Pray for Stephen Hawking

On January 8^th Cambridge University celebrated the 70^th birthday of renowned scientist Stephen Hawking. But the guest of honor was not there. Hawking suffers from what is commonly called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease began when he was 21 years old and it usually leads to death within 3 to 4 years. The fact that Hawking is still alive is testimony to the grace of God.

 Why do I say that his length of life is due to the grace of God? I’ll tell you in a moment. Hawking is a cosmologist, someone who studies the universe: how it began, why it began and where it is going. He is a brilliant scientist. He was elected as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge in 1979. To understand how important this appointment was, Sir Isaac Newton once held the post. After retiring in 2009 Hawking took up a new role as director of research at the Center for Theoretical Cosmology at Cambridge. The institute was created to house his studies.

 As a cosmologist Hawking asks the right questions such as “Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing (The Grand Design)?” But then he concludes that “Spontaneous creation is the reason why there is something rather than nothing (The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 3, 2010).”

 Scripture is clear why the universe exists. We are told “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork (Psalm 19:1).” This glorious display of the universe points us to God. The Bible says we can know God because, “…since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they [those who gaze into the heavens] are without excuse (Romans 1:20)” in not knowing Him.

 The fact that there is a universe that we can see and study means that people are without excuse in knowing and trusting in the one true God. The universe makes it evident that there is a God. Hawking and others like him are without excuse and he and they need to stop suppressing “the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).

 So a choice needs to be made. The universe is the result of “spontaneous creation [for no reason and from nothing]” or “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1)? Hawking sees no reason for God at all. This is why I said the length of his life is by the grace of God (Psalm 139:16). God, the Creator, is giving Hawking time to discover the truth. There is a day coming when everyone will have to stand before God and answer for their faith or unbelief. That day has not yet come, but it is coming. Don’t doubt that it will come because it has not yet arrived—this is due to mercy. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise [of judgment] as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).”

 Since the universe exists to declare God’s glory so that we might find Him, pray for Stephen Hawking that in the time he has left he makes this life changing discovery. In fact pray that God opens the hearts of many scientists and other people as well so that they might discover the truth and be saved. Pray—and then speak the truth in love.