Order! Order!
Opening Prayer
Sovereign and Powerful God, remind me today that all authority is in Your hand. I willingly submit to You.
Read Genesis 1:1–25
[1]
Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“God who made the earth, / the air, the sky, the sea, / who gave the light its birth, / he cares for me” (S. B. Rhodes, 1829–1904).
Think Further
We usually think of Genesis 1 as being about creation, but even a quick read-through shows clearly that the focus is not so much on what is being created as on who is doing the creating. Check out how often God is presented as the subject of a verb. God created, God said, God blessed, God made, God called, God set, God saw—it happens more than 25 times in the chapter. We all are aware that what is created tells us things about the Creator, just as the things that we create tell others about us. In the sewing lessons that I endured as an 11-year-old, there were those, like me, whose apron or skirt just about passed muster from the front, but turn to the wrong side and it was a total mess. There were others whose “wrong” side was as tidy and beautifully produced as the front. Paintings produced in art classes showed very clearly which students were good observers, or full of imagination, or saw things in straight lines! What we produce gives insights into who we are and about our gifts, strengths, interests and character. So what do we learn of the Creator God in these verses? He cares about order; he turns what is formless and empty (the sense is chaotic) into a carefully planned and structured universe. The world makes sense—and scientific observations of the world are therefore meaningful—because the Creator is a God who likes things to make sense. He cares about purpose; he wanted what he made to be fit for purpose, that is, to be “good.” The world is gradually built up, a layer at a time—light, sky, sea, land, vegetation, followed by sea creatures and land creatures—so as to be a fit environment for the climax of his creation, which we shall read about tomorrow.
Apply
What else might these verses teach us about the God who made the earth? Look at creation today: how do you understand it? What can you see of its Maker?
Closing prayer
Mighty One, I worship You. You created this world and You created us, Your children. How great You are!
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