Daily Update #209

It was so

During lockdown I have found many things around my home, in plain sight, which I never noticed before. Most of these are, jobs to do, repairs to be made and many piles of various objects put to one side to be sorted. How easy it is to miss things which are right under my nose!

Today’s reading is one I’m sure, you have read many times. Perhaps we are over familiar with it? It’s the account of creation, the first four “days”.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² 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.
³ And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light ‘day’, and the darkness he called ‘night’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day.
⁶ And God said, ‘Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.’ ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the vault ‘sky’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the second day.
⁹ And God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.’ And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground ‘land’, and the gathered waters he called ‘seas’. And God saw that it was good.
¹¹ Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning – the third day.
¹⁴ And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.’ And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning – the fourth day.

In recent years, I had noted that nearly after each act of creation in this first chapter of the Bible, God saw his achievement as good. However, as I have read this passage to prepare for this reflection, I have now discovered the phase, “And it was so”, repeated throughout the passage. It was there all the time!
God’s creative acts were actually his spoken word. The mere vocalising of the command was followed by creation’s obedience. Such is the Almighty power of our great God. The New Testament takes up the account in John’s first chapter to elaborate further that the words themselves were in some mind-blowing way, Jesus himself. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3.

So, what is this ultimate miracle of creation to do with us humble people of St. John’s church today?
To me it says that God’s word is not only true, lifegiving, but supremely powerful. It inspires me to redouble my efforts to read his word, but also seek out his promises and guidance to me today. By reading the Bible regularly, God will show you too, many truths which have been right there, put down by his faithful people hundreds of years ago, yet which have up-to-the-minute relevance to us today! If we read and pray that his Holy Spirit will illuminate the text, he will honour our commitment. His spoken word established the universe, what might his spoken word create in you today?

If you don’t know where to start, what about these encouraging words from chapter 4 (verses 6&7) of the letter to the Philippians.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
And it was so. Amen

Prayer
Dear Lord,
We are in complete awe of your amazing creation. We cannot fathom the size and beauty of the universe, the stars, galaxies and planets. We praise you for the earth, the sea and all that is in it; and we thank you for your ultimate act of creation in Jesus, through whom you made all things by the power of your word.
Help us today to have ears to hear your creative words to guide and inspire our lives.
Amen
 
Tomorrow’s reading is Gen 1:20–2:4a