The Expanse

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE EXPANSE

Gen 1:6-8

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning — the second day.

NIV

Day two is very interesting, presenting a truth that might be larger than we see at first glance. What we know is that the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the deep. Now God spoke to the waters, which we do not know how large or deep the water is, yet he divided the water with a space, an expanse, which he made. We don't think much about the fact that God created an expanse. Before he made the expense, there was none, but only the surface of the deep. We know that He called the expanse sky, which we look up into every day of our lives. We see the sky, its clouds floating by, and stare out into the expanse God made to divide the waters. If then the water is divided, there is water under the expanse and water above the expanse. We know from Day three that he let the waters below the expanse gather in one place, and he made the dry land appear. He was forming the earth to be the perfect environment for the man he formed in their image. What we think little about, and maybe that is because we are so engrossed in our own environment, is how far the expanse is, and that there is water above it. In our modern age of technology, we have people living in the expanse, in close proximity to the earth, and with our great telescopes, we have searched farther into the expanse, but have never come close to reaching its fullness or its end, where there is water. What this tells us about God is that he is bigger than we can even imagine, yet he is extremely personal with us. We cannot even fathom the size of God who lives somewhere above the expanse, yet has this incredible personal touch upon our lives. Then we must consider that he is omnipresent, meaning he is above the expanse and right here with us. How magnificent is God, that he has such a close relationship with us, and can hear us when we talk to him, even in our small voice. How is it that God, who spoke the expanse into being, and by his word, the waters were divided into that which was below and that which was above it, still draws us close to himself? His greatness, his splendor, and his majesty, yet his grace, love, and compassion for us, boggle our minds. We can hardly come close to comprehending how great God is that all he needs to do is speak, and the whole of everything responds, yet he has given us the ability to refuse to respond. How can that be, since our very existence is a result of his work? That is why there is such a great divide among mankind, such a great expanse between those who believe and those who do not.