It was 1976, and my wife and I were driving late at night through the desert in Arizona. It was pitch black outside, with no ambient light and no other cars on the road. Given the conditions, my eyes were drawn to the amazing glow in the night sky. No, it wasn’t a UFO; it was a vast Milky Way. There were billions and billions of stars, as astronomer Carl Sagan was fond of saying. Finally, I couldn’t resist; I pulled to the side of the road and Janet and I both stared in wonderment. It was breathtaking. It was beautiful. It was also a bit humbling since it highlighted for me how small and insignificant we really are in this world, and yet, God chose us to love and cherish forever. At that very moment, I couldn’t help but reflect on these words
from Genesis.

Genesis truly represents the beginning of our universe, galaxy, world, and very existence. It was and is part of God’s continuing plan. To put it into perspective, we must remember that this beginning was not the beginning of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit (mentioned in verse 2). As Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13). In other words, God is infinite. No one created Him. Later in the Bible, we get further explanation of this beginning:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. (John 1:1-4)

In the beginning, the Word already existed. Jesus existed in the beginning with God, who created everything through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.

Our memory verse and John 1:1-4 are complementary, addressing the fact that the Holy Trinity already existed and was intimately involved in the creation of everything we know. God created our world and continues to sustain it out of a deep, albeit undeserved, love. Just as the stars over Arizona humbled me and led me to worship, so too the wondrous love of God humbles us and summons us to worship. The most amazing thing to me is that this all-powerful, all-knowing God is approachable and wants a personal relationship with every one of us for eternity. What a blessing!

by Elder Mike Green