Let There Be Light

Let There Be Light

Before God spoke, the earth was described as formless and empty, with darkness covering the deep. There was no order, no beauty, and no life as we know it.

And then God spoke:

“Let there be light.”

And there was light.

This is the first recorded command of God in Scripture. God didn't need materials to create it. He didn't need to struggle against another power. He simply spoke, and creation responded.

There is something especially significant about the fact that God created light before the sun, moon, and stars. Those heavenly bodies aren't introduced until the fourth day (Genesis 1:14–19). The light in these first verses, therefore, isn't simply a description of sunlight. It demonstrates God's authority over creation.

Light existed because God commanded it to exist.

Then Genesis 1:4 says:

“God saw that the light was good.”

God distinguished the light from the darkness, establishing the pattern of light and darkness, day and night. Throughout Genesis 1, we repeatedly see God bringing order out of what was previously without form and filling what was empty.

And there is a beautiful theme here.

The Bible begins with darkness.

And God's first recorded creative word is:

“Let there be light.”

That theme of light continues throughout Scripture.

Light becomes associated with God's presence, truth, righteousness, revelation, and salvation. Later, Jesus declares:

“I am the light of the world.” — John 8:12

John's Gospel intentionally echoes Genesis when it begins:

“In the beginning was the Word...” — John 1:1

John goes on to tell us that life was in Him, and that life was the light of all mankind, and that the light shines in the darkness (John 1:4–5).

So Genesis begins with God bringing physical light into a dark creation, while the larger story of Scripture ultimately points us toward Christ bringing spiritual light into a dark world.

And this is where these verses become personal for me.

I've had seasons in my own life when things didn't look anything like I thought they would. Times when I didn't understand what God was doing. Times when I couldn't see what was ahead or how He could possibly bring something good out of circumstances that felt anything but good.

But looking back, I can see something I couldn't always see in the moment:

God was there.

He was working even when I couldn't see Him working.

He was bringing order where I couldn't see any order.

He was making something beautiful out of things I might have considered broken, empty, or even the result of my own poor choices.

I've learned that God doesn't need everything to already be in order before He begins His work.

Look at Genesis.

It was formless.

It was empty.

It was dark.

And God spoke.

“Let there be light.”

And there was light.

That doesn't mean every dark season in our lives disappears immediately when we pray. Scripture certainly doesn't promise that. There will be seasons when we don't understand, when we have to wait, when we hurt, and when we simply have to trust God in the middle of the darkness.

I've had to learn that too.

But these verses remind me of who God is in the darkness.

He is the God who creates where there seems to be nothing.

He brings order where there is chaos.

He brings beauty where there is emptiness.

And He brings light where there is darkness.

Sometimes we want God to show us the whole picture before we can trust Him. We want to know what He's doing, where He's leading, and how everything is going to work out.

But Genesis 1 reminds me that God doesn't need me to understand what He's doing.

He simply needs me to trust who He is.

Because He is still the God who speaks into darkness.

And when God speaks, darkness doesn't get to argue with Him.

“Let there be light.”

And there was light.

That is the God I know.

And that is the God I trust.

Darkness may be present, but darkness does not have the final word when God is present.

Genesis 1:3–4 isn't merely telling us that God created light. It introduces us to a God who speaks into darkness and brings forth something good.

And if He can do that with creation, I believe He can do it in us, too.

Whoever Has Ears to Hear, Let Them Hear

Whoever Has Ears to Hear, Let Them Hear

In Mark 4, Jesus is teaching a large crowd gathered beside the Sea of Galilee. The crowd is so large that Jesus gets into a boat and teaches them from the water while they stand along the shore.

He tells them a parable about a farmer scattering seed. The seed falls on four different kinds of ground:

• Along the path — the seed is quickly taken away.
• On rocky ground — it springs up quickly but has no depth and withers.
• Among thorns — the plants grow, but the thorns choke them.
• On good soil — the seed takes root and produces a harvest.

Then Jesus says:

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

He wasn't merely talking about having functioning ears. Everyone in the crowd could physically hear His words. Jesus was talking about something deeper: Are you really listening? Are you allowing God's Word to take root in you? Are you willing to respond to what He is saying?

Later, when Jesus is alone with His disciples and those around Him, He explains the parable. The seed represents the Word of God, and the different soils represent the different ways people receive that Word.

That makes Mark 4:9 a very personal verse. It causes me to ask myself, Am I really hearing what God is saying to me, or am I simply reading His Word and moving on?

I have read this Scripture many times, but sometimes a verse we've read over and over suddenly makes us stop and think about it a little differently.

Jesus says:

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

The interesting thing about the parable is that the seed itself isn't the problem. The difference is what happens when the seed lands on different kinds of soil.

That makes me think about my own heart.

I can read my Bible every day. I can underline verses, write notes in the margins, listen to sermons and Bible teachers, and spend time studying God's Word — and I do all of that. But am I really hearing it?

Am I allowing God's Word to correct me when I need correction?

Am I willing to change when God shows me something that needs to change?

Am I listening when He reminds me to trust Him instead of trying to figure everything out myself?

Am I hearing Him when He tells me to forgive, to be patient, to love someone, to let go of worry, or simply to be still and trust Him?

There is a difference between hearing words and truly listening to them.

I think that is part of what Jesus was getting at when He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

God's Word is speaking. The question isn't whether He has something to say. The question is whether I am willing to stop, listen, and let His Word take root in me.

I've been reading through the Bible this year with The Bible Recap plan on the Bible App, and one thing I continue to realize is that God's Word isn't meant to simply give me information. It is meant to change me. It is meant to shape how I think, how I live, how I treat people, and how I respond to the circumstances of life.

Sometimes God speaks something that encourages me.

Sometimes He speaks something that challenges me.

Sometimes He speaks something I don't necessarily want to hear.

But if I truly want to follow Him, I need to have ears that are willing to hear all of it—not just the parts that are comfortable.

That is my prayer:

“Lord, help me not just to read Your Word, but to truly hear it. Give me a heart that is good soil. Help me recognize Your voice, receive what You are saying, and then live it out.”

Because having ears to hear isn't simply about listening to God's Word.

It's about being willing to do something with what we hear.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Lord, I'm listening.