Barbara lay on her back at the foot of her bed so she could soak in the awesome beauty of the star studded sky from her bedroom window. Not long ago, she and her family had moved from the pollution of New York City to the woods of northern Maine. It was hard to sleep, thinking she might miss seeing another shooting star. Just being able to SEE the stars - away from the bright lights of the city - filled her heart with wonder and amazement.
"Where did all those stars COME from? Have they BEEN there ALL this time? How come I never could SEE them before? Has the moon ALWAYS been that bright?" Questions shot through her mind like shooting stars. She decided to stay up all night long, just so she could watch the summer sun come up over the horizon in the morning.
**A TWINKLE IN THE DARK**
Once there were no stars, no moon, no sun - not even an EARTH. There was not even a twinkle of light. All was dark - so dark you could almost FEEL it, except there was nothing to FEEL either. Because nothing was out there. All was empty space - SO empty that there was not one thing that could bump into another thing. So empty that not even one SOUND could be heard, not even a whisper. Because no one was out there...except GOD. And THAT'S when it all began - a long, LONG time ago.
The Bible tells us, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," and this is exactly how He did it.
The first sound that was ever heard was when God opened his mouth on that first day and said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT." As soon as He spoke those words, there was a powerfully bright flash and all the darkness fled away into a corner. God saw how good it was. It must have made Him VERY happy...but not happy enough. Because then He decided to separate the light from the darkness, by calling the light "day" and the darkness "night." And so ended the first day.
He must have known how difficult it would have been to rest if it were bright ALL the time, so he fixed it so it would be dark just PART of the time - at nighttime - so we could find it easier to sleep.
**But God wasn't finished yet.**
The second day, God said, "Let there be a sky," and, oh, how BEAUTIFUL it was! There was day and there was night, and now there was a beautiful blue sky. And still God wasn't done. Do you know how come? Because everywhere you looked there was nothing but water. The day, and the night, and the sky, and the water were so BEAUTIFUL...
**But God wanted MORE.**
So, on the third day, the Bible says God gathered the water together in one place. He said to the oceans, "You stay here." And you know what? They obeyed Him! And to the rivers, He said, "You belong over there." And they listened, too. And to the lakes, "You stay in this place." And they obeyed Him, too.
Can you imagine what would happen if they DIDN'T obey him? Why there would be utter CHAOS! Things would be floating when we'd least expect them to and whenever we turned our back, we could be run over by a wave. I'm so glad they LISTENED to God, aren't you?
And God named the dry land "earth" and the water he called "seas." So now there was day and there was night,
**and there was a beautiful blue sky,**
**and there were oceans and rivers and lakes.**
God saw how good the third day was. It must have made Him VERY happy...but not happy enough. Because then he made the grass and plants and fruit trees with seeds inside them that could grow MORE plants and fruit trees. Some plants and trees He made just to make everything look pretty. Others he made so we would have fruits and vegetables to eat.
Most plants grew UP - like apples and pears and corn and broccoli. Other plants grew DOWN - like potatoes and turnips and carrots. And some plants grew SIDEWAYS - like cucumbers and watermelons and squash. And God was VERY pleased with all He did on that third day.
So now there was day and there was night, and there was a beautiful blue sky, and there were oceans and rivers and lakes, and there were grass and plants and trees.
**But STILL He wasn't finished!**
**There was yet more work to do!**
On the fourth day, God said, "Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night, and for Winter, Spring Summer, and Fall, and for days and years." And you know what? That's exactly what happened! Just like God said.
God made two really BIG lights. The larger one we call the "sun," He made to shine in the day and a smaller one we call the "moon," He made to shine at night. He also made the stars and put them exactly where He wanted them. God put all these beautiful lights in the sky to give light to the earth. The sun gives light to the earth during the day and the moon and stars give light to the earth during the night.
**And God saw that it was good.**
So now there was day and there was night, and there was a beautiful blue sky, and there were oceans and rivers and lakes, and there were grass and plants and trees, and there were the sun, moon and stars.
Next time you see a star twinkle in the night, stop and think about this: God put a twinkle in the dark so we would remember how very important it is to obey Him just like the stars do.
Who made the first sound that was ever heard?
What would happen if the water didn't obey God?
What would happen if the stars didn't obey God?
What happens if WE don't obey God?
BIBLE MEMORY VERSE
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
Dear God, help me to remember what a BEAUTIFUL
earth You created for me. Teach me to OBEY Your
voice. Help me stay in Your house where I belong
so I can worship You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
Copyright © 2013 by Barbara Wilmerton Haas.
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