God Creates.

In the beginning, God created… Genesis 1, Verse 1

Five simple words, separated by a comma. With so few words, the writer of the first book of the Bible begins with profound truth about God’s character.

The writer could have started by contemplating what God looked like, or where God lives. Aren’t these the first questions many of us had as children? 

Is God so big that He blocks galaxies from view, or so tiny He could be right in front of us and we wouldn’t even notice Him? Is God see-through or solid? Is God living up on a mountain, or does He have a mansion on the back side of the moon?

But the writer skipped these and went straight for character and action.

God created. Read that again. As slowly as two words can be read. 

God. Created.

Or to explain it with a little more detail: God did something, then suddenly it was something different and new and amazing and leaping, breathing, moving, fresh, alive! 

And with those few words the writer exclaimed not just what God DID but who God IS. God is creative. And because we are made in His image, the first thing we know about God is also the very first thing we know about us.

We are creative. 

You may be in a period of change, of uncertainty, of wondering what is next. But you also feel a deep call to be faithful to God in the process. To obey God’s voice speaking to your heart through the scriptures or through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. 

Now is the time to remember the first thing you know about God, and the first thing you know about yourself. You were created to be creative, to see new life come out of dust, to have ideas become reality, to watch broken and disconnected things become fresh and whole.

Today, let this be your prayer:

God of all creation, thank You for the gift of how You made me, unique from every other person born. Thank You for the gift of every living thing, and for the beauty I observe when I pause to feel a leaf, hear a bird’s song, or watch winter spring to life. As I breathe in I am reminded that it is Your breath and creativity that give me life. As I breathe out I am reminded that I also get to bring life to others. Thank You for the reminder that sometimes obeying You and taking the next right step starts with being aware that I am loved not for what I make or do, but simply because I am Your creation. Amen.

This devotion provided by Nate Ernsberger of Compassion International, Channel Development Relationship Manager and Child Advocate