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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 7, NUMBER 43, OCTOBER 28, 2007 “EINSTEIN’S GOD” I recently finished reading an interesting biography on Albert Einstein written by Mr. Walter Isaacson entitled, “Einstein.” The title of this article is the name of one of the chapters in the book. As many of us know, Albert Einstein was an incredibly intelligent and gifted scientist. He is arguably the greatest theoretical physicist in the history of mankind. Dr. Einstein’s accomplishments rival any scientist of any time. He also stood out from his peers due to his appearance (uncombed hair, baggy pants, etc.); a great contradiction to the image that most of us have of scientists. Another way that Einstein differed from some (but not all) of his peers was his belief in God. Einstein was in awe of the laws of nature and physics and the cosmos. Mr. Isaacson writes that Einstein stated that these laws are the defining quality of a “God who reveals Himself in the harmony of all that exists.” Einstein concluded that the laws of nature and physics were so complex and yet so orderly that they had to be created by a divine being. In Mr. Isaacson’s book, Einstein correctly refers to God as the “Almighty” and the “good Lord.” However, Einstein also drew some incorrect conclusions about God which has always been the opinion of some and, I suspect, always will be the opinion of some.” Before we go any further let me be clear. I don’t know how high my IQ is, but I do know that it isn’t even close to Dr. Einstein’s. The purpose of this article is not to go on an ego trip. It is not to show that a West Side Cincinnati boy knows more than Albert Einstein. My reading of Mr. Isaacson’s book simply caused a couple of ideas to pop into my head for some bulletin articles – the first of which is this one. While Einstein believed in the existence of God, he did not believe that God was active in the lives of men. The Bible clearly shows that is simply not true. Our God is a God who has always been active in the lives of His children and is today as well. The Israelites, by using God’s specifications, built a tabernacle to worship God in as they traveled to the Promised Land. The Bible describes God’s presence being in the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38), and later the Temple (Habakkuk 2:20 ), “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Today, when we are faithful to God and seek Him and His will He is nearby. James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” The Hebrew writer indicates to us how much our High Priest Jesus Christ is in the presence of His Father on our behalf. Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore He (Jesus – E.S.) is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” As Israel was entering the Promised Land, God told Israel that He would fight their battles for them. However, in order for that to happen Israel would need to remain faithful to Him and do their part in the battles. God said to Joshua, “I have given them (Jericho – E.S.) into your hand” (Joshua 6:2). However, Israel still had to march around that greatly fortified city in order for it to be given into their hands. Like David before Goliath, we are completely outmatched in our war against Satan for the eternal destination of our souls. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter refers to Satan as a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). No man can take on a powerful lion with his bare hands and prevail. The lion is just too strong. While we struggle some times in our service to our Lord, the fact that we are not completely overwhelmed by that powerful lion clearly indicates God being actively involved in our lives and helping us in this great spiritual conflict. God will faithfully continue to help us if we are faithful to Him. The Hebrew writer supports this in Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Our Heavenly Father is so active in the lives of His children that He even uses evil men to ensure that His will is carried out. God used Potiphar and his wife, and Pharaoh in Egypt, none of whom worshipped Him to accomplish His will – the saving of Jacob’s family from a great famine. He used the Assyrians to punish the Northern Kingdom of Israel for their disobedience. Our Father even used the persecution against the early Christians to spread the saving gospel of His Son (Acts 8:1-2). Given that God does not change (Malachi 3:6), there is every reason to believe that God continues to use evil men from the world and from within His Son’s church to accomplish His will. Exactly how and when He does that – I do not know. We know our Father is active in our lives because He answers our prayers and even helps us with them (Romans 8:26). Sometimes the answer to our pleas and prayers is clearly “NO” – Moses (Exodus 3 and 4) and Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) are examples. Sometimes God’s answer is “YES” – Hezekiah (1 Kings 20:1-5) and Elijah (James 5:17-18) are examples. Sometimes, even though we do not realize it or understand why, the answer is “not now” (John 11). However and whenever our prayers are answered we can be confident that God is nearby and working on our behalf, in part, because of our prayers. You don’t have to be an “Einstein” to please God. If you are a faithful, hard working, active member of the Lord’s church then God is pleased with you. If that be so, REJOICE! God is active in your life!
Eric Saylor
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