"It's a Stretch"

"To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalms 136:6)

  You must know me by now; if it falls on verse 6, I am always ready to make man the issue or the focus; this is what I do, so pardon my expression. I had a conversation with someone a week or so ago about creation. This was a person that was sharing the Lord to kids that were incarcerated in Juvenal Hall, so I figured I was safe to speak about the Bible without getting into a big debate. I started to share about the six days of creation, as to whether they were six actual days or six thousand years, or what. I must have given him a clue that I was for the six actual day belief, because, man did I get put in my place! He went on and on about how science has proved that the earth is billions of years old, and how that it was impossible for the earth to be only thousands of years old; implying that, if we believe such non-sense we are only turning people away from believing in the Bible at all; especially the younger kids that are raised believing in the theory of evolution. Stranger things have happened, but it makes me wonder what kind of God is evident in my brother's heart. Why couldn't God create something that is mature and old; if He can make something from nothing, why would He make it to evolve into something else? I think I have a theory, if you don't mind me taking a swipe at this? It is a lot like our salvation, where it is all God's doing, but man must feel as though they have contributed to it, somehow or someway; even though it is man's deliberate sinful nature that has forced God to make the ultimate sacrifice, so that man's doing does not actually count! In other words; the earth has got to be part of the process of creation! Call me stupid, I really don't care. But if God made a ball and it had to make itself into an earth, then where does that put you and me in the New Creature evolutionary process? The process starts with justification; something that is impossible have or to become on our own! Then God takes us through the sanctification process; which is pretty much Him being merciful upon on us, day in and day out, until we make through to the glorification stage, the end of our earthly life...

"Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretched forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; that frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish; that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: that saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up the rivers: that saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." (Isaiah 44:24-28)