Wired for Wonder
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." — Genesis 1:1
There is something deep in human nature that responds to the spectacular. A jaw-dropping card trick, an impossible table tennis rally, a skateboarder defying gravity in a halfpipe, a marathon runner sustaining a pace most of us couldn't match for a single mile — these things make us lean forward, eyes wide, and whisper wow. We are wired for wonder.
But if a fellow creature's skill can leave us speechless, what should we feel when we stand before Genesis 1:1? Before the beginning, there was nothing except the triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — enjoying perfect love and fellowship within His own being. No one created Him. He had no beginning. And then He spoke, and the universe exploded into existence out of nothing. Space, matter, energy, time itself — all called into being by the sheer power of His voice. As Psalm 33:9 puts it: "He spoke and it came to be; He commanded and it stood firm."
This is the most spectacular, dazzlingly impressive act of power in the history of the universe. And it calls for a response — not polite applause, but a reordering of life itself. Genesis 1:1 demands at least three things from every human being: worship, obedience, and trust.
Worship: Because He Deserves It
In Revelation 4:10–11, the twenty-four elders — powerful, holy angelic beings — fall prostrate before God's throne and cry out: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being." The reason the angels worship around the clock in heaven is breathtakingly simple: He created all things.
God doesn't just deserve our worship — He demands it. We are not doing Him a favour by gathering on a Sunday. This is how creatures ought to behave toward their Creator. We could spend every waking moment in worship and it still would not be giving Him what He is owed.
And here lies a subtle danger. It is easy for worship to become self-absorbed — to narrow our reasons for praising God down to what He has done for me. Of course we should thank Him for salvation, for provision, for comfort. But first and foremost, before anything else, we worship Him simply because of who He is. He is God. He created everything that exists. That truth doesn't depend on how our week went.
Perhaps that is why worship sometimes feels thin when life is hard. If praise is bound up with personal experience — "I'll worship when things are going well" — then it will collapse at the first sign of trouble. But worship anchored in the character of the Creator stands firm in every season, because God does not change.
One practical step: cultivate a habit of seeing God's glory in the world around you. High-resolution images from the Mars Curiosity Rover, footage of supernovae, the staggering fact that every star visible to the naked eye occupies only a tiny fraction of our own galaxy — never mind the trillions of other galaxies. These are not just interesting facts. They are kindling for worship. The more we understand creation, the more fuel we have to praise the One who made it. (For more on what creation reveals about its Maker, see Psalm 8 and Can we prove that God exists?)
Obedience: Because He Owns Us
If God created us, then we are accountable to Him. We are not free agents. This logic is airtight and its implications are enormous.
If no one created us — if we simply evolved from primordial slime and popped into existence by chance — then there is no objective right or wrong. You might think stealing is bad; someone else might think it is perfectly rational if they can get away with it. Without a Creator to define morality and a day of reckoning to enforce it, ethical debate is just noise. As the Apostle Paul bluntly puts it: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (1 Corinthians 15:32).
But of course, God did create us. He is holy and perfect, and He demands obedience from His creatures — not as a tyrant demands compliance, but as the one being in the universe who has the absolute right to set the terms for human life. Every parent has said at some point, "Because I said so." Only God can say that with final, unassailable authority: "Because I am your Creator, and I say so."
And if creatures dare to disobey — as Genesis 3 will soon show — then judgment follows. There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, because the God who made the heavens and the earth is present in every millimetre of both. (The theme of how we respond rightly to God's commands is explored further in How to respond to God's Word.)
Trust: Because Nothing Is Too Hard for Him
Perhaps the most practical lesson Scripture draws from creation is this: the God who made everything can be trusted with anything.
We place confidence in people who have proved themselves capable — a plumber with a solid track record, an electrician who knows what they are doing. How much more, then, can we trust the God whose very first act was to speak a universe into existence? His power is unrivalled. His wisdom is unfathomable. And both are freely available to His people.
The Bible returns to this truth again and again, especially when God's people face seemingly impossible circumstances:
- Jeremiah 32:17 — God told the prophet Jeremiah to buy a field occupied by the Babylonian army. It was like being told to move into an enemy stronghold. Jeremiah's response? "Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You." Suddenly, shifting a few soldiers seems a small thing for such a God.
- Isaiah 40:27–31 — God's people were weary and oppressed, accusing God of ignoring them. Isaiah's answer goes straight to creation: "The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary… Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles."
- Psalm 121:1–2 — A traveller facing a dangerous mountain journey asks, "Where does my help come from?" The answer: "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." The God who made the mountains is more than able to get you safely through them. (See also Psalm 4: A psalm for the end of a distressing day for more on trusting God in dark hours.)
This is not abstract theology. It meets us exactly where we live:
- Fighting a relentless temptation? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
- Grieving an illness or a death in the family? The Creator of the ends of the earth is all-powerful, all-wise, and He does not make mistakes.
- Anxious about finances, housing, making ends meet? Jesus Himself points to the God who clothes the lilies and feeds the sparrows — and assures us that we are far more precious to Him than these.
- Struggling to live faithfully for Christ in a hostile school, workplace, or even family? The God who holds four hundred billion stars in place by name is more than able to help you face one difficult person.
The God Behind the Verse
If trusting God feels hard right now, here is a simple prescription: read Genesis 1:1 slowly, again and again. Emphasise a different word each time. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Soak your mind in the mighty power and wisdom of this God. And then say to yourself: that is my God. That is the God I am called to worship, to obey, and to trust. The Maker of heaven and earth — my helper.
(This article follows on from 2. Who is like the Lord our God? (Gen 1.1), which explored the uniqueness and incomparability of God as Creator.)
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