Steven Hawking and the Impossible God

In an article titled "Stephen Hawking says afterlife is a fairy story" by Liz Goodwin, we are once again reminded that Hawking is truly a brilliant man. Despite the physical challenges that he has endured in his life, this man has accomplished tremendous intellectual feats. And when he describes his brain as a computer, one can certainly understand how his experience has led him to relate to his Self in this way.

In the above noted article Goodwin wrote, "What could define God [is a conception of divinity] as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that God," Hawking told Sawyer. "They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible." "

I agree with Hawking that it "seems most impossible" that a personal God would be interested in a relationship with an 'insignificant' human life given the enormity of the universe. On a purely intellectual level it does seem hard to believe!

Hawking, as brilliant as he is, is not the first person who display intellectual or artistic brilliance in human history. One of those brilliant human beings was a man of humble beginnings, but despite his farm-boy upbringing he shared this same perspective as Hawking. He (David) wrote, "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" (Ps. 8:3-4)

Perhaps you can relate to these words from Hawking and David. When you look around at your corner of the universe it seems impossible that a God who relates to 'insignificants' even exists. You are not alone if this is how you feel.

Yet in the face of this impossibility men and women throughout history have attested to their intuition that such a God does exist. They have shared their experiences of personal encounter with this God who is infinitely beyond us and who comes to us in the ordinary means of human existence. Some of them even recorded their encounters so that future-humanity would have a divinely-breathed description of this impossible God.

One of these writings records this statement, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ " (Acts 17:24-28)

I marvel at those rare gems of humanity, like Steven Hawking, whose minds have been unlocked with the potential to comprehend the mysteries of the universe. I am also astonished at our human ability to miss the beauty that is hidden in plain sight. I believe that one day Hawking will see and comprehend the One who is hidden to him in his brilliant theories of the universe. And one day I too, like Hawking, will see the One who has been hidden behind my theories of life, fears of the eternal, and assumptions of 'the-way-things-are.'

So I pray for Hawking and myself - and all those who read these words - that "...the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you..." (Eph. 1:15-18)

May you find the impossible God who is hidden in plain sight...