In the Bible’s creation story, the earth is described as formless, void, and dark (Genesis 1:2). The Hebrew word that is used indicates formlessness, confusion, unreality or nothingness and empty space. Sometimes life can feel like that. Everything changes, plans fall apart and nothing seems to make sense.
I have a few examples of that in my own life:
When I was 21 years old, I made a decision. I wanted the adventure of moving far away. I went to work in a small hospital in a small town. Once there, I soon discovered that I didn’t like the isolation, and nearby city hospitals weren’t hiring. My adventure had become a disaster,
After 17 years of marriage, I realized that God wasn’t going to save my marriage. Instead, God was going to free me from it. Being single again was not part of my hopes and dreams. I hadn’t anticipated being a single mother of two teenagers. Having an uncertain future also did not figure in my plans.
The events that caused the most significant change happened a while later. Within 9 months, my children moved more than 3000 km away. My parents had been living down the street and around the corner. They had to make a change after my father’s stroke. They moved to an assisted living place more than 2 hours’ drive away. I experienced feelings of emptiness, especially in the empty spaces.
After my adventure at 21 years old, I was rehired in the hospital where I had worked before I left. After my marriage ended, I understood that the change was necessary. After my children and parents moved away, I also decided to move. My life took on a different dimension in ways I had not imagined. God knows the end from the beginning and guides our steps.
The end of Genesis 1:2 reminds us that, amid the chaos in the beginning, “the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” God is always with us.
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If we want to deal with the chaos in our lives, we must accept that life is painful and that we will have negative feelings. Haruki Murakami said, “While pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” Suffering happens if we ignore the pain. Acceptance requires us to trust that God is with us in our moments of pain, uncertainty, and joy. He is with us and loves us throughout our whole life journey.
There are some Bible verses that I have read repeatedly over the years. I hope they will bless you, too,
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; Isaiah 66:13. When everything feels like it is “too much”, it is comforting to be sheltered in the arms of the Father.
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18, 19 When the past needs to be left behind, we can be confident. God has prepared a path for us.
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11. We can go forward with confidence.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6. Trusting that our Father God knows best gives us security and peace.
A prayer written by Ted Loder
O Lord, deepen my wounds into wisdom;
Shape my weakness into compassion;
Gentle my envy into enjoyment;
My fear into trust;
My guilt into honesty.
O God, gather me to be with You as You are with me.
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