#DailyDevotion Faith Believes God Made Creation For Us
Ash Wednesday
Read Gen 1:1–19
Gen 1:1-2 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (2) The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
There’s a lot of tension at times between Christians and Scientist. Well that’s not true entirely. There is tension between Scientist who believe science has all the answers and possesses the only way to any and all sorts of knowledge and Christians who don’t understand that science, true science, only explains what it sees and can observe now and use those facts to postulate backwards in time as to how we got how we are.
Now creation, that is, faith in what God’s word has to say about it I believe happened just as God describes it in chapter one of Genesis. God created a world, a universe with all its parts and he created it complete. Since that is the case, I don’t believe it is the case that he is being deceitful. It isn’t his intent to deceive. But he created it will all the laws of the universe so we can observe nature and project it forwards and know what we can expect. It just so happens, if you can project forwards, you can project backwards as well. Except when you project backwards with the completeness we have today, you are going to get an old universe.
That aside, it does take faith to believe God created the heavens and the earth. As it is written, Heb 11:3 “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” As an article of faith, we can never prove scientifically God did it. Logically we can prove God made the universe though.
Creation is a good thing. It is created for us! God didn’t need it. Yet the three persons of the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were intimately involved with making this creation for us. Imagine the mind of God and power of God who is able to create this universe and everything in it. In today’s reading we get light, the heavens, dry ground, vegetation and lights in the heavens. How wonderful and marvelous it all is. And yet today we are called to repent. Paul writes, Rom 1:21 “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” At times we forget God made all this for us. We forget the Word, Jesus, created and arraigned all this. We oppose at times the Holy Spirit and do not honor God or give thanks to him for this creation. We turn to created things instead of God for every good. This day, let us return to God with penitent hearts, confessing our idolatry of worldly goods and ask for forgiveness for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Heavenly Father, we give you thanks and praise for all of creation. Help us always to recognize and believe all you have made for us. Give us a spirit of devotion that looks only to you for all good things and recognizes you as the giver of every good gift. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.