For those who were upset about the demotion of Pluto to a dwarf planet, there is hope for a ninth planet in our solar system after all! Astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin created a mathematical model that showed a distant, Neptune-sized planet might be influencing the orbital path of six smaller objects out in the Kuiper Belt. The object, which the researchers have nicknamed Planet Nine, has a mass about ten times that of Earth and orbits about twenty times farther from the sun on average than does Neptune (which orbits the sun at an average distance of 2.8 billion miles). In fact, it would take this new planet between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make just one full orbit around the sun. Even though there is conclusive evidence for this object through mathematical equations and computer modeling, nobody has observed this object directly.

Proof for God

Like Planet Nine, some argue there is very conclusive evidence for the existence of God, even though we haven’t physically seen God. We trust in stories, testimonies, and our personal experiences of God’s presence, perhaps through unexplained forces. There is convincing evidence for the validity of Scripture, and most agree Jesus was a real historical person who walked on this earth. However, faith requires more than simply having knowledge about the person of Jesus Christ; faith requires trust in the Word to accept Jesus as the Son of God.

Desire to believe

It’s not only atheists and agnostics who wrestle with believing in the unseen. Many Christians wrestle with the concept of having a relationship with an unseen God. Sometimes believing in God feels distant or abstract. We want the instant gratification of experiencing what is tangible. Believing in the unseen takes an abundance of faith. 

Question of the day: What things do you believe in that you can't see?
Focal Scriptures: John 20:24-30; Hebrews 11; 2 Corinthians 4:18; 5:1-7

For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC.