Scripture of the Week:
“In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth.” – ESV
“In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth.” – NIV
“In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.” – KJV
Context:
Do you ever wonder how the earth was made and how we came to be? It’s all right here at the beginning of the Bible, and the beginning is a very good place to start our memorization journey! Throughout our weeks together, we want to study the context of our memory verses, which means looking at the other verses around this single verse that clue us in to what’s happening. This will be our only verse that doesn’t have anything before it! But from other verses, we can learn more about this verse.
Let’s start by reading Psalm 90:2, which says “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” This tells us that God came before anything that we know, like our earth or our solar system. This fits with our verse here in Genesis 1:1. Now read all of Genesis 1:1-31, and you’ll see that everything, from light to the very first human being, was all created by God. What else do you see that He made?
Things we learn about God:
What do you see about God in this verse and its context?
I see that He is very creative. To be able to imagine all of these brand new things no one had ever heard of or seen before? That takes the best imagination ever!
I also see that God is powerful. He simply spoke (or some people believe he sang) each one of these things into existence! That’s power! It takes me an awfully long time to create something like a painting, but God simply used a few words and things appeared!
Finally, I see that God is eternal. Like we talked about before, this means he has no beginning and no end. That’s such a hard thing for us to understand, because everything in our world seems to have a start and an end. But God is beyond anything we can understand. I think it’s comforting to know that He will literally always be there and always has been.
Can you think of anything else we learn about God from these verses?
Take it with you!
This week, take some time to think about our world and how marvelous it is, from the mountains to the oceans to the animals, and even our solar system. Think about how incredibly intricate your own body is and all the things it does in any given second. Then, think about how this verse can give you comfort and peace, knowing that God chose to create us and loves us so deeply. Colossians 1:16 tells us that all things were created by and for God. This means He wants us and made us because He wanted to! So remember that you are wanted by the Almighty Creator of the universe! Take time to praise Him for all these things that He is and thank Him for all He’s created in you.
Other Things to Check Out:
Do you know our earth is perfectly placed in all of space? It’s called the Goldilocks Zone or, more technically, the “circumstellar habitable zone” (say that five times fast!). Earth is the ONLY planet at just the right distance from our sun so that it’s not too hot (that all the water on earth burns away) or too cold (that all the water freezes). It’s the only one that provides everything needed for life. How cool is that?
Prayer for this week:
Dear God,
I love You. I praise you for being the beginning and the end of all things. I praise You for your creativity and power. Your creation is so amazing! From the stars and planets, to the ants on the ground, to the smallest fish in the sea, You imagined and formed them all. I often forget how amazing it is that You decided to create me, that I would glorify and enjoy You. Help me remember that You want me and made me just the way I am.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen