HE WALKS ON WATER
Isaiah 55:8
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."
Whenever water is in contact with air, one of the most delicate structures in the universe is created. That structure is called surface tension. Surface tension is created because water molecules touching the air move just a little bit closer to one another, forming a delicate "skin" on the water.
The water strider is one of the very few insects that can actually walk upon this delicate and extremely thin "skin" formed by surface tension. However, should he need to, he can dive right through it. Each of his six legs ends in a foot looking something like a snowshoe that spreads his weight on the water surface. The bottom of each foot is covered with sensitive hairs and a tiny oil gland to prevent the hairs from getting wet. Those hairs are also very sensitive to vibrations so that the water strider knows who is beneath him as he skates across the surface. Unlike most other insects, the strider is actually covered with hairs, and these provide for flotation when he dives for food.
Only the Creator of all things could have known about surface tension and design a creature that can literally walk on water. Doesn't He deserve our worship and praise, especially since He did not even spare the life of His only Son to save us when we were lost to Him?
Dear Father in heaven, You can do all things, and with You nothing in or out of this world is impossible. Help me to remember that Your thoughts are far above ours, and that with Your unlimited creativity, power, and wisdom, You also love me and will take care of me, for my Savior's sake. Amen.
Photo: Water striders using water surface tension when mating. Courtesy of Markus Gayda. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Isaiah 55:8
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."
Whenever water is in contact with air, one of the most delicate structures in the universe is created. That structure is called surface tension. Surface tension is created because water molecules touching the air move just a little bit closer to one another, forming a delicate "skin" on the water.
The water strider is one of the very few insects that can actually walk upon this delicate and extremely thin "skin" formed by surface tension. However, should he need to, he can dive right through it. Each of his six legs ends in a foot looking something like a snowshoe that spreads his weight on the water surface. The bottom of each foot is covered with sensitive hairs and a tiny oil gland to prevent the hairs from getting wet. Those hairs are also very sensitive to vibrations so that the water strider knows who is beneath him as he skates across the surface. Unlike most other insects, the strider is actually covered with hairs, and these provide for flotation when he dives for food.
Only the Creator of all things could have known about surface tension and design a creature that can literally walk on water. Doesn't He deserve our worship and praise, especially since He did not even spare the life of His only Son to save us when we were lost to Him?
Dear Father in heaven, You can do all things, and with You nothing in or out of this world is impossible. Help me to remember that Your thoughts are far above ours, and that with Your unlimited creativity, power, and wisdom, You also love me and will take care of me, for my Savior's sake. Amen.
Photo: Water striders using water surface tension when mating. Courtesy of Markus Gayda. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
EVOLUTIONARY PREDICTION FAILS
Deuteronomy 18:22
"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."
If man is the result of billions of years of evolution from the simplest of creatures, evolution predicts that man should have retained most, if not all, of the best abilities of those other creatures in his heritage.
According to evolution, our ape-like ancestors had opposing toes, just as we have opposing thumbs. If we had retained those opposing toes, we could pick things up without bending over. The female chimp can pull 1,260 pounds with one arm. That would be a pretty handy facility. And then, there is the hero shrew of Uganda, just six inches long, but it can support the weight of a one hundred and sixty pound man on its back!
Even the lowly snail can pull up to 200 times its own weight, and lift ten times its weight. Then what about the trilobite, right at the bottom of the evolutionary ladder and supposedly extinct for 300 million years? This little fellow had the most sophisticated eye lenses, actually double lenses, ever found in nature!
Since all of these abilities would be greatly beneficial for us, why didn't evolution let us keep or develop these abilities as we evolved? The answer is simple. We have not evolved. Rather, we have been made by a Creator Who made us for the purpose of a relationship with Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Dear heavenly Father, I thank You that while I cannot leap tall buildings or lift them, You have made me for the higher purpose of a relationship with You. Increase my trust in the atoning work of Your Son for me so that I may grow closer to You. In His Name. Amen.
Photo: Hero shrew. Courtesy of J.A. Allen, Herbet Lang, James Paul Chapin. (PD)
Deuteronomy 18:22
"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."
If man is the result of billions of years of evolution from the simplest of creatures, evolution predicts that man should have retained most, if not all, of the best abilities of those other creatures in his heritage.
According to evolution, our ape-like ancestors had opposing toes, just as we have opposing thumbs. If we had retained those opposing toes, we could pick things up without bending over. The female chimp can pull 1,260 pounds with one arm. That would be a pretty handy facility. And then, there is the hero shrew of Uganda, just six inches long, but it can support the weight of a one hundred and sixty pound man on its back!
Even the lowly snail can pull up to 200 times its own weight, and lift ten times its weight. Then what about the trilobite, right at the bottom of the evolutionary ladder and supposedly extinct for 300 million years? This little fellow had the most sophisticated eye lenses, actually double lenses, ever found in nature!
Since all of these abilities would be greatly beneficial for us, why didn't evolution let us keep or develop these abilities as we evolved? The answer is simple. We have not evolved. Rather, we have been made by a Creator Who made us for the purpose of a relationship with Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Dear heavenly Father, I thank You that while I cannot leap tall buildings or lift them, You have made me for the higher purpose of a relationship with You. Increase my trust in the atoning work of Your Son for me so that I may grow closer to You. In His Name. Amen.
Photo: Hero shrew. Courtesy of J.A. Allen, Herbet Lang, James Paul Chapin. (PD)
PLANTS' NATURAL PEST CONTROL
Isaiah 40:29
"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."
Most of us know that a plant under stress is more likely to have problems with insects. If a plant is dry, for example, we water it, hoping it will regain its health and stand strong against insect attacks.
But in the wild, no one shows up with a watering can when it gets dry. Ironically, most of us are trying to get our own plants to grow as well as they do in the wild! Now science may have discovered a provision the Creator has built into plants to protect them from modest water stress.
Severe water stress is bad for plants, but modest water stress actually aids plants in fending off insects. For example, a plant's leaves become tougher to chew and contain less nourishment when they have too much water. On the other hand, when leaves are short of water, they begin producing mild insecticides. Some plants also start producing waxes and other substances to protect themselves under stressed conditions. Once water stress is removed, plants can return to normal operation overnight.
The Creator has wisely provided for both plants and insects by means of this balance. When plants have enough water and can afford to provide food for insects, insects may munch away, undeterred. But when a plant has barely enough for itself, it is given the ability to fend off the insects.
Lord, so many times in our sinful world we are tempted to accept the idea that life really is survival of the fittest. As a result, our love grows cold and our tolerance of what we should tolerate is short. Forgive and strengthen us, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Photo: Borkhausenia fuscescens moth feeds on dried plants. Courtesy of Michael Kurz. (CC-BY-SA 3.0 AUSTRIA)
Isaiah 40:29
"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."
Most of us know that a plant under stress is more likely to have problems with insects. If a plant is dry, for example, we water it, hoping it will regain its health and stand strong against insect attacks.
But in the wild, no one shows up with a watering can when it gets dry. Ironically, most of us are trying to get our own plants to grow as well as they do in the wild! Now science may have discovered a provision the Creator has built into plants to protect them from modest water stress.
Severe water stress is bad for plants, but modest water stress actually aids plants in fending off insects. For example, a plant's leaves become tougher to chew and contain less nourishment when they have too much water. On the other hand, when leaves are short of water, they begin producing mild insecticides. Some plants also start producing waxes and other substances to protect themselves under stressed conditions. Once water stress is removed, plants can return to normal operation overnight.
The Creator has wisely provided for both plants and insects by means of this balance. When plants have enough water and can afford to provide food for insects, insects may munch away, undeterred. But when a plant has barely enough for itself, it is given the ability to fend off the insects.
Lord, so many times in our sinful world we are tempted to accept the idea that life really is survival of the fittest. As a result, our love grows cold and our tolerance of what we should tolerate is short. Forgive and strengthen us, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Photo: Borkhausenia fuscescens moth feeds on dried plants. Courtesy of Michael Kurz. (CC-BY-SA 3.0 AUSTRIA)
WHY BIRDS DON'T NEED SOCKS
Job 12:7, 9
"But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?"
Have you ever wondered why it is that ducks can spend all day in near-freezing water, and it doesn't seem to bother them? For that matter, birds never seem to be bothered about cold feet. If we ran around in the ice and snow with bare feet, it wouldn't be very long before we had a good case of frostbite. So why don't birds need socks?
Birds have a network of arteries that take the blood down to their feet. These arteries are interwoven with the veins that return the blood from the feet. This network of arteries and veins is called a "wonder net." The blood going down the arteries is hot at 106 degrees, but the temperature of the blood returning in the veins may be as cool as 37 degrees as it leaves the foot. The warm blood reheats the cold blood coming from the foot before it enters the body. The result is that the bird loses very little body heat, and the blood going into the foot never becomes dangerously cold in normal winter weather.
The wisdom of this design is obvious. Could birds have survived having their feet frozen off before they learned to evolve this special arrangement? Hardly! The most reasonable conclusion is that there is a Creator Who cares for all His creation, including you and me!
Dear Father, You have spared nothing for our good. I especially thank You that in Your wisdom You designed a plan of salvation for us even though it cost You the life of Your only Son to purchase me. Help me never to treat Your wise plan of salvation lightly. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Penguins have also been given a "wonder net" by their Creator. Courtesy of Roux. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Job 12:7, 9
"But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?"
Have you ever wondered why it is that ducks can spend all day in near-freezing water, and it doesn't seem to bother them? For that matter, birds never seem to be bothered about cold feet. If we ran around in the ice and snow with bare feet, it wouldn't be very long before we had a good case of frostbite. So why don't birds need socks?
Birds have a network of arteries that take the blood down to their feet. These arteries are interwoven with the veins that return the blood from the feet. This network of arteries and veins is called a "wonder net." The blood going down the arteries is hot at 106 degrees, but the temperature of the blood returning in the veins may be as cool as 37 degrees as it leaves the foot. The warm blood reheats the cold blood coming from the foot before it enters the body. The result is that the bird loses very little body heat, and the blood going into the foot never becomes dangerously cold in normal winter weather.
The wisdom of this design is obvious. Could birds have survived having their feet frozen off before they learned to evolve this special arrangement? Hardly! The most reasonable conclusion is that there is a Creator Who cares for all His creation, including you and me!
Dear Father, You have spared nothing for our good. I especially thank You that in Your wisdom You designed a plan of salvation for us even though it cost You the life of Your only Son to purchase me. Help me never to treat Your wise plan of salvation lightly. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Penguins have also been given a "wonder net" by their Creator. Courtesy of Roux. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
GOD'S UNUSUAL FIG ARRANGEMENT
Habakkuk 3:17-18
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
Completely unrelated creatures that depend entirely upon one another to live and have no way of living without one another pose a very serious challenge to those who claim that all living things evolved. The relationship is called reciprocal altruism.
One startling example is the relationship between the fig wasp and the fig tree. Male figs are not for eating; they produce the pollen to pollinate the sweet, juicy female fig. But the flower parts of both the male and female figs are inside the figs. There is no chance that the wind could spread pollen from the male to the female figs. And there is no other creature except the fig wasp that can transfer the pollen.
Herein lies an incredible story. The fig wasp hatches from eggs inside the male fig, and its purpose in its short 24-hour life is to lay its eggs inside another male fig. The female wasp emerges from the male fig covered in pollen and is programmed to search among the female figs, thus fertilizing them, before laying its eggs inside a male fig and, thus, starting the cycle again.
The fig wasp will only lay its eggs in the male fig while the female fig cannot be pollinated by any other method. Clearly, both the fig wasp and the fig tree were created for this special relationship.
Dear Lord, just as You created the fig wasp and the fig tree for this close relationship, You have created me for a relationship with You. There is no peace for me outside of a relationship with You. Help me to grow closer to You through the instruction of Your Word. Amen.
Photo: Pollinating fig wasp. Courtesy of Anthony Bain. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Habakkuk 3:17-18
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
Completely unrelated creatures that depend entirely upon one another to live and have no way of living without one another pose a very serious challenge to those who claim that all living things evolved. The relationship is called reciprocal altruism.
One startling example is the relationship between the fig wasp and the fig tree. Male figs are not for eating; they produce the pollen to pollinate the sweet, juicy female fig. But the flower parts of both the male and female figs are inside the figs. There is no chance that the wind could spread pollen from the male to the female figs. And there is no other creature except the fig wasp that can transfer the pollen.
Herein lies an incredible story. The fig wasp hatches from eggs inside the male fig, and its purpose in its short 24-hour life is to lay its eggs inside another male fig. The female wasp emerges from the male fig covered in pollen and is programmed to search among the female figs, thus fertilizing them, before laying its eggs inside a male fig and, thus, starting the cycle again.
The fig wasp will only lay its eggs in the male fig while the female fig cannot be pollinated by any other method. Clearly, both the fig wasp and the fig tree were created for this special relationship.
Dear Lord, just as You created the fig wasp and the fig tree for this close relationship, You have created me for a relationship with You. There is no peace for me outside of a relationship with You. Help me to grow closer to You through the instruction of Your Word. Amen.
Photo: Pollinating fig wasp. Courtesy of Anthony Bain. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
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