Genesis 1:1

The Explanation

Close your eyes for a moment. Try to imagine: nothing. No sun, no moon, no stars. No trees, no birds, no oceans. No sound. Not even darkness, because darkness needs a place to be. There is nothing. Nowhere.

But Someone is there. God.

And then, in that huge nothing, God speaks. The very first sentence of the whole Bible tells us what happens: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." That is Genesis 1, verse 1.

God did not use wood, or stone, or nails. He had no hammer. He did not borrow anything, because there was nothing to borrow. God simply spoke, and there it was. The sky. The ground. The place where later the sea would splash and mountains would rise up.

Would you have dared to try that? Making a whole world out of nothing? No one can do that. Only God.

What Does This Mean?

This little verse is short, but it is enormous. It tells us three big things.

First: there is a beginning. The world has not always been here. It started at a moment God chose.

Second: God was already there. Before the beginning, before time, before anything, God is. He never began. He always was.

Third: God made everything. Not by accident. Not because it just kind of happened. He wanted it. He thought it up. The stars, the whales, the dandelions, the mountains. All of it came from Him.

That means the world is not a mistake. And you are not a mistake either. God made this place on purpose, and He made you on purpose.

The Common Thread

The Bible starts with God creating. And you know what is amazing? Much later, in the New Testament, we read something surprising. Jesus was there too, at the very beginning. The book of John says that everything was made through Him. Nothing was made without Him.

So when God spoke and light came, Jesus was there. When the first wave rolled onto the first beach, Jesus was there. He is not just a person who came at Christmas. He is the One who made your fingers and your eyelashes.

And here is the wonderful thing: the same Jesus who made the world came down into that world to save it. The Maker became a baby in a manger. The One who spoke stars into being let people put nails through His hands. All so He could bring you back to God.

That is the big story of the Bible. It starts here, in verse one, with a God who makes. And it goes on and on until God makes everything new again.

For You

When you go outside today, look at something. Really look. A leaf. An ant. A cloud. Say quietly to yourself: "God made that." And then say: "God made me too."

You can also do this: when you get up tomorrow, before breakfast, say thank you to God for one thing He created. The sunshine. Your dog. Your little sister, even when she is annoying. God made her on purpose.

And when you feel small or afraid, remember: the God who made mountains and oceans knows your name. The One who started everything is holding your hand.

Talk About It

If you could ask God one question about how He made the world, what would you ask?

What is something God created that makes you feel happy or amazed when you look at it?

Praying Together

Dear God, You made everything. The sky, the sea, the stars, and me. Thank You that nothing is here by accident. Thank You that Jesus was there in the beginning, and that He is with me now. Help me to look at Your world today and see how good You are. Amen.