The Wonder of Rain
It rained all day last Friday. I was at my desk much of the day, and found myself glancing often through the window... at millions and millions of raindrops.
Ever since pastor Tim used the following illustration in his sermon, I have looked at rain with a new sense of wonder. What follows below should end the debate between those who think the universe is randomly ordered, and those who believe in Intelligent Design. Check this out; copy it off, and have your children bring it to school for an interesting discussion in the science classroom!
Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God?
Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream. A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come on the fields from another source.
From where?
Well, the sky.
The sky? Water will come out of the clear blue sky?
Well, not exactly. Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea, over several hundred miles and then be poured out from the sky onto the fields.
Carried? How much does it weigh?
Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.
That's heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it's so heavy?
Well, it gets up there by evaporation.
Really? That's a nice word. What's it mean?
It means that the water sort of stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down.
I see. Then how does it get down?
Well, condensation happens.
What's that?
The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That's small.
What about the salt?
Salt?
Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt?
Well, the salt has to be taken out.
Oh. So the sky picks up a billion pounds of water from the sea and takes out the salt and then carries it for three hundred miles and then dumps it on the farm?
Well it doesn't dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds of water down in little drops. And they have to be big enough to fall for one mile or so without evaporating, and small enough to keep from crushing the wheat stalks.
How do all these microscopic specks of water that weigh a billion pounds get heavy enough to fall (if that's the way to ask the question)?
Well, it's called coalescence.
What's that?
It means the specks of water start bumping into each other and join up and get bigger. And when they are big enough, they fall.
Just like that?
Well, not exactly, because they would just bounce off each other instead of joining up, if there were no electric field present.
What?
Never mind. Take my word for it.
I think, instead, I will just take Job's word for it. I still don't see why drops ever get to the ground, because if they start falling as soon as they are heavier than air, they would be too small not to evaporate on the way down, but if they wait to come down, what holds them up till they are big enough not to evaporate? Yes, I am sure there is a name for that too. But I am satisfied now that, by any name, this is a great and unsearchable thing that God has done. I think I should be thankful - lots more thankful than I am.”
John Piper:
The Godward Life
Ever since pastor Tim used the following illustration in his sermon, I have looked at rain with a new sense of wonder. What follows below should end the debate between those who think the universe is randomly ordered, and those who believe in Intelligent Design. Check this out; copy it off, and have your children bring it to school for an interesting discussion in the science classroom!
"But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth, And sends water on the fields." (Job 5:8-10)
Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God?
Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream. A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come on the fields from another source.
From where?
Well, the sky.
The sky? Water will come out of the clear blue sky?
Well, not exactly. Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea, over several hundred miles and then be poured out from the sky onto the fields.
Carried? How much does it weigh?
Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.
That's heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it's so heavy?
Well, it gets up there by evaporation.
Really? That's a nice word. What's it mean?
It means that the water sort of stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down.
I see. Then how does it get down?
Well, condensation happens.
What's that?
The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That's small.
What about the salt?
Salt?
Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt?
Well, the salt has to be taken out.
Oh. So the sky picks up a billion pounds of water from the sea and takes out the salt and then carries it for three hundred miles and then dumps it on the farm?
Well it doesn't dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds of water down in little drops. And they have to be big enough to fall for one mile or so without evaporating, and small enough to keep from crushing the wheat stalks.
How do all these microscopic specks of water that weigh a billion pounds get heavy enough to fall (if that's the way to ask the question)?
Well, it's called coalescence.
What's that?
It means the specks of water start bumping into each other and join up and get bigger. And when they are big enough, they fall.
Just like that?
Well, not exactly, because they would just bounce off each other instead of joining up, if there were no electric field present.
What?
Never mind. Take my word for it.
I think, instead, I will just take Job's word for it. I still don't see why drops ever get to the ground, because if they start falling as soon as they are heavier than air, they would be too small not to evaporate on the way down, but if they wait to come down, what holds them up till they are big enough not to evaporate? Yes, I am sure there is a name for that too. But I am satisfied now that, by any name, this is a great and unsearchable thing that God has done. I think I should be thankful - lots more thankful than I am.”
John Piper:
The Godward Life
Labels: Dependence on God, Guest Post, Intelligent Design
posted by Petros at
7:00 AM
4 Comments:
pete - when we had paul and noah the other day noah started playing this for us off his phone - he said he has played it for some of the kids he knows - once more i was truly proud of my "grand kids" thanks again and again for sharing them with us - interesting that "noah" would copy something on rain - cealy
I never get tired of reading this--and apparently it's affecting the coming generation!
Praise God!
Tim
Well, as I sit at my desk I too at the moment am observing those same watery drops of great and unsearchable wonder (along with an accompanying sight and sound show included at no additional cost). Thanks Peter for bringing this before our attention again.
The creation indeed shouts to us of the existence of the Creator(c.f. Ps. 19:1-4; Rom. 1:20). The only way we do not see it is through suppressing the reality of this truth in our rebellion against the God who is there (Rom. 1:18). Yes, just the rain alone, as you say Peter, "should end the debate between those who think the universe is randomly ordered, and those who believe in Intelligent Design".
As we observe and marvel at the displays of God's power and creative glory that we are aware of, both macro and micro, I am struck almost speechless by this reality: "Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him!" (Job 28:14).
If these are "whispers", what must his "roars" be like?!
Recently I've had new appreciation for the rain as one who is more conscious of my direct need for it. I transplanted a few trees in my yard and they need lots of water. How happy I am when it rains and God waters my trees!
Too often the benefits of rain are too far removed from the rain itself. We forget that the loaf of bread on our tables is the product of God's great work of rain; we tend to think that it's the product of Shop Rite!
So I'm tempted to legislate that everyone has to plant and grow at least one thing in their back yard that is rain dependent, so they can feel consciously how much they need God's wondrous work spelled r-a-i-n.
Tim
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