The Invisible Sculptor (He Speaks Ideas into Shapes)
You’ve probably skimmed over the seven days of creation with limited interest. God separates this and separates that, fills this and fills that, and (seemingly endlessly) has things reproduce “after their kind.” It looks pretty impersonal. We don’t expect this repetitious account to draw us near to God or to help us know Him intimately. So we tune out, and that’s a mistake. For the visible matter that God speaks into being reveals the character of this invisible God.
What any artist creates tells us something about them. Musicians, cartoonists, playwrights, or young Lego® architects – the work of each expresses their unique selves. What led Rembrandt and Picasso to choose such wildly distinctive ways to portray people? I have no idea, but I certainly can tell who painted what. Their distinctive styles reveal something about these two distinctive people. And that’s my point: any creation reveals its creator. Not just with people, but also with God. God’s creation reveals Him.
You may have called God “Creator” (an abstract, distant sort of name) but never considered that the Creator actually produces a product. God does things. He expresses Himself with words which produce tangible results (like bringing the world into being). God’s creations reveal Him.
Creativity started with God. Think of Him as the invisible sculptor with a unique ability to speak His ideas into shapes. His words, like a sculptor’s chisel, create tangible entities that we can see and touch and love. His words reveal His character. They show us the abundance of His heart.
Paul tells us in Romans that this invisible God – by creating the world – makes Himself known: For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made… (Romans 1:20 ESV)
God, the invisible sculptor, has, through His visible creation, shown us Himself.
What Do You Think?
What we think about the character of God has a lot to do with what we expect of Him and how we relate to Him. In future posts we’ll explore what the details of creation teach us about God. But for now, I want you to explore what you think about God
Here are a some questions to help you put your own take on God into words:
- Read Genesis 1:1-2:3. Notice all the word repetitions: – good, after their kind, separate, and it was so… . What kind of a God would – and could – emphasize these things?
- Was the newly created world under God’s control? Do you think today’s world is under His control?
- What do you learn about God from the way He deals with darkness? With formlessness? With empty places?
- Does God seem stingy? Does He seem to be holding back?
- How would you describe God’s involvement with His creation?
- Do you see any evil mixed in with the original creation? What does this tell you about God?
- What do you learn about God from observing our current world?
- Do you think God’s character has changed since His creation of the world?
The Invisible Sculptor (He Speaks Ideas into Shapes)
© Lynne Fox, 2017
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