January 1 - Nº 1 Genesis 1:1-31; 2:1-3
The very first verse in the very first book of the Bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. I’m sure you’ve heard this story many times before. But have you noticed the second verse? It throws us a curveball. It says that the earth was formless; it was empty; it was dark! The Hebrew words (tohu wabohu) indicate that God encountered a seething, chaotic, disorderly mess. But if God was the One doing the creating, why wasn’t it perfect from the very beginning? Why did it start in such chaos?
It is likely that there was an original, perfect creation of some kind. But when Lucifer (Satan) rebelled against God, he was tossed out of heaven and may have taken up residence on the earth – see Isaiah 14:12-16 and Ezekiel 28:13-17. (We certainly know he was present later in the story!) What had once been a perfect creation would have been damaged by his sinful presence. That may be why, when God showed up this time, the earth was in a state of turmoil. Regardless, God chose to redeem (or rescue) this messy world, and He did it in a very organized way. On the first three days, He separated the seething mass into three different realms. Then on the next three days, He filled each realm:
At the beginning of each day God explained what He planned to make, then He made it. At the end of the day, He examined His handiwork and announced that “it was good.” After all the animals had been created, God the Father spoke to the other members that make up the Trinity (the Son and the Holy Spirit) and excitedly discussed the idea of adding human beings—a male and a female. They would be the highlight of the creation and would have three major roles: 1. to reflect God’s image to the rest of creation, 2. to reproduce godly children, and 3. ultimately to rule in the spiritual warfare that would take place. Satan would no doubt try to take back “his” old territory. But it would be the responsibility of these human beings to protect and care for God’s newly redeemed planet. After creating the man and woman, God examined His handiwork once more. This time He declared that His creation was “very good.” Then on Day 7, He rested.
Are there places in your life that feel empty or chaotic or dark? Have you asked God to redeem and organize them? He wants to fill the void places with meaning; He wants to calm the chaos and bring peace; He wants to shine the light of His presence that will chase away the gloom. If you give Him the opportunity, He will make your life brand new.
