33. Cause and Effect

We know the secret to success: pick up good pieces, assemble correctly, and point in the desired direction. Every action results in something. Choose the right effort; reap a good reward. Archimedes taught us that, given a big enough lever and a place to stand, we could even move the Earth. The proper combination of cause and effect works for everything—Legos®, houses, quilts, money, and life. But secret knowledge addicts us to success. We demand it as our right and then rage at God’s injustice when we fail. We manipulate universal building blocks but forget that batteries do not power creation while God sits back, watching it scoot about heaven’s floor.

Instead, God invests Himself into His creation. He holds everything together, sustains all things, and fills everything in all ways. He holds protons and neutrons together with the strong nuclear force. Atoms interact chemically because He exerts the electromagnetic force, and His gravity keeps the Earth within a narrow, life-permitting orbit. Neurons fire, eyes see, ears hear, and hearts beat.

If the Divine hand that glues galaxies together also sustains us, why do we fear that money, strength, and life’s purpose depend upon our sweaty smarts? Has the sun ever risen late? The simple truth is, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain, you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.”