God's Creative Genius

The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. (Proverbs 3:19-20 ESV).

 

I am always a bit amused by the naiveté of those who deny the creative work of God. The more I learn about the creative genius displayed in our world, the more I am convinced of the unfathomable depth of God’s wisdom, power, and plan. Take dogs as an example. The picture accompanying this devotional is Teddy. He is our rescue puppy (even though he is nearly eight now). The vet tells us he is primarily a Norfolk Terrier, though we have no need of doing DNA testing to prove or disprove that assertion. We have seen firsthand his tenacity and latent predatory instinct. He has killed more than his share of moles, rats, and bunnies that make the mistake of wandering into his domain. But I have diverged a bit. The real key is in how God created him, and every other canine.

 

Dogs are audacious optimists. They do every little thing with enthusiasm and verve, even if that means they’re not as tidy as some other animals. Drinking water is no exception, and anyone who has ever seen a dog lap from its water bowl on a hot summer day knows they are willing to loudly splash their way to hydration. However, there is a special reason for this messy hydration. In 2014, a team of researchers led by Virginia Tech’s Sunny Jung used high-speed cameras to film dogs as they drank water from a bowl. They examined the slow-motion footage and were able to study the mechanics behind a thirsty dog’s tongue. His conclusion was “dogs curve their tongues backwards in a ladle-shape so that when they rip their tongues out of the water, they cause a significant amount of acceleration — about five times that of gravity.” He went on to explain that since dogs don’t have cheeks, they can’t create suction. To compensate, their tongues slap the water and pull it toward their maw in the form of a liquid column. As this water is suspended in mid-air, they chomp down on it and swallow, repeating the process until they’re satisfied. We might be tempted to think “so what?” Well, as it turns out, God has designed them without cheeks to increase their ability to bite down and secure their prey.

 

Amazing, isn’t it? God designed them to perfectly fit within the world they were placed. God saw the need for this and carried the “engineering” throughout every characteristic of our beloved companions. God is like that. He has done the same for us. The more we learn to trust that purpose, the more we can be at peace with ourselves. That’s God’s creative genius!