In the Beginning, God Created the Heavens and the Earth

There was nothing in the beginning. There was only darkness and emptiness, and there was the Spirit of God floating, alone in existence.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” - Genesis 1:1-2

There was not even a source of light until He created the Heavens and the Earth. What would it have been like to witness that moment? To see the gathering of matter into forms, to watch the sparkling initiation of light, to hear and experience the creation of solar systems and galaxies, and to know that it all stemmed from the desires of an eternal and omniscient God? How can we even imagine God speaking words before He created language? But to the best of our human comprehension, we do understand that He spoke. With the evocation of His genius ideas, He brought the universe to be. He is the Father of all creativity, as He brought everything into existence and contrasted order with majesty.
 
Do we ever doubt His power? When we are praying to an omnipotent God, do we pray with the complete and total belief that He can bring light into existence with a thought? We should know that we can pray in confidence, because the Creator of the universe is on our side. He listens and He hears us, and there is nothing too big or too small for Him to do. How wonderful! How infinitesimal our problems seem when compared to His mighty power.

We are His creation and We are good.
 
“God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” - Genesis 1:4

He saw that His creation was good—light and dark, water and land, vegetation, the sun and moon, sea creatures, birds, and land-bound creatures—He saw that it all was good.
 
His crowning achievement was yet to come, however. He had one more creation up his sleeve: humanity.

Sometimes it is easy to be disillusioned with mankind. It is easy to wonder why God loves us when His other creations didn’t have as far to fall. Why does He love us when animals are less prejudiced, when nature is less destructive, when the sun is less changeable, and the birds are less anxious? Why did He save us for last and give us dominion over all the others?

 Still, we know that only we were created in the image of God.

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female He created them.” - Genesis 1:27

We are His progeny, His offspring, His children. He loves us with a parent’s love which can not be shaken. He is our Creator and we, His creations. He created us to have a relationship with Him, and He actually wants that relationship with us. It is such a special feeling to know you are wanted and your company is desired, and we get that from the Creator of the universe!

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” - Genesis 1:31

He was pleased with us. He was pleased with us before we ever did a thing to deserve it. We are created in His image, and we are His masterpieces (Ephesians 2:10). There is no striving to achieve the love of God; He created us with love and created us to be loved. Whenever self-doubt or the need to please creeps in, remind yourself of these truths. Remind yourself that our Creator is even better than we believe, and He does not make mistakes. He filled us with the breath of life straight from His lungs. He created us on purpose, and He created us for a purpose.
 
He created us for a purpose.

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” - Genesis 2:15

God had a purpose and a plan for Adam. He has a plan for each and every one of us, and He is always working toward our good (Romans 8:28). And just like with Adam, He will place us where He wants us, and it will be good for us.
 
In this season of sitting still and staying home, there have been shattered expectations, lost opportunities, and disappointing changes, but that doesn’t mean that He isn’t still in control. God was not surprised by the coronavirus. His plans are not as easily derailed as ours. His purposes for us are not negated by the change in our circumstances. Now, this doesn’t mean that His purpose for us is to continue isolating and withdrawing from each other. Quite the opposite, He created us for community, and He has the power to bring us together.

He created us for community.

“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” - Genesis 2:18

We were made in the image of God who exists in a tripartite relationship of Himself. The trinity is another doctrine which is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for us to even begin to comprehend. We know that God is in eternal existence with three personal distinctions: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
 
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” - Genesis 1:26

In the creation of man, God said, “Let us make mankind in our likeness, in our image, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air” (Genesis 1:26).

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have always shared community, and He created us in His image. He created us so that we may work together in community.
 
He also created us for relationships—with Him and with each other. God said that it was not good for Adam to be alone. Even after searching through all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky, no suitable helper could be found (Genesis 2:20). So God created Eve out of Adam’s rib.

In Genesis 2:22, we see the beginning of the first relationship. God knew we needed connection. He knew we needed encouragement and companionship. He knew we needed accountability. If anything can teach us about our cravings for community, it is an unprecedented time of isolation and separation. We know now more than ever before that God was correct in saying it is not good for mankind to be alone.
 
As we navigate these lonely situations, we still know that we are not alone. Each of us was created by a Heavenly Father who loves us. If He was willing to make an entirely new human out of Adam’s rib so that he did not have to be alone, He will certainly not leave us isolated either. Now, it probably hurt when Adam woke up from the world’s first surgery, but he would have been so elated upon learning that he was not alone, that the pain would hardly have mattered.

There may be certain aspects of coming out of isolation that will hurt. There will be things we have to give up and pain we will have to endure, but our Creator has a purpose for us. Just like He placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, He will place us where He wants us. He will not let us miss the purpose and the community He has for us. He has Created us in love, on purpose and for a purpose.

“Perhaps you were created for such a time as this.” - Esther 4:14

Author | Mackenzie Wells