Several years ago, a contractor was called in to fix what the homeowner thought was a minor drywall crack. It did not look serious. Just a thin line running above a doorway. But when the contractor started examining the house, he discovered something much bigger. The problem was not the drywall. The problem was the foundation. It had been poured incorrectly years earlier. Everything looked fine for a while. But slowly, almost quietly, the flaws in the foundation began to show up everywhere. Doors would not close properly. Floors started to slope. Cracks multiplied. The issue was not cosmetic. It was structural.
Many of us feel that way, as well. We try to fix surface cracks of life, like stress, burnout, family strain, identity confusion, and restlessness. But often the deeper issue is foundational. We are building on patterns that did not come from the Creator.
Genesis 1 is not just about how the world began. It also reveals the foundation! Before sin ever entered, God established order and purpose. He laid down patterns for how life is meant to function, and when we build on any other foundation, cracks eventually appear. We must trust the Creator God and structure our lives around the patterns He established from the beginning.
The Days of Creation
Genesis 1:1 – God creates the heaven and earth. Almighty God creates something out of nothing! This is the initial act of creation. The earth is unformed and unfilled (1:2).
Day 1 – Light. Genesis 1:3. God created light and separated light from darkness.
Day 2- Sky. Genesis 1:8. God made the firmament to separate the waters above from the waters below.
Day 3- Land, Sea, & Vegetation. Genesis 1:12. Dry land appeared, seas were gathered, and fully mature plants and trees are spoken into existence.
Day 4- Sun, Moon, & Stars. Genesis 1:16. God placed lights in the sky to watch over the day and night, to mark seasons, and to mark the days.
Day 5- Sea Creatures and Birds. Genesis 1:22. Living animals filled the oceans and birds filled the sky.
Day 6- Land Animals and Humanity. Genesis 1:27. Animals and humans were created on the 6th day; however, only humans were created in God’s image.
Day 7- God Rested. Genesis 2:3. God rests on the 7th day and blesses the day.
In the weeks to come, we will learn more about how all we know came to be, but today we want to investigate what we can learn about God through His creation.
7 Things We Learn about God through His Creation
1. God brings light.
Darkness never has the final word when God speaks!
Years ago, some of the men from our church attended a men’s retreat at a Bible camp. After the evening chapel service, we made our way back to the cabin; however, it was a camp in the country, and lighting was minimal. It was very hard to see our way! Things didn’t change until someone found a flashlight in their backpack.
Always remember God works with bringing light into your chaos, confusion, and hurt (Jn. 1:5; II Cor. 4:6; Ps. 119:105). So, invite God into your struggles instead of trying to fix things on your own!
2. God establishes order.
God brings structure into our disorder (I Cor. 14:33; Eccl. 3:1)! It is important that we work to establish spiritual orders with biblical priorities of genuine worship, Bible study, scripture meditation, and family time.
Giving God first place means we prioritize God’s order!
We also need to choose to trust God’s unseen works. At the end of the second day of creation, there is no “it was good” statement. Yet God was still working. So much more was still to come! God is still working in you and so much more is still to come!!
3. God produces growth.
Always remember three things about growth. First, growth requires roots, so we must stay planted in truth and deepen your roots in the Bible (Col. 2:6-7; Eph. 3:17; II Pet. 3:18). Second, what you grow determines what you get in the end (Gal. 6:9). Third, things are happening away from your view, so be patient! Spiritual fruit does not happen overnight.
4. God oversees seasons.
Remember that your season is not random and that your night season is not the same as someone else’s day season. So, don’t compare your life to others.
A farmer does not panic the day after he plants seed. He does not walk back out into the field the next morning, dig everything up, and say, “Why isn’t it growing yet?” He understands something about timing. He understands seasons. There is plowing time. There is planting time. There is waiting time. And eventually, there is harvest time.
The farmer also knows that the waiting season can look unproductive. His field can look empty from the road; however, under the surface, life is forming. Roots are pushing down into the soil making it possible for the stalks to press towards the sky.
If that farmer grows impatient and tries to force the process, he will ruin the crop. But if he trusts the order God built into creation, he stays steady. He must continue showing up, tending the crop, and believing that what is happening beneath the surface will eventually show itself above the surface.
Our lives are no different. Some seasons feel dark, slow, and even hidden. But God is not random with seasons or careless about the timing (Rom. 8:28-29). The same God who appointed day and night, summer and winter, spring and harvest, is overseeing your season. Trust God’s timing and you will find the grounding to be steady and dependable.
5. God blesses multiplication.
With all of God’s multiplication, we must recognize He delights in variety…and with all such variety there is unity! However, unity does not require uniformity. Fish thrive in the water and birds thrive in the air, so thrive where God has planted you (Jn. 15:4-5; Col. 3:23)!
6. God gives identity & responsibility.
Our identity is rooted in the being made in the image of God, not in our own achievement (Gen. 1:27). This truth alone shapes how we ought to treat one another (Jn. 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-21).
It is also important to point out that God gave the responsibility of work before the fall, that God designed marriage and the family for multiplication and stability, and that God called His creation very good. We must learn to receive what God calls good.
7. God ordained rest.
Genesis 2:3. It is God who sustains His creation (Col. 1:16-18), not us. So, as we trust God to sustain, we can rest. We need rest!
Build healthy margins into your life before burnout builds into your life. Healthy life rhythms protect worship, families, and the church.
Several years ago, a musician purchased a beautiful grand piano. It looked flawless. It had beautifully polished wood, perfect ivory keys, and incredible craftsmanship. But after it was delivered, something sounded off. Some of the notes clashed and chords did not resolve the way they should. The instrument was impressive to look at, but it was out of tune.
The new owner called a master tuner. For hours, he adjusted tension you could not see. Tiny turns and subtle corrections were made. When the tuner finished and struck a chord, everything resonated the way it was designed to. The piano did not need new keys, or a new sound board, or to be rebuilt. It simply needed to be brought back into alignment with the design set by its maker.
We as God’s creation are polished and functioning, but often, something feels off. Our schedules are overloaded. Our priorities are upside-down, rest is neglected, and identity is confused. We are living but not thriving the way we were created to.
When life feels out of tune, the solution is not reinvention. The solution is realignment.
Genesis 1 and 2 show us the original tuning. Trust the creator God and structure your life around the patterns God established from the beginning.