God the Father

In the Beginning

The first words of the Bible are so familiar — even to people who don’t read or believe them — that it’s easy to miss how surprising they are.

You might expect the Bible to start with something powerful and strong like:

This is the astounding and amazing account of the one true God of the universe who reigns over everything. Prepare to be amazed!

Or maybe something heartwarming and emotional like:

God is Love. Love is God. This is the story of how much he loves each one of us.

Or maybe something stern and bold like:

This book contains important information and facts. It was written, researched, and edited by hundreds of trusted experts. You must believe it.

But instead it starts like this:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

"In the beginning." God is first in all things.

"God created." God is the source of all things.

"The heavens and the earth." God is the ruler over all things.

God creates. This is the Bible’s first declaration about God. We must know God as creator if we are to really know him. God is, and so God causes other things to be. More importantly, God brings order to chaos. Read the creation account carefully today. See how God takes a world that is “formless and empty” and transforms it into a breathtaking universe of beauty, purpose, structure, and order.

Read & Reflect

Read Genesis 1, Isaiah 40:12-31.

What do the Bible’s creation accounts show you about God’s plans and character?
What part of God’s natural creation has the strongest effect on you? Why?
Copy a verse(s) from today’s reading, or draw/design a truth from the verses. Spend slow and careful time with the words of God.

Extra Info

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Genesis 1 contains a perfectly structured poem. On days 1-3 God created the different spaces of the universe. Then on days 4-6, he filled those spaces with custom-made inhabitants.

Day 1: light & dark
Day 4: sun, moon, & stars

Day 2: sea & sky
Day 5: birds & fish

Day 3: land & plants
Day 6: humans & animals

Before God brought order to the universe, it was “formless and empty.” The original phrase is "tohu wabohu" (TOH'-hoo wa-BOH'-hoo) that looks like this in Hebrew (read R to L):

תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ

Extra Verses

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Job 38-39

Psalm 33

Psalm 44

Extra Things

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2103 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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