The Sure Start

“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Hebrews 11:3

As I browsed through several articles in a recent National Geographic, the common thread weaving through the words was striking. Info and facts about the domestication of animals, the revival of kung fu in China, and the impact of humans on geology were all fastened to a larger matrix of puzzling questions—Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? The magazine isn’t asking the wrong questions, but it’s not looking for the right answers. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

All stuff had a start. Though the assumption that something always was has been quietly accepted and quickly approved by many in the scientific community (and glaring glances thrown at those who dare to propose otherwise), the late-nite question haunting the minds of atheistic evolutionists remains—“How did stuff get its start?”

The answer is simple, straightforward, and astounding. God commanded, and the universe came to be. Something out of nothing. God didn’t need materials to make the world; only His word was required. When He spoke up, all we see showed up. Planets tumbled into rotation, galaxies spun through space, stars blazed with light and heat, and the first human opened his eyes to see the face of the Father.

Divine declaration determined creation. It’s here because of Him(2 Peter 3:5), and it holds together because of Him(Col. 1:16). We didn’t have to be there to be sure. The evidence is obvious, and by faith we understand what others refuse to believe. Of course we’re curious about details and dates, but the when and the how are eclipsed by the what. Minors don’t matter when you believe the major—“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Something always wasn’t, but Someone always was.
And you were part of His heart at the start.