Morning Prayer #19

Genesis 1:1-7 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

All things have a beginning, all things except God. When we consider that God is the Creator of all things both seen and unseen, in earth and in heaven, we may feel rather small and insignificant by comparison. We should also be amazed at the power, complexity, beauty, and evident design to be seen in the world around us. All of these created things bespeak the glory of their Maker, and even our own bodies and minds and constant evidences of God’s creative work. Contemplating the “Book of Nature” and seeing how it speaks in unison with the Bible in revealing to us God’s holy character should lead us to praise and worship him all the more.

O God, we know that you are before all things and are the Author of all creation. We feel small enough to ask with the Psalmist (Psalm 8) “What is man that you are mindful of him? ” But we also know that your thoughts of us are too numerous to be counted. You have put us in the midst of this created world (of which we are also a part) that we might see your power, wisdom, and love reflected in it and praise you accordingly. Help us, we pray, to do that today and every day. Amen.