launching himself 1,800+ feet into the sky.

Is such incredulity and conceit possible? Sure. Just consider that, when it comes to morality, every generation refuses to accept the hard lessons of previous generations. Each generation insists on experimenting and testing for itself what is right and what is wrong, what is healthy and what is self-destructive. We’re all just as hard-headed.

But after Hughes survived his flight, what did he prove? At 1,800 feet, he proved nothing! It’s not high enough to discern the earth’s curvature. He could get a far better view by driving to the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado, or by flying on a jet airliner at 35,000 feet, or by purchasing a weather balloon and attaching a GoPro camera to it. He is planning on attaching a rocket to weather balloon. All of these options would cost less and be far safer than flying in a home-made rocket which can only rise 1,800 feet in the air.

You have to get quite a bit higher to begin to see the earth’s curve. Different sources cite between 35,000 to 65,000 feet before it can detected. But you’ll never see it at a mere 1,800 feet. The earth is simply too big. And that’s the problem. The earth’s too big and we’re too small. It’s a fact, some things are too big to be seen.

Remember the late Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev? He claimed that the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, “didn’t see any god there.” Can you see the foolishness of thinking we can fly high enough to encompass a God who holds a 28-billion light year-wide universe neatly in the palm of His hand? God is simply too immense for finite creatures to comprehend.

God’s Power

Yet God’s attention to the smallest details of existence is equally mind-blowing. Can we comprehend a God who is in every electron, proton, and neutron—upholding their very existence? Or, can we comprehend that God upholds every cell in our bodies, causing every cell to perform its specific function, causing them to harmoniously group together to form specialized tissues, to form specialized organs, to perform specialized functions, all of which work in perfect harmony to keep us alive and help us grow and reproduce? And He is doing this in trillions of organisms simultaneously—without getting stressed or distracted.

Certainly, God is infinite in both directions—down to the tiniest subatomic particle and up to the entire expanse of physical existence. We cannot get beyond God in either direction to fully grasp His size and power. If we are hoping to study God as one studies a specimen, He’s simply too big to be seen by such tiny creatures.

God’s Love

Yet, though God is too immense for us to comprehend, we can see evidence of God’s activity, intellect, and love in the physical creation. We observe the complex arrangement of matter in every living thing, no matter how small or how “simple.” Only an infinite intelligence—infinitely greater than educated humanity—could organize and assemble the many parts and maintain the function of every organism in the earth’s biosphere. Only a vast intelligence could program the millions of volumes of information and pack it into every strand of DNA. And only infinite love could instill parental love and tenderness in creatures so that they care for their young to ensure their survival.

As King David wrote in the Psalms, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world” (Ps. 19:1–4, NLT). And as Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Rom. 1:20).

PRAYER:

Dear Father in heaven, please open my eyes to behold Your ceaseless and loving activity in all the world around me. Help me to grasp the reality of Your existence and Your love for me. Amen.