I've been working on creating a visual to go with Psalm 91 in desmos (a free online graphing software). Here's what I've come up with so far:
I tried to show the fowler's snare (bottom left), deadly pestilence/plague/Corona virus (bottom right), the fortress of the Most High, an eagle with wings to give us refuge and protection, and a shield and rampart to represent God's faithfulness which will protect us from the "arrow that flies by night." To make my picture, I've typed in 181 mathematical equations so far. Here are just a few of them so you can get a better idea of what I'm talking about even if you don't totally understand the equations.
I was reflecting (for the thousandth time) on how my understanding of mathematics leads me to a deeper understanding of God and his power.
When I was first learning how to graph I started by plotting points. If I wanted to graph just one single line, I might graph two or all of these points and then connect them.
The problem with this method is that the 5 points I graphed seem disconnected. It's clear there's a pattern because they are equally spaced and fall in a perfectly straight line but if I wanted to describe every single point on the line, I would need something more. If I wanted to list every single point on the line, I couldn't because there are infinitely many. That's where the equation comes in.
Next I learn that to get every point in the right hand column (y-coordinate) I just have to take the point in the left hand column (x-coordinate) times 2 and add 1. This leads me to:
The resulting line and points are all the same, but now I have a way to describe every single point on the line with one short, simple equation. The resulting line is guaranteed to represent every single possible point on this line and every single possible combination of x and y.
Add exponents, square roots, absolute values, trigonometric functions, logarithmic functions, and functions without names and you can create just about anything you want.
To the middle school student plotting points, the line is daunting and difficult to understand just like uncertain situations in our lives can be difficult to understand and can make the future seem daunting.
To the mathematician, a few simple symbols strung together in a certain way represents specific curves, vertices (points), valleys, slopes, and lines that can work together to create a masterpiece. We get into Calculus and we can take all of these and rotate them to create something 3-dimensional with beauty and practicality. We wouldn't have the ventilators we so desperately need right now without the beauty and practicality of mathematics, and for most people, it means barely understanding a few points but trusting the ones who understand the Calculus. The mathematicians can "speak" an equation and use it to create. Those creations can save lives.
God created the world that runs according to these equations. God can say anything and make it so. Here are just a few examples:
Genesis 1:3 "Then God said 'Let there be light,' and there was light."
(I won't type them all, but he continued saying, "Let there be ________" and the whole world eventually came into existence by a few simple words spoken by the God of the universe."
Ezekiel 12:25 "But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill whatever I saw, declares the Sovereign Lord."
Hebrews 1:3 "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."
Genesis 17 God tells Abraham that him and his wife Sarah will have a son and many descendants. Even though it should have been impossible, it later happened just like God said.
Don't fear what you can't understand. The same God cheated death, created everything, and tells every drop of water from the oceans to the rain clouds where it can and cannot go. That same God created you and me. That same God loves you and suffered death so we never have to fear again and can put our hope in salvation. Merciful Father and Wonderful Counselor are excellent, but it helps me to remember that God is also a brilliant mathematician in addition to his many other inadequate names.
God Bless.
I tried to show the fowler's snare (bottom left), deadly pestilence/plague/Corona virus (bottom right), the fortress of the Most High, an eagle with wings to give us refuge and protection, and a shield and rampart to represent God's faithfulness which will protect us from the "arrow that flies by night." To make my picture, I've typed in 181 mathematical equations so far. Here are just a few of them so you can get a better idea of what I'm talking about even if you don't totally understand the equations.
I was reflecting (for the thousandth time) on how my understanding of mathematics leads me to a deeper understanding of God and his power.
When I was first learning how to graph I started by plotting points. If I wanted to graph just one single line, I might graph two or all of these points and then connect them.
The problem with this method is that the 5 points I graphed seem disconnected. It's clear there's a pattern because they are equally spaced and fall in a perfectly straight line but if I wanted to describe every single point on the line, I would need something more. If I wanted to list every single point on the line, I couldn't because there are infinitely many. That's where the equation comes in.
Next I learn that to get every point in the right hand column (y-coordinate) I just have to take the point in the left hand column (x-coordinate) times 2 and add 1. This leads me to:
The resulting line and points are all the same, but now I have a way to describe every single point on the line with one short, simple equation. The resulting line is guaranteed to represent every single possible point on this line and every single possible combination of x and y.
Add exponents, square roots, absolute values, trigonometric functions, logarithmic functions, and functions without names and you can create just about anything you want.
To the middle school student plotting points, the line is daunting and difficult to understand just like uncertain situations in our lives can be difficult to understand and can make the future seem daunting.
To the mathematician, a few simple symbols strung together in a certain way represents specific curves, vertices (points), valleys, slopes, and lines that can work together to create a masterpiece. We get into Calculus and we can take all of these and rotate them to create something 3-dimensional with beauty and practicality. We wouldn't have the ventilators we so desperately need right now without the beauty and practicality of mathematics, and for most people, it means barely understanding a few points but trusting the ones who understand the Calculus. The mathematicians can "speak" an equation and use it to create. Those creations can save lives.
God created the world that runs according to these equations. God can say anything and make it so. Here are just a few examples:
Genesis 1:3 "Then God said 'Let there be light,' and there was light."
(I won't type them all, but he continued saying, "Let there be ________" and the whole world eventually came into existence by a few simple words spoken by the God of the universe."
Ezekiel 12:25 "But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill whatever I saw, declares the Sovereign Lord."
Hebrews 1:3 "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."
Genesis 17 God tells Abraham that him and his wife Sarah will have a son and many descendants. Even though it should have been impossible, it later happened just like God said.
Don't fear what you can't understand. The same God cheated death, created everything, and tells every drop of water from the oceans to the rain clouds where it can and cannot go. That same God created you and me. That same God loves you and suffered death so we never have to fear again and can put our hope in salvation. Merciful Father and Wonderful Counselor are excellent, but it helps me to remember that God is also a brilliant mathematician in addition to his many other inadequate names.
God Bless.
Comments
Post a Comment