Cindy Donaldson

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

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Revelation 21:1, 3-4
Then I saw a new heaven and new earth…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look, God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Reflection:

It is probably the plot of a science fiction film, and certainly taught as a creation theory in some philosophy classes – a scientist, or being of some sort, creates humanity in a laboratory, then washes his hands of his work and walks away to watch what happens from afar. But thanks be to God, that is not the truth we know from scripture, or from our personal experience of God’s faithfulness.

 

Our Creator, is, has been, and always will be faithful. We see this when we step back and look at the Bible from cover to cover. The arch of the Bible is one long continuum of God’s relentless love for us and faithfulness to his creation. In Genesis 1:1 we learn that “In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.” Then in the Gospel of John we learn that “In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Which means that our creator has actually been our savior from the beginning. He loves us enough to put on flesh and walk among US – the fallen and broken lot he came to save. And the final promise made is upon which eternity and salvation hinge. “Then I saw a new heaven and new earth….Look, God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.” Revelation 21:1, 3-4. His presence with us from original creation to the new creation is a beautiful demonstration of his faithful presence and love.

 

If the Lord is so present, and so loving, then how do the bad things happen? Most of us don’t have a fully satisfactory answer to that question, but what we can do is look to the Bible. At times throughout scripture, our ancestors in the faith feel abandoned by the Lord, only to realize that God has been with them all along, working things to an end which they’d never imagined. As Paul teaches us in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” That doesn’t mean that your personal tragedy is actually a good thing. But it is explained well by Presbyterian minister Frederick Buechner in his book The Final Beast.

 

“The worst isn’t the last thing about the world. It’s the next to the last thing. The last thing is the best. It’s the power from on high that comes down into the world, that wells up from the rock-bottom worst of the world like a hidden spring. Can you believe it? The last, best thing is the laughing deep in the hearts of the saints, sometimes our hearts even. Yes. You are terribly loved and forgiven. Yes. You are healed. All is well.”

 

Death, a diagnosis, a broken family…those all may be the worst thing. But thanks to the Lord’s faithfulness, they are not the last thing. The last thing is the resurrection, and the continued presence of our faithful Lord. 

 

Prayer:

Gracious God, I thank you for your faithfulness. I am never truly alone, I am never abandoned. You created me and you will be with me through it all. There is nothing I have to be more grateful for than that. With the greatest of gratitude, I worship you and give you thanks. Amen.