And So It All Begins

 

June 9, 2025

Genesis 1:1–2

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

 Job 33:4

The Spirit of God has made me;
    the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Before anything had shape or purpose—before light, time, or land—there was God. And there, in the very first verses of Scripture, we find the Spirit of God, hovering, moving, preparing.

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”   Genesis 1:2

This is not describing some inactive presence. The Hebrew word for “hovering” suggests movement, like the watchful stirring of life emerging from a cocoon, or the fluttering of the wings of a Monarch Butterfly that we so enjoy watching in our yards, Hovering is a picture of divine expectancy. Our verse today tells us that where there is emptiness and chaos, God’s Spirit prepares to bring beauty, purpose, and light. God’s Spirit is all set to bring life and order out of disorder.

Now, we often associate the Holy Spirit with Pentecost and the New Testament community, descending like a dove at Jesus' baptism or filling the disciples at Pentecost. But here He is, the Spirit of God, at the dawn of time, bringing order from disorder and shaping what is lifeless into something abounding with promise and possibility.

The Spirit was active from the very first page of Scripture, present in creation itself. Job echoes this truth when he says, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). The word used for “Spirit” in Hebrew, "Ruach", which can also mean wind or breath. God’s Spirit is His breath, His life-giving force, filling the world with beauty and purpose.

A potter was asked to create a series of clay vessels for a cathedral. The artist began by taking a lump of unshaped clay and pressing it onto the wheel. With water on his hands and motion in the wheel, he slowly shaped the clay into something beautiful. What looked like chaos or a mess at first, slowly was transformed into form and purpose.

I believe that is a picture of the Spirit at creation, and an illustration of the Spirit’s work in our lives today. You know what mean by this? Consider your life journey, don’t we see formlessness, messiness perhaps? In those times God’s Spirit sees potential, perceives what we can become. Where we feel empty and alone, God is present by the Holy Spirit. Where there is chaos, the Spirit hovers patiently, ready to bring new life.

Reflect:

In what ways have you seen the Spirit create or renew something in your life?

Where in your life right now do things feel “formless” or “empty”?

How does knowing the Spirit of God brings order and beauty from chaos encourage you?



Let’s Pray

Holy Spirit, You were there at the beginning. You hovered over the chaos and brought light and life. I invite You today to hover over the places in my heart and life that feel chaotic, broken, or void of purpose. Speak order where there is confusion. Breathe life where I feel weary. Like a potter, shape me with Your creative hands into something that glorifies You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.