LAST REQUEST

Joshua 1:6-9
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Before each space flight, NASA astronauts fill out a "last request" form. When Columbia Commander Rick Husband turned his in, heincluded a special note for his pastor: "Tell them about Jesus. He's real to me."

That request has been carried out all over the country in newspaper articles, TV documentaries, and magazines. Part of the story of the tragic destruction of the Columbia is that two of its crew, Rick Husband and Payload Commander Michael Anderson, along with many space scientists, attended Grace Community Church in Houston, located near the Johnson Space Center.

These men and women, along with others around the US, are top-notch scientists who place their trust in the living God. They defy the old maxim that religion and science don't mix; that a true scientist cannot be a person of faith and a true believer cannot be a scientist.

Rick Devera, a former NASA engineer, put it this way: "Faith filled the gap [for Rick and Michael] when science had no answers." Pastor Steve Riggle commented, "The more the true scientist discovers about the intricacies of how God put everything together, the more they have to admit that [creation] did not happen by accident."

Rick Husband and Michael Anderson lived out their faith in their church and their homes. They prayed. They put action to their faith. They made an impact with their lives. Rick recorded a series of devotional tapes for his children to view while he was gone. In Rick's address to the crew before lift-off, he read Joshua 1:7-9, "Be strong and courageous."

It is sometimes difficult for believers to respond to the discoveries of science and the claims of naturalism. We can't answer all of the questions or explain all of the discoveries. But we can point to the faith of Anderson and Husband, and many scientists and mathematicians like them, and know that they are men and women who believe in God.

And He is seeing to it that Rick's request--"tell them about Jesus"--is being carried out. --Dave Egner

DESTINATION POINTS

* If I were to write out my last requests, what would they be?
* Am I convinced that Jesus is real and the Bible is true? How can I demonstrate it in my life?

LINKS:
Dinosaurs And The Bible
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q1112

Are We Alone In The Cosmos?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q1110

bottom line: Faith doesn't deny science--it helps explain it.

soul journey