From the first verse of the Bible till the end, we have the story of God’s love for his creation; for all mankind. Alpha and Omega: The beginning and the end. In the Greek alphabet, in which the New Testament was written, alpha is the first letter and omega the last. In the book of Revelation chapter 22:13, God says: ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last…’ meaning that God remains from the beginning to the end of time. He has always existed and always will. Since God is love (1 John 4:8), his love has always existed as well.

I am not here to debate the timeline of creation, as to when or how the earth was created or the meaning of ‘a day’, I just know that God was the creator, and that is what is important. Now, if it took millions of years to create the foundation of the earth, think what perfection and dedication went into our home. What love was in the plans. The details of our existence are amazing. We could not exist without everything working in its proper order, or the planets drifting out of line. Love was in every bit of the makeup of our planet; after all, he had his own children to consider.

The very first words in the Bible, ‘In the beginning God…’ (Genisis 1:1) is the focus of what the book is about; the workings of God: who he is, what he is like. and what he has been and is doing. He didn’t just throw some paint on a canvas or put a brush in the hands of an ape and wonder what the outcome would be, he worked in every detail of the well-laid plans he had for his creation; and as the Bible states, it was ‘very good’ (v.31). So, from the beginning to the end, God poured out his grace and love upon his people, sticking with them even though they abandoned him and the good things he had for them.

God always intended to pour out his love and grace on us all, and he always has. I did not see and understand this in my first years of life, but the older I get the more I am able to visualise the workings of God’s love in my daily existence. He was there when things went wrong and there when they went right. Many of the hard times were of my own making, but God so gently opened my eyes to it and gave me the solution and the strength to correct them or work through them. God’s grace and mercy has always been a part of my life even when I did not perceive it.

I was reminded today of the parable of the Sower. It seems as if the word of God was wasted on many, but then I remembered the seed I inherited in my present home. I had no idea how long it had been there, and curiosity made me want to plant it and find out what it was, but I never got around to it. Many years later I did plant those seeds, and they grew to my amazement. So, you see the seed, the word of God, that God spreads is not wasted, it is just waiting for the right conditions to grow. God’s grace is with his people and for his people, even when we do not know it yet. To this I also add amen.

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