The Heavens and the Earth: Genesis 1

Note: The Christian Leaders Prayer Group is a Facebook prayer network for leaders in the church, striving to be actively engaged in a culture (facebook.com/groups/333525093331270). Starting today, January 1, we will all be praying together at the same time each day for our countries, our leaders, and for God’s wisdom in guiding us to step out in faith in a life of daily service. Here’s a quick statement of purpose:

“We covenant to pray for our country, for the restoration of God’s truth and presence, for wisdom and discernment for our leaders, for our community and neighbors, placing others needs before ours, and we petition our Sovereign God to make us open to his leading and instruments for his use.

“We join together daily in pray at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.”

Along the way, we’ll be highlighting and talking about Scriptures to think about on our journey together. Today’s post is from Genesis 1.

If you’d like to be a part of this one-year journey, join us on Facebook. ~C/321

__________

God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:2

It is said that we become deaf to the things we hear too often. This verse may be one of them. Whether raised in the church or not, we’ve heard over and over that God created all that is. He gave it great thought, designed it carefully, and built it with the unimaginable power of God’s word. What’s more, he looked upon all that he made and pronounced it good. In fact, he thought it was very good (Gen. 1:31).

But I wonder if all Christians really believe this. What about spiders? When you see a spider, do you say, “Now there’s a really fascinating, amazingly designed little machine!” Or do you pick up the nearest shoe and slam the little thing into oblivion?

“Of all insects, no one is more wonderful than the spider, especially with respect to their sagacity and admirable way of working,” wrote theologian Jonathan Edwards. He was so enamored of spiders and their capabilities that he studied them very carefully and wrote about them. He knew that whatever he found under the sun had a brilliant Designer, and that this Designer’s brilliance shone through every created thing.

This is our key to grasping the meaning of the earliest words of the Bible. Whatever you find in creation, and whatever it may look like, God made it—animal, plant, mineral, or whatever else.

Every person you meet today and every creature you see is God’s handiwork. To be sure, we’ve all been profoundly affected by the Fall, but every single thing God made has a purpose, whether or not we’ve figured out exactly what that purpose is.

All of history and all that happens in it–yours, mine, and everyone else’s, not a single molecule or event exists outside of our Creator’s rule and reign, even if it doesn’t appear that way at the moment.

For believers, it gets even better.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
–Romans 8:28

Whatever comes our way has already been written into the script to bring the play to its best conclusion.

It might hurt, and you might not like it, but it’s part of the story and is put there by the Author for a good reason.

At the beginning of every year we wonder, “What awaits us this year? What will happen to me/us this year? Will it be good, bad, happy, sad, painful, pleasant?”

As we join together on this first day of our one-year prayer journey, let’s ask God for his mercy, direction, and leading. And let’s take comfort in the fact that whatever comes our way in 2012 will be according to God’s plan and purpose, and will be part of God’s careful design.

And at the end of life’s play, when the last line has been spoken and the last act completed, we’ll be able to look upon it all and say, “And it was very good.”

It’s guaranteed. Thank God!