Thoughts for the Day

The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth—
when he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the world’s first bits of soil.
When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

A designer of some great project starts with a plan. Today this might be helped by a computer, but in the end there will be sheets of drawings showing every single item from window spaces to places for electric sockets. Our picture today is the blueprint for a residence, showing the main floor plan. Inbuilt cupboard doors need to be able to open without obstructing something else; there needs to be exact spaces for kitchen appliances; and all of this has to comply with building regulations.

Proverbs turns to look at the ultimate planner - God, who designed and ordered the whole of creation. Non-Christians dispute that God had anything to do with creation, but even they agree that the world has natural laws that act as checks and balances. Unfortunately as we all know, humans can affect these laws and damage our environment. Cutting down forests and burning fossil fuels is heating the earth and all people are suffering from climate change.

Solomon uses the Hebrew word 'qanah' which is transcribed as 'create' at the beginning of this passage. He says that "The Lord created me" (ie Wisdom) but 'qanah' can also mean ‘possess’. Some translations therefore prefer to speak of God possessing Wisdom, since it sounds as though he had none until He created it! Whichever we choose, the point is that God's Wisdom was involved. Note the beautiful poetry that describes our world, and the way God "delights in the human race".

Lord God,
You designed our beautiful, complicated world,
with its seas, forest, deserts, rivers, and mountains.
May we learn how to protect the earth,
stopping the damage caused
by the way we live,
and starting to reverse the damage.
Help us to make changes to our life
and accept our part in in the desecration
of God's perfect world.
Amen.