Creation Series: Heaven and Earth (the Second Day)

“Then God said: Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other. God made the dome, and it separated the water below the dome from the water above the dome. And so it happened.. God called the dome “sky.” Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.” (Genesis 1:6-8).

Elementary Activities:

Earth and Space Activity

Jello and Cloud Parfait

Sky Sensory Bin

Soap Clouds

Activities for Teens:

On the second day, God creates the sea and the sky. He continues to bring form out of the chaos of the earth.

In Hebrew, the word Heaven (Gen 1:8) can be translated to “sky” or “heavens”. In the Jewish tradition the lowest level of heaven was thought to be the atmosphere, and the highest level was where God dwells. Throughout Scripture we see the importance of the waters and the sky. Later in the New Testament Jesus’ control over creation through the natural miracles will help reveal his divinity.

We see a bit of a parallel in Matthew when Jesus calms the wind and the seas.

The Calming of the Storm at Sea.

He got into a boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” (Mt 8:23-27)

In looking at what might seem chaotic impossible in our every day lives, we are reminded that the LORD bring order and he has the control that we do not. If we continue to keep our eyes set on him, who is above, we can overcome even the storms within our lives.

The writer of the Hymn “It is Well with my Soul” knew very well of the trials of life, especially after having lost his wife and family in a shipwreck, while on their way to vacation in the mid-1800’s. Christ continued to keep him anchored, and he wrote this hymn to be a reminder of the steadiness and strength that God alone can provide. To learn a bit more about the story, click HERE.

Let us continue to trust in what God is doing and continues to do in our lives. May we know that he alone can form beautiful things even out of the chaos and storms in our lives.