Series: Renewal!
Matthew 6:28-29 ESV
God Created on Day 1 (Genesis 1:1-2; God Created on Day 2 (Genesis 1:3-5)
Genesis 1:6-8 ESV
Genesis 1:6-8 The Message
God Created dry land and seas (Genesis 1:9-10)
God Created Plants (Genesis 1:11-13)
God Created Lights in the Expanse (Genesis 1:14-19)
Genesis 1:19 ESV
God Created Sea Creatures and Birds in the Sky (Genesis 1:20-23)
God Created Beasts of the Earth (Genesis 1:24-25)
God Created Man in the Image of God, Male and Female (Genesis 1:26-27)
God Blessed them and saw it was good (Genesis 1:28-31)
God saw it was Good, Blessed it, and Rested (Genesis 2:1-3)
Growing up there was a song we regularly sang in church about the beauty of the earth. When I was a child it was a little difficult to sing, but I liked the words about the beautiful earth so I sang out loud even if I was no where near the note.
The interesting thing about that song is that when I sang it I pictured in my mind beautiful flowers, large trees, and blue skies.
I’m not sure if that song influenced how I think of the earth, but I do seriously think God created a beautiful place for us to enjoy!
In Matthew 6:28-29 we read, “why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
So when we consider…really consider the intricacies of planet earth and all the detail that went into creation, it’s a lot to take in! One of my sciences in college was earth science and when we studied the earth in detail i did get an education! It really made me think about all the detail God created.
Later I realized when we stop and think about each and every detail of each and every flower it’s mind boggling how God carefully crafted each part, especially taking into account how many types and genres of flowers there are on earth. Add to that, flowers are just one tiny part of creation.
We know from Genesis 1:1-2 that God created the heavens and the earth.
In Genesis 1:3-5 God created light and the lights.
In Genesis 1:6-8 we learn,“And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.”
The definition of expanse can be confusing, but The Message version of scripture for Genesis 1:6-8 tells us, “God spoke, “Sky! In the middle of the waters; separate water from water! God made sky. He separated the water under sky from the water above sky. And there it was: he named sky the Heavens; It was evening, it was morning— Day Two.”
In Genesis 1:9-10 God created dry land and seas.
In Genesis 1:11-13 God created every kind of vegetation. Scripture doesn’t specifically define vegetation on land so in my mind that would also include vegetation in the seas.
In Genesis 1:14-18 God created lights in the expanse, specifically, sun, moon, and stars. Once again that is not specifically defined but that would include in the expanse every sun (star) and every moon.
And Genesis 1:19 says, “And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.”
In Genesis 1:20-23 God created sea creatures and birds to fly above the skies on Day 5.
In Genesis 1:24-25 God created beasts of the earth.
In Genesis 1:26-27 God created man in the image of God, male and female. Note that God is both male and female.
In Genesis 1:28-31 God blessed them and gave instructions. God saw it was good and that was the sixth day.
Then, we are told in Genesis 2:1-3 God saw it was good, and God blessed it on the seventh day.
In Genesis we are not given a timeframe or a definition for a day. God is God and can do anything God chooses, but in an effort to not make assumptions we leave the timeframe to God. In light of that, we do not have enough information to assume anything based on our definition of time.
The point is that when we consider Matthew 6:28-29 and the beauty that God created with careful and intricate detail, why…oh why would man/woman-man be concerned about anything? The example Matthew gave was one example which included what to wear today?
That one example would be just one example among thousands of choices we make each and every day.
Allow me to give an example. When I was a teenager (knowing how some teenage girls can be) and I was overly obsessed with how I looked and what I should wear, my dad would point me back to God.
I thought, ‘why doesn’t he understand…this IS important?’
But, for my dad, it was a life lesson he wanted me to ‘get’. It took time and a LOT of repetition for me to understand that God comes first.
My dad wanted me to stop thinking and worrying about stupid details long enough to turn to God, relax, get dressed in some (any) kind of clothing, and ask what God HAD for me that day.
After hammering at that a few thousand times, I started to ‘get’ it.
Fast forward several decades.
After I turned fifty and had undergone a major life change I needed to find my ‘center’ again and I asked God to show me the way. Someone I knew told me about a Spiritual Director and they gave me his contact information.
I called and made an appointment.
I sat with him for ten years before I went to Seminary and eventually moved to another town.
Clearly God opened that door. I was blessed and reminded over and over again the same thing my dad told me as a teenager: “Do not worry”. Turn to God and open your hands. Ask God, “what do you have for me today?”
I firmly believe my dad prayed for me before he died that I would open my hands.
Spiritual Practice: Turn to God
Open your hands.
In God, Deborah