New Beginnings

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:5-6 (KJV)

“In the beginning God created…”  Most of us learned the story of creation as children and as we matured we moved on to other lessons but today as we close out the year 2013 and begin a New Year I would like to take you back to the beginning.  That day when God’s Spirit moved upon the face of the deep and created the world as we now know it.  Debate has raged about “the gap” between Genesis 1 verses 1 and 2.  But whether you believe that everything was created only 6000 years ago or you believe that an unspecified period of time lay between those two verses the fact remains that God moved upon the chaos of this world and spoke those powerful words “Let there be”.
Genesis 1:2 records, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” 

Personally I believe that God delights in creating beauty and when He creates he takes that which is without form and desolate and speaks life into the darkness.  God doesn’t create voids He fills them.  For some reason the beauty of His creation was marred and in His time God moved upon the face of the water to bring about a new beginning.  There is another place where the phrase “without form and void” is found.  

Jeremiah 4:23-27 (KJV)  “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24  I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25  I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26  I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. 27  For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end”.

This passage sounds eerily like Genesis 1:2.  There was no light, the earth was a quagmire, no people, no birds or animals, and all the cities were broken down.  Why?  Because of the fierce anger of God which brings judgment for sin and rebellion, but pay attention to those last eight words.  “Yet will I not make a full end.”  God doesn’t leave things broken!  He is The Creator. He makes all things new!
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God once again pronounced judgment but He did not abandon His creation.  There would be a Savior!  There would be a new beginning.  Throughout the history of this world the hands of God have been at work fixing the marred image of His creation.  The Creator’s wisdom is revealed like a thread that runs through the story of man.  From Adam through Noah and Abraham, Isaac, then Jacob on to Moses and Joshua, King David and the royal bloodline all the way to Jesus.  God did not abandon the work.  He did not “make a full end”. 
For nearly 2000 years that thread has worked its way through the Church touching the lives of the lost and fallen.  Restoring broken lives and trading beauty for ashes, the Spirit of God stills moves upon the waters.  No matter how desolate the circumstances of our lives, God has not abandoned us.  We are His creation fashioned in His image and purposed for greatness. 

In the cool of the day God would visit the garden of His creation and walk with Adam.  We were not created as an exhibit to be displayed but as friends to enjoy the fellowship of God.  Though sin has marred the beauty of our union God has not given up.  He desires our fellowship and will not walk away.  He is still reaching out, still longing, still working to restore us to Him.  No matter the cost, no matter how long it takes, His hand is reaching out to us.  There is healing in Christ for all those that will trust in Him.  After all, He is the God of New Beginnings.