I was talking with God in prayer just a few days ago telling him how amazed I was at how he can manage so many things in the universe. I know about the number of hairs on our heads and his ability to know everything not only past, but “fore” as well. But when I thought about the universe and how he created all of it I was amazed at how he can keep it moving along so nicely.
I guess I was thinking about the expanse of the whole thing, from the smallest to the largest. When I look at a small straight pin, a bottle cap or a clover, I know that those smarter than me have attested to the fact that atoms and even sub-atomic particles like neutrons, electrons and protons are swirling around in their own private little solar systems that make up the “matter” that form those things. That straight pin and the others are all made up of millions of atoms with their smaller sup-atomic parts. And some say that since there is a polarizing effect of those little particles flying around, they naturally tend to repel each other and have a tendency to “fly apart” and scatter everywhere. And yet, there they are just swirling around that atom in perfect harmony, not tearing anything up, but just being a bottle cap or straight pin.
My mind can’t even wrap around the amount of power it would take to hold those atoms together to keep them from exploding all over the place. But I know that God holds it together in such a way as it works according to his will. Then I realize that in order to destroy everything all he would have to do is relax for a moment and everything would explode into a giant ball of fire.
From the straight pin I move to the entire earth, then to our solar system and am amazed at the design being so similar. Then to the galaxy and those countless ones beyond; I can’t even wrap my mind around the number of atoms, protons or electrons that are in that vastness.
Then along came this story from a friend, written by who knows who, about an ant carrying a contact lens on a mountain side that became reunited with the person who lost it. No matter what the size or amount or the complexity of it, God always takes care of what we need at exactly the right time we need it. After all He does pretty well with the universe and keeping it going, so why couldn't He look after us pretty well.
“The Ant and the Contact Lens: a true story
Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens. 'Great', she thought. 'Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.'
She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.
She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.
When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse 'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.'
She thought, 'Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.'
Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, 'Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?'
Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!
The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, 'Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You.'
I think it would do all of us some good to say, 'God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.'
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