Day 1 - Let There Be Light

The Creator - The Light of the World - The God of Israel

Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Genesis 1:3

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Light is one of the most critical factors in human life. Without the sun's light, there would be no daytime. We wouldn’t be able to see, nor would we have the heat produced by sunlight. Additionally, we wouldn’t receive the nutrients that our bodies absorb from sunlight. Plant life wouldn’t thrive, which would impact our oxygen supply and access to various foods. Life, as we know it, wouldn’t exist. This is why light has come to symbolize many positive attributes and characteristics that are beneficial in life, such as wisdom, understanding, clarity, and hope. If not for God, none of this would exist. 

“Let there be…”

When God said, “Let there be light,” He didn’t create light the same way He created everything else later that week. The English phrase “let there be” refers to God’s revelation. God unveiled His natural essence as “light” in a new and physical way for our benefit. How was this different from the other things God did when He created the universe? We can look at God’s work in creating Planet Earth, including the sun, moon, stars, trees, animals, and people. Those are things we relate to every day. The same is not true for what God did on the first day. He spoke light into existence before He created the tools we use to see and understand it. No one has ever experienced a situation where they could see light without also seeing its source. No one has ever seen “light” directly as the revelation of God’s glory as He displayed it on that first day.

“And there was light…”

Also, notice that God’s manifestation of light on that first day was aimed to benefit people who wouldn’t be created for another five days. When God uses His power to reveal Himself, He does so with the future in mind, ultimately to glorify Himself. God didn’t need another source or substance to make the light shine. He also didn’t need an audience to understand the method and purpose of His work. The world was dark until God made His natural essence known to it, and those things were true before people could examine or experience them. Without God’s eternally self-existing and self-sustaining light, ultimately made manifest in Jesus Christ, our lives and world remain dark. This is true no matter public opinion or perspective. It has always been and will always be. Still, God makes His glory available to us, even before we need it, for our benefit. To Him be the glory!

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Prayer for today

LORD, help us to see the revelation of Your light in darkness, not from things made by people, but from the direct output of Your Word. Help us to understand that “good” comes from the effects of Your Word as “light.” Help us to depend on You as the eternal God of heaven and earth, so our light shines before others, allowing others to see the effects of Your glory in our lives to glorify You as they see it. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.