9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
My journal excerpt for this begins:
"Lord trying to place the cross over this and see a connection is difficult. Its also 5.50am and I'm in Doha airport..." So I apologise in advance for this one coming out with more gobbledegook than usual.
What we've seen so far is that the creation of the world isn't just some distant, long ago event that doesn't really relate to us today, or relate to the Christian faith in the modern age. We've seen that the creation of the world can reflect the recreation of man when we choose to submit to Christ as our Lord and Saviour. You said 'Let there be light' and there was. In the same way you ignite your light in us, without which we are only darkness and Your spirit is an external being. We have no choice in this matter, it is purely Your will, Your breath, Your word.
Then we saw the connection between the way you created the sky, a frame for the light, and how you recreate our soul, striking in new colours and striking out the old. So how does the creation of land resound with all this?
Its hard to trace a connection God, but when I look at these verses, I think they echo the cross and the work achieved in Jesus' crucifixion in a few ways.
Firstly, we are told in the Psalm 18 how the LORD is our rock. As the song sings out "Christ the Lord, Cornerstone!" God has given us steady ground to stand on. He reveals the land by drawing back the waters. He reveals himself to us and as we kneel to him we suddenly are standing on a ground more solid than we've ever known. It makes me think of us being in a boat, out at sea in a ferocious storm. But then Christ appears and suddenly we're no longer tossed to and fro by the waves (Ephesians 4:14). Christ is our rock, he is our land.
Secondly, God recreates our land, metaphorically. Before God opens our eyes and enters our hearts we are like a barren land, inhospitable, dark and dangerous. Full of sin and unfit for God to dwell in. We are dead, but God is light and love and life and creates the foundations for Him to set up camp in our souls. This links in with how we were made from the earth. We are dust that God takes and breathes into to bring about something far more beautiful.
The idea of us being land, good land for God's dwelling also resonates with Jesus' parables about the four souls. This formation of new land within us is the next step after God grants us new light and recolours our sky. And it is completely necessary: we need to be good land in order for the gospel to take seed and grow in our heart. It is my prayer that God works this soil not to be that which is full of rocks, or lets weeds overwhelm it. But that through His grace and power I might become the best I can be this side of heaven.
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