Someone who works for Denver Water told me about Three Gorges Dam in China, far and away the largest in the world. It is five times larger than the Hoover Dam and capable of generating twenty times more power. It is designed to hold back 5 trillion gallons of water! Three Gorges Dam has been built along the Yangtze River, visible with the naked eye from space, and the world’s largest hydroelectric power generator ( facts taken from Greenbelt, MD, 6/13/07, article by staff writers of SPX). There are fears about the potential for disaster, environmental and climate changes, and pollution due to a lack of national regulation to ensure safety measures are employed.

Though this may be seen as a dramatic alteration of nature, it is also a testimony to man’s ability and wisdom. The engineering feat is a marvel to consider. The impact is also incredible. The reservoir’s presence and the change in flow of the river has dropped the temperature a whole degree over a 62 mile area. The entire project also may increase earthquake activity, which might jeopardize the integrity of the dam. The consequences of that would be devastating.

Even though man is made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27) and endowed with such creativity and ingenuity (think airplanes, space shuttles, light bulbs, pasteurization, antibiotics, vaccines, etc.), he still falls a far distant second to the Master Designer! Man’s attempts are subject to failure, lack of foresight and anticipation, wear and tear, and maintenance. It makes so much of what God has made and sustained that much more incredible, from the placement of earth in our solar system and universe to the many intricacies of our body and our environment. God even created the best dam builders-beavers! So much of what we have learned about it has come by observing their precision and ingenuity. What a Mighty Maker we serve!

–Neal Pollard