It’s time to go back to Genesis and start reading again. Each time I return, I see something different that speaks to my heart.

Verse 2 of Genesis 1 – The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters. Look at all the descriptive words: unformed, void, darkness, deep. I went to my favorite concordance and found these notes:

• Unformed comes from the root meaning to lie waste, a desolation. Figuratively speaking, this word means a worthless thing.
• Void comes from the root to be empty and also describes a lack of thought or intelligence or an undistinguishable ruin. Lack of thought or intelligence? Empty-headed?
• Darkness means literally dark or obscure. Figuratively speaking, it refers to misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness.
• And deep? Think of an abyss covered with uncontrolled, surging water.

Have you ever visited this place? I have. Sometimes I arrived there because of my own choices. Sometimes others invited me to go along and I was too naive to refuse the invitation. And I’ve been dragged there a couple of times because of choices others made. No matter how we get there, it felts like a deep, dark hole full of nothing good. The reality is that there are plenty of these deep dark, worthless holes full of misery just waiting for us to step or fall into.

This is just the second verse of the Bible. But there’s hope! See the phrase that finishes the sentence? “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” – those deep, dark waters.

He hovered. He moved in an ever-so-gently, relaxed way. He wasn’t in the deep. He wasn’t a part of the darkness. The desolate, empty, miserable, uncontrollable space didn’t bother Him. He was there, hovering, just above the fray – with a plan. His plan involved lighting things up.

Genesis 1:3 says “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” In the space right above the darkness, He hovers and calls to us. “What can I do for you? My child, what do you want? Can I turn on the light for you?” Light can be scary because we see what is really there. What if our imaginations have gotten things right? What if things really are as bad as we feel and think they are?

But He knows we need light to see the truth of the situation and act in more thoughtful (less empty-headed?) ways. Misery and darkness will not move until the light is turned on. And when we let Him, He separates the darkness and light in our lives and calls us to walk in His light each step of the way.

Do you need light today? Simply ask Him for His light. “Heavenly Father and God Almighty, turn on the light. Let me see Truth. Help me walk in Light. Help me to deal with any darkness by moving closer to You and walking humbly with You.”

Do you know someone who needs the light turned on? You can ask for that too. He is hovering over the darkness where they are. “Almighty God, in the beginning, You said, “Light” and the light appeared. Speak light into the life of the one I love and help me respond as You do with mercy, grace, and truth as they begin to see the reality of their circumstances. Help me humbly walk in Your Light as well.”