“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” — Genesis 1:1 (NKJV)
God. Majesty. Creator.
Before there was a sunrise, there was God. Before there were mountains, oceans, stars, galaxies, angels, animals, or people, there was God.
And then God spoke.
Those first four words of Scripture – “In the beginning God” – establish the foundation for everything that follows. God does not introduce Himself by explaining where He came from. He does not defend His existence. He simply reveals Himself.
God is. And this God is our Creator. We often describe His greatness with familiar words:
1. Omnipresent — He is present everywhere.
2. Omnipotent — He possesses unlimited power.
3. Omniscient — He knows all things.
4. And there is another, less familiar word: omnificent. Omnificent means unlimited in creative power.
God creates all things. He is the Great Creator. Genesis tells us:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1–2).
From the opening verses of Scripture, God begins revealing Himself. Why? So that we might know Him. And as we know Him, our instinctive response should be to worship Him.
Creation is therefore much more than the opening event of the Bible. Creation is revelation. The heavens, earth, oceans, mountains, animals, stars, and human beings all point beyond themselves to the One who made them.
“The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). Creation tells us, Look at Him! See His greatness! Recognize His glory! Worship your Creator! And when we look carefully at Genesis, we discover three truths about creation that profoundly shape our worship.
I. Creation Displays the Awesome WONDER of God
There is something about creation that should cause us to stop.
Look at a clear night sky sometime. Stand beside the ocean. Watch a thunderstorm roll across the horizon. Hold a newborn baby. Study the detail of a flower. Then remember: God made that.
David must have experienced something similar when he wrote: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:3–4).
Creation reminds us that He is God and we are not. We cannot contain Him. We cannot control Him. We cannot manipulate Him or insist that He conform to our schedules, preferences, plans, or agendas. God is Spirit. God is supernatural. God is sovereign. And perhaps one of the most remarkable truths of Genesis 1 is the manner in which God creates.
God speaks. He could have stretched out His hand and carved the valleys. He could have scattered stars across the heavens like diamonds. He could have gathered matter from distant galaxies and fashioned the earth.
But Genesis repeatedly tells us: “Then God said…” And light appeared.
God spoke—and waters separated. God spoke—and vegetation covered the earth. God spoke—and the sun, moon, and stars filled the heavens. God spoke—and living creatures filled the seas and land. God spoke—and humanity was created in His image.
The voice of God brought life into existence. And this is the same voice we hear throughout all of Scripture:
It is the voice that called Abraham to leave his homeland. It is the voice that spoke to Moses. It is the voice that questioned Job about the wonders of creation. It is the voice Elijah heard at Horeb. It is the voice that declared over Jesus, “This is My beloved Son.” And, my friend, this is the God who still speaks through His Word to us today.
When we are afraid, His Word says, Trust Me. When life seems hopeless, His Word reminds us, I am faithful. When we feel alone, His Word assures us, I will never leave you.
The God whose voice brought creation into existence is still speaking truth, hope, comfort, conviction, and peace into the lives of His people. That should fill our worship with wonder.
II. Creation Displays the Almighty WORK of God
Genesis also reveals something about the way God works. There is purpose. There is order. There is intentionality. Watch the progression: God said. God made. God named. God saw.
And God blessed.
Nothing is accidental. When God creates, He fashions and forms. When God speaks, something happens. When God names, He establishes identity and ownership. When God makes, He brings things together according to His purpose. When God gives, He provides life and blessing.
When God sees what He has made, He declares it good.
God is not only powerful. He is purposeful. And here we encounter another remarkable truth about our Creator: God is completely self-sufficient.
He needs nothing.
God did not create humanity because He was lonely. He does not need our talents. He does not need our resources. And, strictly speaking, God does not need our worship. Yet He desires relationship with us. A. W. Tozer wrote: “The God who needs no one has in sovereign condescension stooped to work by and in and through His obedient children.”
Think about that.
The God who needs nothing chooses to involve us in His work. Tozer continues: “It is God which worketh in you. He needs no one, but when faith is present He works through anyone.”
What an extraordinary privilege! Our worship is not an attempt to give God something He lacks. Worship is our response to the God who has already given us everything: Life. Breath. Creation. Grace. Salvation… Jesus. And that brings us to the greatest work of our Creator. The God who created the world also determined to redeem it.
III. Creation's Splendor Demands Appropriate WORSHIP of God
The story of creation ultimately leads us to Christ. Paul writes: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible…all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15–17).
Don't miss those words: By Him. Through Him. For Him.
Jesus is not an afterthought in God's story. The One who came as a baby in Bethlehem is the One through whom the universe was created. The One who walked the shores of Galilee is the Creator. The One who touched the blind, healed the sick, and raised the dead is the Creator. The One who stretched out His arms on a cross is the Creator. And the One who rose victoriously from the grave is the Creator.
Creation leads us to Christ. And Christ leads us to worship. This is where A. W. Tozer gives us a wonderful picture of what happens when God's people truly worship:
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So, one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”[1]
What a picture! Imagine one hundred pianos in a room. Trying to tune every piano to every other piano would create confusion. Instead, each instrument is tuned to one standard. And when every instrument is tuned to the same standard, they are tuned to one another.
That is worship.
Our goal is not primarily to become more aware of one another. Our goal is to become more aware of Him. We turn our eyes toward Christ. We tune our hearts to Christ. We surrender our wills to Christ. We listen to Christ. And as God's people individually turn toward the same Lord, something beautiful happens: we are drawn together in Him.
Creation began with God. Creation exists through God. Creation is sustained by God. Creation reveals God. And ultimately, creation calls us to worship God.So the next time you see a sunset, stand beneath a star-filled sky, hear the sound of rain, watch the changing seasons, or simply take another breath, remember: You are surrounded by evidence of your Creator, The Omnificent God.
Stop. Look. Listen. And worship.
Creation displays the awesome WONDER of God. Creation displays the almighty WORK of God. And creation's splendor demands the appropriate WORSHIP of God.
- He is omniscient—He knows all things.
- He is omnipotent—He possesses all power.
- He is omnipresent—He is everywhere.
- He is omnificent—He is unlimited in creative power.
And this majestic, sovereign, self-sufficient Creator has made Himself known to us in Jesus Christ. He is God. He is Creator. And He alone is worthy of our worship.
My Prayer for You Today:
Father, You are Lord of heaven and earth. The heavens declare Your glory, and all creation bears witness to Your wisdom, power, and majesty. Forgive us when we become so occupied with what You have made that we fail to see the One who made it. Turn our eyes toward Jesus. Tune our hearts to Christ. Fill us again with wonder at who You are. May our lives, our words, our work, and our worship declare Your glory. You are the God of wonders, the Lord of all creation, and You alone are worthy of our praise. In the All powerful, Omnificent name of Jesus, Amen. Amen.
[1] Tozer quotations from A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy and The Pursuit of God.
