God is God and We Are Not

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

Genesis 1:1 is a very familiar verse. It begins the astounding but all too common creation account in which God creates the entire heavens and earth and all that it contains simply by speaking. But it also declares another truth: God was.

The Bible begins by assuming that before anything else was, there was God. He simply is. In the beginning, there was God. Scripture echoes God’s eternal and everlasting existence throughout several other passages in the Bible.

Psalm 90:2 declares, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Or consider Ps. 93:2,  “Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.” Truly God is the “eternal God” (Rom. 16:26).

So what does this have to do with us?

Well, in one sense, nothing. God is, has always been, and always will be. He is the everlasting and eternal God of this universe, and we are not. We really control very little in our lives but instead serve and love a very big and powerful God who reigns over all things.

But in another sense, it has everything to do with us. God is ultimate reality. He is the source of life. He is the source of all things, and we are not. It is good to remember our limitations and our dependence.

And yet this God loves us. He sets his mercy and grace upon us in Jesus Christ and does not leave us to our own resources. Instead, God lavishes his resources upon us. It is good news that the eternal God is not against us because of our sin but for us because of his sinless son, Jesus.

May you take comfort in the fact that God is God and you are not. Even on challenging and sorrowful days, trust him as the eternal and everlasting God who knows what he is doing.