Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” I would venture to say even non-Christians have heard this verse in their life. But that is not all that was said. The next verse tells us even more that we should know. It is not God’s famous declaration, “Let there be light!”, but the statement reads: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.” What? It talks about darkness: Why, yes it does. The earth was formed out of what “the world” would call a dark mess.” Then something amazing happened…God created light! Whew! That glorious light. We might even wonder why not light first. I do not know but God does. This is significant. It was intentional. He started with chaos and darkness then brought the answer and it lit up the universe with His glorious light. How awesome is that?
Think about this. It began in creation with a formless void and then wham! God started forming and shaping the world, the universe, and everything seen and unseen by His word. How great is His word that by it everything was created? God shaped it exactly as He wanted it to be. It was perfect and beyond compare. Why did He do this? First, because He knew us before the world was created (we do not always understand that one), but to also show us something when we did get to this earth. What was that? That even if our lives are formless and void until God’s word comes into our life and wakes us up. It is in God that we awake and find what our souls search for and that is God Himself in our life. He is the one…the only one…who can bring light to our soul and a reason to go on. He is the one who can bring order to us even during the chaos going on in the world (our world for now). He is the one who can bring peace to our souls when nothing or no one else ever can.
Now, understand this: If we choose not to follow the Lord and reject the great things He wants for us….then God’s word departs from our life and we descend back into chaos and what the world offers us. What is that? Darkness and eternal separation from God. When we reject God from our lives, we bring all the ungodly stuff back into our life. I guess you could call it an unraveling for it brings disorder, darkness, and disease to the soul. God’s word tells us what sin and rebellion do to our life and our eternal life. Sin tears us away from God and destroys us. God’s word creates but sin destroys. Listen carefully: Sin unravels our life and the life of our families, puts darkness into our hearts, and places us in bondage to everything that is not of God.
The Apostle John opens up his story of Jesus’ life by connecting him to the creation story:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
–John 1:1, 3-4
At the time of God’s choosing Jesus will return and when He does things will change forever. Jesus is the Word, and Jesus will come and re-enter a dark, sin-filled, chaotic world and it face each and everything God said it would face. The Word (Jesus) will bring life and light once more. This is what, we as God’s children, are waiting for. The return of our Savior and the order He will bring. We don’t have to understand all this, but we know that we know it will happen because God’s word says so and God never lies. God does not work on our timetable. God is God and will do what God does in God’s timing. He is never late to anything. No one and nothing can be trusted more than God Almighty.
While Jesus lived upon this earth Jesus went around doing good. He took the chaos in people’s lives and gave them light. Healing, delivering, and saving people from all kinds of things in their life. Without Jesus that would not have happened. He opened blind eyes, healed the sick, raised the dead, and told people the truth that could change their destiny. He walked on water and He called the storms. He forgave people their sins…. what we, as God’s kids, call bad sins (but all sin is bad to God). He told them what love was, mercy was, faith was, kindness was, and how to get rid of sin in their life…all the things that should not be there. (Go, and sin no more) You see, wherever sin had left a dark void in the world and their life, Jesus came and comes to us also with a resounding word: let there be light, let there be love, let there be forgiveness, let there be mercy, and let there be salvation for all who want it through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Now jump ahead to the time Jesus died on the cross. The earth shook and darkness fell upon the earth. Jesus had to go to the cross alone. He had to feel the sins of the world upon Him. Jesus cried out, “God, where are you?” the answer was a stunning and horrifying silence for God could not look upon the sin. Can you even begin to imagine that God of all creation had to take on this task all alone? He did it for me, and He did it for you. He knew before He came to earth that this would happen, but He loved us so much that He did it for us. Jesus allowed himself to be de-created on the cross so that we could be re-created in the resurrection. Because of what Jesus did that day we have the chance to spend eternity with Him. Because of what Jesus did that day…we can be forgiven. I am very thankful for what Jesus did that day for me.
Every day we should be thankful. There is always something we can thank God for. No matter how gloomy our life seems at this time…there is something to thank God for. Maybe your life is full of sin and your family is suffering in some way. Maybe you have lost your job, your health, your wealth, or whatever it might be. Maybe you have lost the very love of your life. If you are a child of God, this is all temporary and joy comes in the morning. You might not see it for a time…but it is coming. God makes all things new. Your life might be in chaos, but God is going to bring the sunlight into your life again. God created the heavens and the earth, and He sure can recreate your life as well.
You hang in there. Earth is but temporary and many trials come and go in our life. Don’t walk away from God…. run to God. You truly can get through the darkness and into the glorious light of God. Our God is so good, so awesome, and He loves so much that He gave His son to go to the cross in our place. We don’t have to fully understand it…just believe it and be thankful.