The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard (Psalm 19:1-3).

When science first came to understand the vastness of the universe and began to inform the public of its findings, many people of faith were disturbed—especially when scientists suggested that the earth is merely an insignificant speck in an unfathomably large cosmos. They thought the Bible implied that the earth was the center of the universe, not just a minuscule planet floating in some “tiny backwater” in space, as asserted by Bertrand Russell.

Russell, outspoken English skeptic, declared in his book Religion And Science that “the Copernican revolution will not have done its work until it has taught men more modesty than is to be found among those who think Man sufficient evidence of Cosmic Purpose.” It’s ironic that Russell, no humble man himself, would admit the need for mankind to consider itself and its wee planet as next to meaningless. In his era, however, it indeed seemed that our planet had to be considered as nothing more than a “pale, blue dot” in the fathomless ocean of space.

That was the picture painted by another agnostic, Carl Sagan, who dramatically highlighted for us on public television the fact that modern astronomy has revealed that there are “billions and billions” of galaxies in existence. Certainly, suggested Sagan, we can’t be the only intelligent creatures in so vast a universe. Hence he inspired the ongoing multi-billion-dollar hunt for extraterrestrial life—which, so far, has been a fruitless search (see Discovery Series booklet Are We Alone In The Cosmos?).

Today the minds of scientists are reeling as they contemplate the significance of the earth. What’s becoming increasingly evident is that the earth indeed is not the center of the universe and not even the center of our solar system. Yet by all logical and mathematical appearances, it seems to be the center of attention for Someone with awesome intelligence and creativity who indeed purposed the earth not just for life, but for human life.

The facts now asserted about the physics of all the forces and material in space are compelling scientists to grapple with a theory they refer to as the “anthropic principle.” In simple terms, this theory states that by all appearances, the nature and main purpose of the entire universe is to support life, especially human life, on this tiny speck of a planet. It’s now understood that it is for good reason that the earth is not the center of the universe or of our solar system. If it were, it could not support life. It needs to be exactly where it is, and the entire cosmos must have its exact characteristics for life to exist anywhere.

Simply put, it takes a universe to make Earth the sole living planet. The good earth and its life-giving soil are exactly what they are and where they belong because of the design and purpose of our loving Creator, whose eternal power and divine nature are evident to anyone with eyes to see (Romans 1:18-23).

While the psalmist David didn’t know such facts about outer space, he certainly did grasp the implication of human life in reference to it: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. . . . O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:3-5,9).

The human person has life and intelligence only because of a personal Creator who is Life and Intelligence.

It’s spring—and time to think about the miracle of soil and new birth: This devotional is taken from the RBC Discovery Series booklet written by Dean Ohlman: Celebrating the Wonder of Soil.  The material in the booklet also forms the content framework for the Day of Discovery video series Celebrating the Wonder of Creation: Soil.

Follow these links to see how you can obtain both of these resources for personal or group study. Both would be ideal for home schools and Christian schools.