My husband and I watched a film recently that had a lot to do with discovery. A man with a brilliant brain, insatiable curiosity and more than a little ambition set himself and others on a path that led to the development of aviation. Their achievements were astounding. It seemed their motto was, "the sky is no limit." We have comfortable air travel and satellite T.V. today because they believed it.

As we watched the program I couldn't help but wonder what made the minds of those men work the way they did. What would make a man think of flying in the first place? What would make a man think that by putting an orbiting satellite into space we could have instant pictures on a screen in our living rooms?

I asked myself a similar question one day in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. I was with a group of women living in a stone-age culture. We had gone deep into the Sago swamps to harvest their main source of food. The first step was to chop down a Sago palm. Then the women lined up along its length and began hacking at it until the entire trunk was reduced to a pile of sawdust. The shavings were carried to the river where another group had prepared a long trough made out of another tree. The shavings were piled into the hollow of the trunk and then water was poured over them. The water leached the starch from the shavings and that was collected in a large pot. When it was boiled the starch formed a gelatinous lump that was then formed into a dumpling or dried like a pancake. As I watched, I wondered how on earth these people had discovered that such a laborious process would yield an edible result?

There is a verse in the Bible that gives us a clue. The Apostle James wrote ? "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17). The discoveries made by man that have enriched our lives are certainly good and perfect, because they were designed for us, not by brilliant men, but by our creator.

The seeds of discovery are planted by God. He is the primary engineer, the first gardener, the creator of it all. The discoveries of flight are miniscule when you place them beside the creation of the heavens. The discoveries of agriculture are infinitesimal when you place them beside the creation of the earth itself.

The Apostle Paul has said it in another way ? "For every house is built by someone but God is the builder of everything."

The inventors of aviation and in every other field are honoured as heroes. How then should we respond to God? Should we not praise? Should we not be thankful? Should we not acknowledge and give glory to the source?

Marcia Laycock is a pastor's wife and freelance writer living in Alberta Canada.  Her devotional book, The Spur of the Moment has been endorsed by Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and others.  To order, and to view more of Marcia's writing, see her web site - www.vinemarc.com
Copyright Marcia Lee Laycock, 2000, 2001,2002,2003,2004,2005