With God There Is No Chance!
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
(Genesis 1:9-13)
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
(Hebrews 1:3)
In the original Hebrew text, the first chapter of Genesis contains only 76 different words. Each of them is so simple that the chapter can be translated into every language in the world. It is written in the same style as the history books of the Old Testament, but many modern readers struggle to believe that it is truly history. The idea that our world evolved by chance is so deep-rooted in our culture that many people struggle to believe what God teaches us in Genesis 1. But God was there and we weren’t. That’s why the writer of Hebrews tells us that faith begins with an acceptance that our world didn’t come about by chance. God created this world actively and for a reason.
It is possible that the Hebrew word ‘day’ in this chapter refers to longer than 24 hours, but since the Hebrew day begins at 6pm and ends at 6pm, it seems important that these verses tell us that there was evening first and morning second on each of the days of creation. Genesis 1 isn’t a science textbook, but it isn’t poetry either. It informs us that the world came about as an active work of creation by God, not as the random action of chance and time.
At the start of Mark 10, Jesus does the same thing as Genesis 1:1. He doesn’t try to prove the existence of God or to explain how the Scriptures and science dovetail together. He simply states it as fact and invites his followers to live in the light of this truth. God created this world for a reason. Our lives are brimming with purpose. We invite God to do his new work of creation in our own lives whenever we accept that what the Bible says is true.
It is possible that the Hebrew word ‘day’ in this chapter refers to longer than 24 hours, but since the Hebrew day begins at 6pm and ends at 6pm, it seems important that these verses tell us that there was evening first and morning second on each of the days of creation. Genesis 1 isn’t a science textbook, but it isn’t poetry either. It informs us that the world came about as an active work of creation by God, not as the random action of chance and time.
At the start of Mark 10, Jesus does the same thing as Genesis 1:1. He doesn’t try to prove the existence of God or to explain how the Scriptures and science dovetail together. He simply states it as fact and invites his followers to live in the light of this truth. God created this world for a reason. Our lives are brimming with purpose. We invite God to do his new work of creation in our own lives whenever we accept that what the Bible says is true.
1) Do you find it easy or difficult to do as the writer of Hebrews encourages you and to believe beyond all doubt that God created the world out of nothing?
2) What damage do you think it does to a person’s life when they believe that our world evolved by chance, rather than by the wise actions of God?
3) How does it change our lives to believe beyond all doubt that God created both us and the world we live in for his own eternal purposes, and that he is every bit as active in the world today as he was during creation week?
2) What damage do you think it does to a person’s life when they believe that our world evolved by chance, rather than by the wise actions of God?
3) How does it change our lives to believe beyond all doubt that God created both us and the world we live in for his own eternal purposes, and that he is every bit as active in the world today as he was during creation week?
Father God, I believe that you created the world through your active wisdom. At the same time, I confess that I find it all too easy to buy into the story that the world tells all around me – a story about chance and time, instead of a story about God. Help me to overcome my unbelief and to worship you fully as my glorious Creator God. Amen.
If you have time, consider carrying on your conversation with God using one of our helpful Prayer Pathways.
Today’s Everyday Devotions have also inspired a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube channel.
Today’s Everyday Devotions have also inspired a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube channel.