From the Inside Out

“He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.”

–Psalm 104:5

The ancient psalm writer, with his limited knowledge of how the universe works, could only express what he observed: the earth remains stable. Perhaps he noticed we never veer too close or too far from the life-giving sun. And without knowing why, he knew who was responsible: God Almighty.

Now, after centuries of research, we can understand more clearly the reasons for our constant position in space.

Isaac Newton (1643-1727)

Isaac Newton was the first to surmise that the planets are held in place by the sun’s gravity.   Why?   The more massive an object, the more gravitational pull it produces. Since the sun is by far the largest entity in our solar system, it exerts the strongest pull.

But what keeps the planets and their moons from being drawn into the sun and consumed? Rotation. As the sun exerts pressure inward, the planets’ orbit around the sun pulls them outward. (Think of an object tied to the end of a string and spun in a circle.) Centrifugal force pulls the object outward. Perfect tension between these two forces keeps every celestial body in its place within the solar system.

And because earth’s foundations are never moved, life is sustained. Any closer to the sun and our glaciers would melt, causing sea levels to rise and massive coastal flooding to occur. More water surface on the globe would mean more heat absorption as well.

Just a minor move closer to the sun would cause drastic results.

On the other hand, if Earth were just a few million miles farther away from the sun, the reverse effects would occur. More ice would form, diminishing the oceans. Their function to absorb heat would be lessened. Colder oceans would not evaporate as quickly, causing less rain to fall.

Again, just a minor change would cause drastic results.

Now we know:  Our specific, firmly established distance from the sun is crucial to sustaining life.

But our foundations are unique in another regard. Planet Earth is tilted on its axis 23 ½ degrees. (How’s that for precise?)

The tilt keeps our overall temperature stable.   Each hemisphere, north and south, receives three months of greater sun exposure, creating warmth. They also receive three months of less sun exposure, bringing the temperature down.

If the world was not tilted at all, there would be no seasons. All points on the globe would retain the same temperature in July as in January—equatorial regions would remain intolerably hot; regions toward the poles would be unbearably cold.

Weather patterns would remain rather static, creating areas of high humidity and other locations of insufferable aridity. As a result, only the mid-latitudes–about half the planet– would be suitable for human habitation and favorable for cultivation.

With these facts in mind, I’m much more appreciative of that truth tucked into Psalm 104: “He set the earth on its foundations.”

Did you notice the psalmist used the plural form of foundation? Perhaps he spoke more truth than he realized.

The viability of Planet Earth rests on at least these three foundations described above: gravity, centrifugal force , and tilt.

Such precision, multiplied again and again throughout the universe, proves God has thought of everything to keep his creation functioning millennium after millennium.  And…

“Nothing under his control can ever be out of control.”

–Chuck Swindoll*

If he can perfectly orchestrate numerous factors, with absolute exactitude, in order to maintain life on this planet, he can certainly handle the less-complicated, smaller-scale aspects of my life and yours.

All that’s required of us is the application of one foundational principle:

Faith.

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*from Intimacy with the Almighty

Sources:  https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/review/dr-marc-solar-system/planet-orbits.html and http://www.icr.org/article/planet-eart-plan-or-accident/

Art & photo credits:  http://www.jpl.nasa.gov; http://www.wikimedia.com; http://www.pixabay.com; http://www.maxpixel.net; http://www.wikimedia.com; http://www.pxhere.com (2); http://www.canva.com.