Moved by Mount St. Helens
Matt Miles • October 27, 2021
It has long been argued in evolutionary circles, as well as in old earth creation, that geological timeframe is measured in millions and billions of years through gradual processes we observe today, also known as uniformitarianism. But then something happened in1980, and the evolutionary understanding began to shift from uniformitarianism to catastrophism. For years Dr. Sharp has taught about the 1980 Mount St. Helens’ eruption and the impact it has had on the geological timeframe. Personally, one of the more impactful presentations in my life was Doc’s “Thousand Years in a Day.”
Bob and I finally had the opportunity to experience Mount St. Helens for ourselves. A few weeks ago, while in Vancouver, WA, we had a couple of days to venture north and east to the famous mountain. All I can say to begin with is WOW! All these years of learning, teaching, and presenting about the eruption events fractionally prepared me for the area, but it did nothing for the magnitude of it all. Mount St. Helens is a large mountain, as many have described, but it is very hard to convey properly. Being there is an awe-inspiring experience, especially when teamed with the knowledge of the 1980 event. There are still remnants of the forest that was laid down for miles in a matter of seconds. There are still large log mats in Spirit Lake, over 40 years later. Everywhere I looked the evidence is there from the eruptions.
But still, if there were no signs or visitors’ center, one might not understand how recently the area had been impacted. There are many areas where trees have recovered or been seeded. A great amount of wildlife inhabit the area around the mountain. It is quite a beautiful place to visit and spend a couple of days hiking and exploring.
2 Peter 3:3-9 kept resonating in my mind, “But they deliberately forget…the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.”
Mount St. Helens is such a powerful reminder, yet minuscule in scope, of the globally devastating judgement against sin during the Flood. The Flood was the most devastating disaster that we could ever comprehend. The earth still shows evidence of it, but many are blind to it. The Lord also reminded me over and over again those days on the mountain that He is faithful to those who are faithful to Him today, just as He was to Noah. There is salvation for those who honor the all-powerful Lord that holds fire in reserve for the final judgement against sin. As I kept looking up at the mountain top with the large section that is no longer present on Mount St. Helens, all I could do was respond by LOOKING UP and praising Him for His faithful Word and eternal salvation. Blessings.
EACH OF THESE ARTICLES ARE EXCERPTS FROM AMERICA’S EPIC ADVENTURE TM - CTF'S NEWEST VBS CURRICULUM From Lesson 1: The Pilgrims, Walking by Faith in the Lord – Proverbs 3:5-6
There are moments in life that we experience the Lord’s Providence, which is the continual guiding and caring of us for His purposes. We may go though trials and suffering now to refine our faith in preparation for eternity. Other times we may see it for the here and now, with the aligning of plans for His purpose in our life, maybe with the opening or closing of a door. Many times we see Providence only in hindsight, looking back on life and seeing His hand working, molding and inspiring us for His plans and to His glory. I can see the Lord’s Providence at many times over the course of my life. Early in my grade school years I developed a love for building models I was recently reminded, along with my father, that we built a train set together in our basement. Following that, I began to build model cars and airplanes. I now know that love of building, tinkering and problem solving was Providence preparing me for this ministry. The Lord taught me early on how to stay focused and pay attention to detail. What I thought was only a hobby at the time is now something I must use on a regular basis in things such as fossil restoration, building crates, trailer and vehicle maintenance for our mobile museum. Later in high school, while active in church, the Lord called me to serve our children’s church ministry. I began to help teach others about Jesus. It seemed insignificant at the time. I remember helping in lesson times and the puppet ministry. I even was cast as “Pastor Rufus” in one of our ongoing puppet skits. My opportunities to share Christ and be an example to those younger than I was tremendous. Again through His Providence, the Lord was guiding me and calling me to ministry. He developed in me the love of teaching His Word to others, priceless to me today. Then in college Providence brought Theresa and I together. The Lord knew exactly who I needed to be my bride for life. She is strong in my weakness and more Christ-like than anyone I know. She is the perfect helpmate and partner for me in ministry as well, which has so far been 34 years, to be exact. Many times the Lord has used her discernment to direct me through a situation that I did not see correctly. I am thankful every day for Providence that brought us together in life and eternal work. As I look back on my life, there are more Providential moments than I have space to write. Most of those times have directly guided me to this specific ministry and my call to preach and teach His Word. Looking back on life and identifying those moments of Providence from the Lord is humbling and awe-inspiring. Please take a moment to remember your own moments when Providence has been evident in your life. This ministry is about identifying Providence from the beginning. His plan from the start is us spending eternity in His presence. Our sin messed some things up, but not His plan. He always has and always will know exactly how to guide and care for us so that we bring Him the glory, now and eternally. There is not a month that goes by that we here at CTF don’t praise the Lord for His Providence through you, our supporters and sustainers. Join with me in thanks for His Providence each day, guiding as only our Creator and Savior could do. Psalms 31:3-5 Blessings.