The Creation

BY Amanda Bible Williams

There was a time when I was afraid to write. The act of etching my thoughts in ink onto a blank page felt like one of the riskiest things I could do—to declare who I am, reveal what’s inside of me, and then slide it across the table for the rest of the world to see. Even now as I type these words on my laptop in the comfort of home, I am prone to second guess every sentence, every word choice.

Sure, I like new beginnings in theory, but in practice they paralyze me. It might be a new calendar, an empty room, a first day, or a clean white sheet of paper staring back at me. Like a rookie film actor stumbling onto set, I’m certain I’ll flub the first take.

But Genesis is another story. It is the story—our story. The beginning of all beginnings, the book of Genesis is the true history of who we are and where we came from. The first book of the Bible, it is our first glimpse of God’s character in Scripture, of His creation and compassion and His covenant with mankind. And though, yes, we humans dove headlong into sin from the first, our faithful, holy, and steadfast Creator remains true. God is the author and star of this story, and He is the one who invites us in to make it our story as well.

The book of Genesis presents hard truths about human nature and the fallen world we live in, but it is ultimately a book of hope. God created us—each one of us—to bear His image, and He has not changed His mind (Genesis 1:27). Fear and fallenness plague us here on earth, but God will one day bring us home to the perfect peace of His presence. Until then, we are called to “be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it,” to extend God’s plan for Eden throughout the whole earth (v.28).

One day, we will know and experience our Creator’s presence face to face—in perfect peace, whole, and unashamed—just as Adam and Eve once did long ago (Genesis 1:25; Revelation 22:4). That is the life we were created for, the intimate relationship we were always meant to enjoy with Him. One day, even death itself will die, and we will get the fresh start we’ve always longed for—the perfect new beginning, free from fear.

Genesis lays the foundation for everything else we read in Scripture. Our prayer is that this reading plan serves to draw you further into God’s Word, that it would bring you to a deeper knowledge of the God who made you and a deeper longing for His presence. He alone knows the end from the beginning, and we can rest in Him.