We were not there to see it, but God’s raw display of His infinite power, as He brought the whole universe and all that is in it into being, must have been awesome and beyond description. When we reflect on the book of Genesis and specifically on the first verse in the Bible, this act of creation immediately grabs our attention. Yet, something else was going on as God created. A deeper understanding of the entire Creation account reveals what God was really doing: Creation was an act of His providential love for us. In his first works, well before humans were created, our heavenly Father already had all of us in mind. He provided the elements that made all of life – and ultimately humanity and our unique dwelling place, Earth – possible. Humans, referred to in Holy Scripture as “God’s Masterpiece” in Creation (Eph. 2:10 – NLT), are the beneficiaries of His great act of providential love from the very beginning.
We were not there to see it when, again, God’s amazing act of providential love bestowed upon sin-plagued humanity what we most needed: the birth of Christ, our Savior. This time, however, the display of the Lord’s still awesome power was as simple as it could get. It came in the form of a tiny cry in the night, a poor newborn lying in a manger, a tired mother, and a caring father keeping watch over them. Although celebrated in the heavenlies and announced by angels to shepherds in fields just outside the town of David, the mood inside that humble Bethlehem barn was one of rest and quiet. Mary treasured up the eternal significance of her son’s birth, keeping in her heart that in the “City of Bread,” Jesus, the “Bread of Life,” had come to us. Once again, in His loving providence, God had given those he loves the essential Element for our lives: the Messiah Who would bring us life everlasting.
This Advent Season, may we ponder anew the magnitude of God’s gift of life. How wonderful is His providential love for us! Amen
Dr. Toni Chiareli