I believe that God is the creator of all that exists.

We don’t know how God created our universe, or even if there is only one universe or there are many independent ones. We don’t know if life arose from natural processes on Earth, arrived here on a meteor from some extraterrestrial source, or was a direct creation by God. We don’t know where our souls come from – if they’re a natural product of evolution (like our bodies) or breathed into the first human by God. There are so many things we don’t know.

But there are also many things we do know. We do know that life began as single cells, and that evolution by natural selection led to all the species that have ever existed. We know a lot about how life works, about the intricate, amazing details of biological function that are the natural results of adaptive evolution, and we can worship the creator of such majesty.

There is a big question we are faced with, though. Where is the God who answers prayers, who interacts with us on a personal level, in this majestic creation? Did God create the universe and withdraw? Does God play a role in the history of life and our planet, in order to further His purposes? Did God intervene in the world?

We cannot find the answers to these questions using the human tools of knowledge – scientific investigation and analysis. We might get some clues this way, we might see some pointers, but not enough to be sure. No, the path to truth does not lead through our human knowledge, but through God.

So let us see what God has said and done. We know that God came to walk among us in the form of a man. Christ spent over 30 years amongst us, the last two or three in active ministry. What did Christ, God incarnate, do during that time? Did He create any new species of animal or plant? No, He did not. He spoke of plants, flowers, birds and animals, but He created no new ones. Did Christ reshape any geological features of our landscape? Did He water the desert, lower any mountains, widen the Jordan River? No, He did not. Did He change the course of history? Not during His lifetime. He created no new laws of nature.

What sort of miracles did the Lord do in his time on Earth? He healed the sick, turned water into wine, calmed the seas, raised the dead, cast out demons, made the blind see.  When challenged by Satan to turn stones into bread for His own sustenance, he refused. Christ performed His miracles, showed His Godhead, only for the benefit of people in need, not for glory, not to demonstrate His powers, not to win converts. And what did God tell us when he preached His sermon, and spoke to us in parables, and stories? He told us to believe, to help each other, to love each other and to love Him. To have mercy, to be forgiving, to find the Kingdom of Heaven in ourselves, in each other, and in Him.

All that He did and said, all of these miracles, and all of His teaching, all of His ministry to the poor and the outcasts, all of His parables and mercy were directed to one object – His love for His people, us. Jesus Christ, the living God, came to us for our sake. He came to Earth to speak directly to us; he bent His laws of nature for us: to heal us, to help us, to redeem us, to show His love for us.

I can believe that Christ hears my prayers, answers me in dreams, in visions and in miraculous events, even if He does not intervene in His own Creation for any other purpose. This is neither an absent God, nor a God who is constantly involved in managing His creation. God intervenes for us. For me and for you and for all.