The fool has said in his heart,

“There is no God.”

Psalm 14:1 (NKJV)

I’m currently going through the BBC ‘Planet Earth’ series on dvd. It’s an outstanding programme that shows, through stunning photography, the diversity of the earth – mountains, deserts, oceans, caves, forests, ice worlds etc – and the plants and animals that inhabit it . The series took four years to make and had an enormous budget at its disposal. It uses high definition photography, revolutionary ultra-high speed cameras and detailed images from the air. If you haven’t seen it, then I highly recommend it – it must rank as one of the best natural history programmes ever made.

But as I’ve been watching it and listening to David Attenborough’s fascinating commentary, I’ve often thought that there’s something missing – that something is that there’s never even the tiniest mention of God. Indeed, Attenborough is a strong evolutionary so he explains everything in evolutionary terms which, in itself, doesn’t give me a problem. However, what does seem wrong to me is that a message of chance is repeatedly communicated; i.e. the awesome beauty and complexity of the earth has no designer behind it and therefore has no real meaning and purpose – it’s just here by pure chance. In this respect, real atheists whom I’ve met personally in the past have struck me as having (and needing) more faith than most Christians!

The psalmist here is so down to earth and doesn’t mince his words. He simply describes the person who says that “there is no God” as a fool. That suggests more than just a misguided belief system; it’s like saying “open your eyes – it’s staring you in the face, what you see is God’s creation!” In complete contrast to Attenborough’s view, the psalmists proclaim it loud and clear, for example:

He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. Psalm 147:8-9 (NIV)

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. Psalm 139:13-149 (NIV)

In contrast to the ‘foolish’ way, it’s good when we really acknowledge God – who He is and what He’s done. That will, hopefully, give us a sense of meaning and purpose about the world we live in and put our own lives in right perspective.