Not a chance we are here by accident

For four minutes last night my wife and I stood in our backyard and watched the International Space Station make its journey across the sky. At 6:24 it appeared in the sky 23 degrees above SW and made its way across the sky until it disappeared 23 degrees above ENE. The conditions were perfect for watching the space station with clear, dark skies.

We never get tired of watching it. Recently, on vacation in Panama City Beach, we had the opportunity to show it to our daughter and her children. It was the first time they had seen it.

There are so many things that fascinate me about watching the space station. One of those is the precision with which its journey is known. Regardless of where one is in the world, scientists can tell you exactly when it will be visible, where it will first appear in your sky, and the time and where it will disappear.

For me, this is just one more evidence of our universe being created by God. A world that comes into being through random circumstances cannot be so fine-tuned with such precise mathematical formulas that makes it possible to create an International Space Station much less be able to track it with such precision.

Non-believers have a difficult time addressing the fine-tuning argument for the existence of God. There are so many variables necessary for life as we know it to exist on planet Earth, and if any of these are off by such minute amounts as to be virtually unmeasurable, Earth would be just one more cold, uninhabitable rock floating through space.

The best they can do is to propose a multi-verse rather than a universe. In a multi-verse, they argue, there is the likelihood that at least one solar system would have conditions such as Earth has to make life possible. They often present the multi-verse theory as if it is a scientific fact, but it's not. There has never been any evidence of the existence of the multi-verse. It is a theory that can only be believed by those who have faith in the theory and prefer it to having a faith in God.

The fine-tuning argument, like all apologetical arguments, does not prove the existence of God. It can only point to evidence that makes the existence of God likely and the best possible cause of the universe and life as we know it.

This is where faith comes in. As I look at the fine-tuning argument and then look at this marvelous creation we call Earth I am convinced that there is a God. As I watch the sunset over the ocean, as I see the miracle of a child being born into the world, and as I watch the space station in the sky, I am convinced that there is not a chance we are here by accident. There is a God who created this marvelous universe we call home, and even more than that, there is a God who wants to have a relationship with me. To make that relationship possible, He sent His Son to be born into this world and to die on a cross so my sins could be forgiven and make it possible for me to enjoy an eternal relationship with Him.

I hope you believe that as well. You see, it really is a matter of faith. You can have faith in God or you can have faith in unproven theories. I have chosen to place my faith in God, and I invite you to do the same.

And because I have faith in God and the laws He set in place to govern this universe, I will go out in my backyard Thursday evening at 6:17 and watch the space station fly across the sky for four minutes.