Last week we discovered that God fills what He creates. If you didn’t get a chance to read that yet, go ahead and do that now.

Now that you’ve read part 1, let’s take this notion one step further.  On the last day of creating, God made humans. What can that mean for us? 

Well, although people filled what was created on day 3, if the same logic is applied then we can see that God intends to fill us, too! After all, He fills what He creates! 

I don’t know about you, but it baffles my mind how the creator of the entire macro-level cosmos also has a divine plan to fill the micro-level individual! What lesson has greater bearing on our lives today than knowing that God desires to fill us?! To make us whole!?  

It doesn’t matter how deflated we feel or how far from grace we think we’ve fallen. Neither a void too vast nor a transgression too unforgiveable exists beyond the healing hands of our God. He can work through any person or situation! Remember, He was the one who called an entire universe into existence simply by saying it should be so.

Of course, it will take the entire rest of the Old Testament, and through the gospels and beyond in the New Testament, to find out exactly how God’s plan to fill and restore us to Himself is realized, but isn’t that amazing?!  His plan for us was conceived with the rest of creation! If there is any area in your life which needs to be forgiven or restored, go to Him. He created you to fill you. Let God be God. He’s pretty good at it!

There are so many more lessons in the Creation Account, but to start with the idea of creating and filling is pretty basic, isn’t it? As elementary as it is,  perhaps this traditionally common Bible story has now taken on new significance for you?  The more time you invest in the Word, in a translation you are comfortable with, the easier it will be to connect high-level dots and minor details all the same.  You will begin to see old stories anew. Chapters which were once possibly too overwhelming to make sense of will become like old friends when you visit the verses contained within them again and again.

The next part of Genesis goes into the story of Adam and Eve. Go ahead and read it in Chapter 2, but before you do ask that the Holy Spirit reveal something that you never noticed before.  Once you notice, pray again that the Spirit may reveal how that recognition may hold some relevance in your life, right now. You may be surprised with what else you can glean from Scriptures once you call upon the Spirit and ask for help as you read.

Pray:

Father God,

Thank you for meeting each one of us exactly where we are at in our walk with you. I’m so grateful that you also provide a helper in the Holy Spirit so that your people can understand the truths contained in your Word. Help me to remember to call on the Spirit for clarity next time I open the Bible. Let what I learn take root in my heart and affect my actions so that others may be drawn closer to you as well.

In Jesus’ Holy and Precious Name,

Amen

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I’m wondering if either of these thoughts have ever crossed your mind?

• How can the Bible have any bearing on my life right now?
• Parts of the Bible seem so hard to understand!

Me, too! I’ve thoughts like those before.

If you’re new to exploring your faith, I adamantly believe that you are precisely where you are meant to be in your spiritual walk with God! I also firmly maintain that the best place to get to know Him better is in His Word as revealed to us in the Bible, so you are in a great position to take your next step in cultivating a relationship with Him!

On the other hand, even if you’ve read the Bible cover-to-cover and are more seasoned in your faith, you’re also in the right spot! You know that intricately complex movie that you watch again and again, yet notice something new every time?  The Bible is the same way.  

The Holy Spirit speaks to us through its pages. We can read the same verse hundreds of times and glean something new each and every time.  Read a commentary by a great theologian or two? Even more is revealed.  Read in an entirely different season of life? Verses previously skimmed over can morph into wisdom-rich lifelines. 

For me, the Creation Account in Genesis is like this. It’s one of those stories that many are familiar with: believer, agnostic, or otherwise.  Its multi-faceted layers appear to hint at no end in sight.  Just for reference, here’s a summary of my exposure to Genesis over the years:

• An illustrated children’s bible showing Adam and Eve covered in leaves
• Memorizing the days of creation for a religion test every year in grade school, only to forget by the time I had to memorize the 10 Commandments
• As part of a Literature class on great books, along with the Divine Comedy, Paradise Lost, and The Odyssey as an English Major
• As a Philosophy and World Religion Major delving into Judeo-Christian traditions
• As a new believer, every time I started a Bible-in-a-Year plan, with the sincerest of intentions to “finish this time”
• As I read references to it in books related to God’s design for marriage while I was struggling in my own
• As I read references to it in books related to the need to create a margin for sabbath as I wrestled with burnout

You get the idea.  Lots of surface-to-moderate level exposure throughout different seasons of life. Nonetheless, this past year, it was as though I read Genesis for the VERY FIRST TIME!  Here’s what I learned: Order in terms of what was created when may not seem like a huge deal, but it really is extraordinarily important! As it turns out, among other reasons, God’s character, forethought, and intentions are revealed in the established order of Creation. 

The lesson in a nutshell? What God Creates, He Fills. I don’t know about you, but the older I get the more I appreciate easily absorbable information which can be recalled with little-to-no effort. For information to be useful to me it needs to be able to come out of my brain as easily as it can take up residence in my brain. It’s even better when this info is based in the grounding truths of God! What God Creates, He Fills is a neat and tidy message I can get behind!

Now, let’s see what I mean. Grab your Bible or click here to read the Creation Account in Genesis 1. 

Notice that what God created during the first three days of creation, He proceeded to fill, in the same order, over the next three days.  So, what He created on days 1, 2 and 3, He filled on days 4, 5 and 6, respectively. For example, God made light and dark on day 1, and He filled those empty spaces with the sun, moons and stars on day 4.

Here’s a graphic for all the visual learners out there!

What He creates, He fills!  Isn’t that amazing?!  Go ahead, and read the creation account again, but this time specifically focus on the create/fill correlations.

Next week we will delve into this teaching a bit more and find out what truth it can hold for us!

Pray:

Father God, thank you for revealing yourself in Scriptures. Trends, culture, and relationships shift over time. It can can be challenging to know fact from fiction, especially when the fiction is delivered by people with good intentions using seemingly harmless words. But, with the help of your Spirit, I am learning that the only real truth is what you chose to reveal in Scriptures. What a gift! By turning to your Word, I can how I ought to act in any situation. Do you know what else is incredible? That while your Word reveals new insights time and time again, it also remains absolutely unchanging. I know it is always true no matter when I turn to it for guidance or comfort. Thank you! Continue to open my eyes and soften my heart as I seek out the wisdom contained in your Word.

In Jesus’ Holy and Precious Name,

Amen

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