Genesis means origin. It’s the source, the beginning, where every single thing got its start. I’ve always loved the book of Genesis, for one simple reason … it was the book of the Bible I was able to flip right too. I always felt so proud of myself when a preacher would say, “Turn to the book of Genesis”, and boom, I would be the first one there.

Genesis is not only the beginning of our Bible, it’s the beginning of everything. It is our origin. And really, it’s pretty wild that we get to read about God’s amazing and miraculous acts to create everything we see today. No human was alive to see these acts. We only have this account today because God revealed it later to the author to record for us.

Moses wrote the book of Genesis, but he likely used much earlier writings to gather his information. Perhaps writings from the first human, Adam. And perhaps Adam received directly from God the account of creation there in the Garden of Eden. The words of God were written so that we could read them today.

To understand the Bible, you must first understand one thing – You won’t understand everything. There are some things that won’t make sense. Some things that we have absolutely no proof of. Some things that seem totally impossible. Faith will be required on your journey through the Bible. I’ve found one thing that has greatly helped me in my studies – I believe 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.”

As you commit to either begin studying your Bible, or continue your studies, remember ALL SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED BY GOD. Every word of our Bible is inspired by God and it’s useful to us. Lean into it with faith instead of pulling away in doubt. There will be things you don’t understand, don’t get hung up on them. There will be things you don’t agree with, but keep reading. There will be things that even seem contradictory to science or common sense – In those cases you must make a choice. Either believe that God is beyond our understanding, or struggle to make an infinite God fit in our limited little box.

There’s a whole lot of the Bible I don’t understand – heck, there’s a whole lot of the very first chapter of Genesis I don’t understand, and I simply don’t have to. But there’s so much that can help me see the truth and help me realize what may be wrong in my life.

Together, we’re going to dive all-in on the book of Genesis. Today is day 1. I’m sure God will take us on several detours along the way and we’ll be all over scripture, so it will never be boring or dull. Remember, it’s me – I don’t do boring! This isn’t your typical devotional. In every day of our study, let’s keep coming back to ask 2 things:

1. What truth am I learning?

Now, let’s get started.

Genesis 1:1-2 (go ahead and dare to flip there now in your Bible with confidence – you can find it!), “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

God’s holy word literally begins with an opening sentence that challenges our human minds. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We will never understand a power that could do that. We will never know precisely when or how. It’s beyond our human capacity to even assign that thought a proper place in our inventory of historical events.

Do you know how big the heavens and the earth are? This means EVERYTHING. Every distant galaxy, every unknown planet, every black hole beyond exploration or explanation. God created ALL of that in the beginning.

When was the beginning and how did God get there in the beginning? I have absolutely no idea – and neither does anyone else. But does it even matter?

Now, here’s the question – Can you BELIEVE Genesis 1:1? Can you believe, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Because if you can believe the opening scripture of the Bible, then you can believe every other verse in the Bible. Every other impossible thing, every other miraculous story, every other huge promise, every other thing beyond our human capacity – it’s all within reason if you can believe verse 1.

So decide now – do you believe it? Did God create all that is? Is there a divine Creator behind all of this, or did it all just happen by chance? The God big enough for Genesis 1:1 is also big enough for every other verse and chapter of the Bible. He’s big enough to create you, know you, save you, redeem you, and offer you a place in eternity simply because you choose to believe his Word.

Now, imagine verse 2 for a moment. Imagine there’s nothing but deep waters covered in darkness. Everything is empty and formless. And the Spirit of God is hovering over those deep, dark waters.

Do you know what God is doing? He’s getting ready to unleash his power. He’s getting ready to design and create the entire universe. But he’s not creating it out of nothing – he’s creating it out of himself. All of this didn’t come from nothing – all of this came from God. God is EVERYTHING. He us unlimited. The sun and the moon are part of God. The mountains are part of God. The oceans are part of God. You and I are part of God. We’re not from nothing – we’re from God himself!

Some scientist believe all of this came from dust molecules that evolved for eons, getting better and better until here we are with our upright walking and super advanced human brains. And honestly, I find it much easier to believe there’s God, there’s always been God, and he created all of this through himself and from himself.

Nothing comes from NOTHING. And nothing creates more of nothing. You are not “nothing”, so you didn’t come from nothing. You came from God.

This is your origin. The beginning of everything you know and every thing you don’t know. And here’s the Spirit of God hovering over the deep waters of darkness. And that Spirit is about to do impossible things that forever changed everything.

The Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Just hovering. Moving. Looking. Searching. Preparing. Something big was about to happen!

And that same Spirit is still moving today. The Spirit that holds the power to create, change and move. The Spirit that is absolutely unmatched and unstoppable. Can you believe that Spirit is hovering over your life right now? He’s moving. He’s looking. He’s searching. He’s preparing. And something BIG can happen in your life!

A few years ago at a New Year Retreat, I sat chairs in circle on the beach in Pensacola. As the sun came up, we each sat in that circle and worshiped. I had created a playlist of about 100 worship songs and I would just hit shuffle play, and see what song God played for us. Each time, the same song would play. Over and over again, sitting on the shores of the ocean, “Rest On Us” by Maverick City would play. What are the repeated words of this song?

As the Spirit was moving over the water

God did something within each of us. The Spirit of God was moving over us, hovering, and he moved, he filled us, we were forever changed.

The Spirit of God was hovering over the surfaces of the water when there were only deep waters covered in darkness – then EVERYTHING CHANGED.

Your life may feel like deep waters of darkness right now, but I’m telling you my sister, the Spirit of God can come and change that! He’s hovering over you right now.

What would God require to create something beautiful in your life? What would be needed to begin a work in you? Well, God doesn’t start with nothing, he starts with himself. He creates from himself. He forms from himself. God is here, so God has everything he needs. Invite him to hover over you and do his work!

Spirit, come move over us. Come rest on us.

The same powerful Spirit that created us and everything around us is not only here with us right now, but when you are a follower of Jesus, that Spirit lives IN you! Within you is the Spirit that can do impossible things. It’s not only all around you, not only hovering over you, but dwelling IN YOU!

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