Poplar Springs Seventh-day Adventist^® School

Scripture: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

Observation: These two verses open the book of Genesis, the Bible, and the history of humanity on this earth.  It speaks of the chaos that reigned on the earth before God began His work of creation and before He brought everything into a perfect order and harmony.  There, when the earth was without form and void, the Spirit of God hovered over the abyss as He began to bring order out of disorder.

Application: As we begin a new year, this is an opportunity to look over our marriage and our family and ask God to bring order out of chaos.  It may seem as if our marriage or our family is falling apart – it could be an illness, or death; it could be infidelity or lack of commitment; it could be falling into the doldrums, the routine, the unhealthy comfort of life; it could be an abandonment of our spiritual connection with God and thus with one another.  Whatever it is that’s brought disorder and chaos in our life, in our marriage, in our family, we can ask God to send His Holy Spirit to restore order, to bring back harmony, to make something very good out of the  chaos we have created.

A Prayer you May Say: Father, as we begin this new year, please send your Spirit to bring harmony and order out of what we have so badly mismanaged.  Recreate in us Your image and thus make of our marriage and family a true reflection of You.

Used by permission of Adventist Family Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.