Creation Has Been Completed
So far as this earth is concerned, Scripture declares the work of creation to have been completed. “The works were finished from the foundation of the world.” Hebrews 4:3. But the power of God is still exercised in upholding the objects of His creation. It is not by its own inherent energy that the heart beats, and breath follows breath. Every breath, every pulsation of the heart, is an evidence of the care of Him in whom we live and move and have our being. From the smallest insect to human beings, every living creature is daily dependent upon God’s providence.TEd 79.3
“These all wait for You. ...
What you give them they gather:
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
You hide your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die,
And return to their dust.
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.”
Psalm 104:27-30.
See also Job 26:7-10; 26:11-14; Nahum 1:3.TEd 79.4
The mighty power that works through all nature and sustains all things is not, as some scientists claim, merely an all-pervading principle, an actuating energy. God is a spirit, yet He is a personal being, for our first parents were made in His image. As a personal being, God has revealed Himself in His Son. Jesus, the outshining of the Father’s glory “and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3), appeared on earth as a man. As a personal Savior He came to the world. As a personal Savior He ascended on high. As a personal Savior He intercedes in the heavenly courts. Daniel 7:13.TEd 79.5
The apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declares of Christ that “By Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth. ... He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16, 17. The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross.TEd 79.6
The greatness of God is incomprehensible to us. “The Lord’s throne is in heaven” (Psalm 11:4), yet by His Spirit He is present everywhere. He has an intimate knowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of His hand.TEd 80.1
“You know my sitting down and my rising up,
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
It is high, I cannot attain it.”
Psalm 139:2, 3, 6.
See also Job 26:6; Psalm 113:5, 6; 139:7-10.TEd 80.2
The Maker of all things ordained the wonderful adaptation of means to end, of supply to need. In the material world He provided that every desire implanted should be met. He created the human soul, with its capacity for knowing and for loving. And He has provided that the demands of the soul shall be satisfied. No intangible principle, no impersonal essence or mere abstraction, can satisfy the needs and longings of human beings in this life of struggle with sin and sorrow and pain. It is not enough to believe in law and force, in things that have no pity and never hear the cry for help. We need to know of an almighty arm that will hold us up, of an infinite Friend that pities us. We need to clasp a hand that is warm, to trust in a heart full of tenderness. And this is the way God has revealed Himself in His Word.TEd 80.3