You drop your pencil. You know what will happen. It will fall to the floor. It won’t fly up to the ceiling. Every day, God’s laws of nature are at work. They work for people who believe in God and for those who don’t. But the greater blessing comes to the believer. When we know God as the author, our worship increases. Look at how God’s laws work for California’s official sport—surfing.
If you climb onto a surfboard, you’re probably not thinking about physics. You’re flat on your stomach looking for a good wave. That wave started far out in the ocean. Wind swept over the water. It transferred some of its energy from air molecules to water molecules. The wave itself is energy moving through the water. Water molecules bump into one another, passing the energy along.
As you lie on your board, gravity is at work. It’s pulling you downward. But at the same time, buoyancy is at work too. Buoyancy is the upward force created by water. These two opposite forces keep you floating.
When you see a wave, you begin paddling toward it. Paddling with your hands pushes water backward and moves your board forward. That’s an example of Newton’s Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
As you meet the wave, you turn the nose of your board toward the beach. You feel the water lift you and your board. Then you begin sliding down into the trough of the wave. You make a swift move into a crouching motion. The wax you rubbed on the board creates friction. Friction keeps your feet from slipping.
You stand up carefully, bending your knees to keep your balance. The forces created between the moving water and your surfboard push you forward.
As you drop down the face of the wave, you gain the energy of motion. But you lose the potential energy you had when you were high on the wave. It’s like spending the energy you had in a savings account.
In the shallower water, the lower part of the wave slows down. The top keeps moving forward, creating the crest of the wave.
Here comes the shore. Stepping back on the board is like pushing the brake pedal. You’ve made it to the beach! You can turn around and race back into the waves. Because God’s laws of nature will work again and again. Our Creator is in control, and He is dependable.
