It's All Good!

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Happy New Year! Welcome to a Year in the Bible. Before we dive in, you might want to watch this short video overview of Genesis (Part 1) from the Bible Project, which offers some opening context to the "grand narrative" of Scripture.

Genesis 1 isn’t a science textbook, it’s a manifesto. Don’t try to align it with what you learned in Biology class. It’s poetry.

We start at the beginning where God speaks into the ‘tohu va vohu’ which is Hebrew for the formless void. God doesn’t just populate the world; He orders it. He separates light from dark, land from sea, and says, ‘This is good.’ It’s the initial heartbeat of creation that reminds us we aren’t accidents in a cold universe. We are spoken into existence by a Designer who loves order and light, and we were individually created as an act of divine love.

Now, look at Psalm 1. It’s the perfect companion. It talks about the person who meditates on the Word and becomes like a tree planted by streams of water. This is the same Word that brought the stars into being. It’s the Word personified in Jesus (John 1). While the world tries to tell us that freedom is doing whatever feels good, Psalm 1 and Genesis 1 suggest that true freedom is found in the original design. It’s about being rooted in the truth of who God is and how God designed the world to work. If you want to flourish, you can’t ignore the architecture of reality.

In our modern hustle, we often try to create our own light and our own order. We burn out trying to be the gods of our own miniverse. Just stop. Listen to the voice that moved over the deep. The same Spirit that brought life to the dust wants to breathe life into your tired soul today. Align yourself with the rhythm of the Creator, and watch how the fruit starts to grow, even when the rest of the world is withering.

Devotional Prompts:

In what areas of your life does it currently feel like ‘formless void’ or chaos?
How does the idea of God ‘speaking’ creation into existence change your view of the power of your own words?
Psalm 1 mentions meditating on God’s law day and night. What is one practical way you can root yourself in Scripture this week? This year?
Where have you been trying to create your own light instead of walking in the light God provides?

Prayer: Creator God, thank You for bringing order out of my chaos and light into my darkness. Help me to stay rooted in Your Word like a tree by the water, drawing life from You alone. Lead me into the rhythms of Your grace this day. Amen.