The Bible declares that God made the world out of nothing—He created! He did not make something out of something—He created something out of nothing. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). I marvel that the “theory” of evolution is still being taught by supposedly intelligent people, when it has been proven false time after time.
Someone might ask, “But what about the tests that show certain things, such as rock formations, are millions of years old?” How old do you think Adam was when he was created? He was an adult, right? Therefore, he was created with age. Would it not be logical to conclude that God also made the rocks, trees, and animals with age as well? The fact that something dates back a million years does not disprove Creation.
As Bible-believing Christians, we believe that God spoke the world into existence. “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:6–9). Yes, when God said, “Let there be light,” that light came out of nowhere, for it was created—spoken by God into existence.
The reformer, Martin Luther, once said, “God made the world out of nothing. It is only when we become nothing that God can make something out of us.” We have no trouble believing that God made the entire universe out of nothing without any help from anyone or anything else. Yet, we struggle with the thought that God can accomplish something great in our lives without our help.
In our selfish pride, we want to believe that God needs our talents or our personalities to accomplish His work. The truth is, we have nothing outside of Him! The Apostle Paul poses the question: “…and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Whatever you and I possess by way of ability or opportunity is a direct gift from God. “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven” (John 3:27). Jesus said, “…for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
It is when God gets us down to nothing that He can make something from us. We used to sing a song in our teen department when I was young that I understand a lot more now than I did back then.
One by one He took them from me,
All the things I valued most.
Until I was empty-handed;
Every glittering toy was lost.
And I walked earth’s highway grieving,
In my rags and poverty;
’Til I heard His voice inviting:
Lift your empty hands to me.
So I held my hands toward Heaven,
And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches,
’Til they could contain no more.
And at that I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull,
That God could not pour His riches
Into hands already full.
Why don’t you empty yourself today of everything “you” are—your will, your goals, your dreams, your agenda? Pour it out before the Lord and confess to Him that you are nothing. Then step back and watch God take “…the things which are not, to bring to nought the things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:28–29).
