“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.” —Genesis 1:1-2
During the Babylonian exile after the fall of Jerusalem (587 B.C.), the Israelites were shocked that their entire lives had fallen apart. They decided to go all the way back to the beginning, to their roots, that they might understand what had happened to them. In the first chapter of the Bible, they assert that there is meaning and order in life, creation is good, humanity is very good, and we have the power to “fill the earth and subdue it” (1:28). Life is indeed worth living.
Prayer: Father, may my life be rooted in a totally committed relationship with You.
Promise: “God created man in His image; in the divine image He created him; male and female He created them.” —1:27