Passage, Paragraph, and Prayer

In Psalm 104:25, the psalmist reaches Day 5 of creation and the creatures that God created to fill the sea. With its vastness and the innumerable life-forms that fill it, the sea is a tremendous example of God’s power and wisdom. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Genesis 2:7 highlights both the custom-tailored way God created man and the special way God animated man. In this devotion, we take a closer look at God’s animating of dust to create mankind. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724). 

Psalm 104:24 serves as a transition verse between Day 4 and Day 5 of creation. It allows us to pause and consider something the scholars of the world generally keep people from thinking about—how the natural world attests to God’s wisdom. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Genesis 2:7 highlights both the custom-tailored way God created man and the special way God animated man. In this devotion, we take a closer look at God’s custom creating. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724). 

In this episode we consider and thank God for the beauty and benefits of the orderly progression of time. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

In this episode we look at how Moses contrasts the way the earth was watered in the beginning with how it is watered now. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724). 

In this episode we consider how the psalmist frames the darkness as the workday of the wild animals. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Genesis 2:4 begins the first of the ten “accounts” that make up the book of Genesis. That means that Genesis 1:1—2:3 was only an introduction to the main body of Moses’s work. Now we are getting into the rising action. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724). 

When was the last time you took notice of the moon? In this episode, the psalmist leads us to consider the blessings God has given us especially in the two great lights of the sky. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

This is the second in a series of two episodes containing concluding thoughts on the first week of history. In this episode, we think about the fundamental assumptions of Christianity and science, and weigh them against each other. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

Psalm 104 follows the creation account in Genesis 1. Yet in verses 16–18, which cover Day 3 of creation, the psalmist already mentions the living creatures created on Days 5 & 6. Pastor Biebert explores the reason for that in this devotion. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

This is the first in a series of two episodes containing concluding thoughts on the first week of history. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

Have you ever seen a California redwood or a giant oak or cypress tree? It’s an impressive sight. And they are an impressive testimony to God’s provision. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Did you ever notice what is missing in Genesis 2:3? There is no “There was evening, and there was morning.” That’s because, in a way, this seventh day was meant to have no end. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

God doesn’t give us food products just to nourish us and keep us going until we die. In this episode, Pastor Biebert discuss the three different uses of food products covered by this psalm. If you're poetically or musically inclined, make sure to listen to the very end for an interesting sidenote. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

In this episode, Pastor Biebert begins to discuss what it means that God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

Who brings forth bread from the earth? We do, and God does. In this devotion, Pastor Biebert leads you in meditating on these juxtaposed truths. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

“On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” What does that mean? In the last Genesis episode, we considered what it doesn’t and can’t mean. In this episode, we consider what it does mean. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

From 104:10–12, the psalmist talked about God’s watering of the valleys with springs, and how those springs quench the thirst of the animals living in the valleys. But what about areas of higher elevation? In this devotion, the psalmist reminds us to thank God for his gift of rain. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

“On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” What does that mean? In this episode, we first consider what it doesn’t and can’t mean. In next week’s Genesis devotion, we’ll consider what it does mean. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

The birds have it so good, they sing every day. How good, then, do we have it, since God’s own Son gave his life for us, and not for the birds? In this episode, Pastor Biebert discusses the care God gives the beasts and the birds, and how that care should encourage us and deflate our worry. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

In the Old Testament, God is regularly called “the LORD of hosts” or “the LORD of armies.” Just who or what makes up these armies? Moses answers that question in Genesis 2:1. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

In Psalm 104:10–11, David begins talking about God’s creative activity on Day 3, and how it still benefits both man and beast today. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

The Germans have a proverb: Das Werk lobt den Meister. “The work proves (or praises) the craftsman.” That means that when Moses tells us that God surveyed his finished creation and saw that it was “very good,” we aren’t just learning about God’s work. We’re learning about God himself. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,”...

Sometimes people with good intentions, who want us to be better stewards of the earth, unnecessarily and mistakenly turn into alarmists, warning us that the oceans will rise and cover all or most of the inhabitable land if we don’t act. However, in Psalm 104, David allays our alarm and tells us about the boundaries God has set for the seas. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenbur...