Genesis 1 & 2
Order is one of God’s good and gracious gifts that we see
in the Creation account of Genesis 1 and 2. Often we focus on His power and
kindness in the straightforward action of Creation. We would not exist if God
had not chosen to make us. It was not random chance that brought us into being.
And we thank God that He created this world in an orderly way.
There was darkness, then God created light. Evening and
morning cycle to make a day. Water, air and ground are given boundaries. Vegetation
yields seed and fruit according to their kind. (Can you imagine how ridiculous
it would be if you planted carrots and got rhubarb? Or an apple tree that bore
potatoes?) Animals – birds, fish, and land animals – all breed according to
their kind.
One of the most incredible and observable examples of
order in God’s creation is the motion of the heavenly bodies. Both sun and moon
rise and fall predictably (at least that is how we perceive it) so that we can
count days, weeks, and months. It is our planet’s relationship to the sun that
gives us the measurement of years. Watch the stars and see how the stars return
to their places year after year, season by season. It is all done in a
predictable, orderly fashion.
The order of the universe is a mark of God’s wisdom and
love. As sinful people, we strive against God’s order – His design for how we
should live, how the world should work, and how we relate to Him, one another,
and the world. But God’s design is still there. It is frustrated because of our
sin, but it is not gone. And part of God’s redemption is the restoration of
that order. As redeemed people we begin to feel the longing for restoration
even now, praying for God’s will to be done. Thanks be to God, it will be done!
One day, when Jesus, the crucified and risen One, returns, He will set all
things right – according to the Father’s order.
Lord, I have
resisted the order You created, but You have restored me in Christ’s death and
resurrection. Help me live within your order now, and display Your wisdom and
love to the world. Amen.
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