Do you remember the first time that you read about Uzzah and the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6)? I read it as a young person and remember feeling troubled. The oxen pulling the Ark stumbled, and Uzzah did what seemed instinctively right. He reached out to steady it. Yet Scripture tells us that God struck him down. I remember closing my Bible wondering how such an action reflected the goodness of God.
What is most disturbing, though, is not the event itself but what it revealed in my own heart. I was measuring the holiness of our Lord Jesus against my understanding rather than allowing His Word to shape my view of Him. Proverbs 3:5 says to “trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Over time, I began to see how the passage teaches that God is not defined by human expectations. He is holy, and His authority is absolute. Trust requires us to surrender the assumption that we know better than Him.
In hindsight, I now recognize I had started to fall for a familiar strategy to the one Satan introduced in Genesis 3 when the serpent asked, “Has God indeed said . . . ?” Doubt begins when trust in Jesus’ Word is weakened. Suspicion toward Scripture soon becomes suspicion toward the Lord Jesus Himself.
Psalm 33:9 makes the biblical record of creation clear, “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Creation is real history spoken into existence by the personal Creator who desires a relationship with His creation. But there are many believers who are considering the doctrine of creation for the first time and are encountering this doubt-inducing strategy. Atheistic voices suggest Genesis and even science should be reinterpreted to align with false modern “scientific” thought. But the real issue is not scientific—it’s spiritual: are we conforming to God’s Word, or are we conforming Scripture to fit our worldview?
Believers’ confidence in Scripture needs to be strengthened against the enemy’s strategy, and seeing how research confirms Genesis does just that. Through the vital work of the Institute for Creation Research, rigorous science continues to demonstrate that God’s Word proves trustworthy from the beginning.
ICR’s research identifies unique creature features that complement the longevity recorded among the biblical patriarchs. Our work in geology reveals worldwide evidence consistent with a global flood, showing common rock patterns that align with the Bible’s account of Noah. ICR’s genetic research disputes evolutionist claims that humans and apes are related. And ICR is doing so much more. Perhaps the most exciting research yet is our trailblazing and comprehensive work to develop and introduce a new theory of biological design (TOBD) that recognizes the unmistakable evidence supporting intentional engineering in creation rather than unguided processes.
When your church, school, or family encounters these discoveries, something changes. Students who once assumed faith required compromise begin to see that science is not overturning Scripture; science is only catching up to it. Confidence grows. Trust deepens. Our relationship with the Lord Jesus, our Creator, strengthens.
ICR’s faithful partners have supported this good mission for decades. Increasingly, others are giving for the first time after realizing how urgently believers need scientific answers that reinforce confidence in God’s Word. Through your generosity, these critical resources reach those who are still wrestling with doubt, as some of us once did. It equips them to stand firm in the Word of God.
* Mr. Gadberry is the director of development and donor relations at the Institute for Creation Research.
Stage image: ICR President Dr. Randy Guliuzza instructs pastors about how biblical Christian doctrine can never align with evolution
