Tuesday 01 June 2021
- Bible Book:
- Genesis
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while the spirit of God swept over the face of the waters. (vs 1-2)
Background
God is present in and speaks and acts and creates everything out of the primordial deep and darkness. Everything flows from here in the Bible. These opening words of the Bible summarise its whole content. They assert that the creative and life-giving God is with people and accompanies them in all experiences. God is always present: creating, speaking wisdom and making all things new (Isaiah 43:19; 65:17; Revelation 21:5).
God is said to dwell in “formless void and darkness”, and from here to do the work of creation. And the darkness and the deep is described as a trembling, a disturbance, a stirring or a storm (see Jeremiah 23:9; Daniel 7:2; John 5:7). In Sanskrit the word is 'vritti' which signifies a whirlpool. Creation is not out of nothing (ex nihilo). God dwells in and creates within and out of all that is represented by the darkness and the deep. Then light is created. Darkness is not eliminated, but is equally integral to God’s work. Later the Psalmist reflects “to you the night is as bright as the day, darkness is as light to you” (Psalm 139:12).
God calls on all people to provide care for all created things, and to do all things with wisdom (Genesis 1:26-28). This includes the capacity to dwell in darkness, to accompany people in darkness, and to do all things with wisdom, and to be tuned in to the attendance and echo of God in the storm, point to God in the shadows, and help people to see darkness as a place of sacredness, not fear.
To Ponder:
- How and where do you find the presence and illumination of God in darkness? How can you bring creativity and clarity in the midst of darkness?
Prayer
Holy God illuminate us, our place, and our pathway, in the light and in the dark, so that we may reflect your presence at all times. Amen.