sketches from life

Ok, this is going to be quick, because I'm actually in the middle of studying for an Astronomy test and an art history midterm, but I just wanted to share this before I continued.
We're still in the first chapters of my astronomy text book, and it's talking about the simple stuff: Earth's rotation and revolution, the celestial sphere, etc. Yet, even though this is all very basic and most of it could be considered common knowledge, it struck me how precise and delicate the whole system is. Every little detail of the way the solar system works is perfectly set so that life is possible on Earth.

The thing that really got me going on this train of thought was a passage in my textbook in the section explaining seasonal changes based on Earth's revolution around the sun. It was explaining how the tilt of the earth has far more to do with the changes of seasons than does the Earth's actual proximity to the Sun. The earth is actually closest to the sun in mid January, and if proximity was the determining factor for seasons, the entire earth would experience summer at that point during the year, and winter during the opposite. However, because the seasons are determined based on the tilt of the earth instead (because this affects the angle, and therefore the intensity of the sun's light), the earth is closest to the sun during summer for the Southern Hemisphere, and winter for the Northern Hemisphere. The cool thing is this: were it not for the fact that the Southern Hemisphere has more area covered by oceans, which reflect much of that light (and heat) back into space, the earth would heat up far more during these months than it actually does. So if the distributions of the continents were not as it is, summer in the Southern Hemisphere would probably be fatally toasty!

All of that to say, God is really cool.

Just think: if the angle of the earth was different than it is, our seasons would be all out of wack and thus the growing cycle wouldn't work properly. If there was more land mass in the Southern Hemisphere, we'd roast over there in the summer. If the distance between Earth and the sun was any greater or less, life on Earth would be impossible. There are so many factors that play into the working of our delicate existence! I just can't understand how some people believe this all to have happened by chance. There's just no way. This has GOT to be intelligently designed. It's just too perfect.

"The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands."
-Psalm 19:1