In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. So begins virtually every translation of the Holy Scriptures. In a single sentence, we are given not only an orientation to the book of Genesis, but an invitation into the entire story of God. 

Interestingly, this famous verse is followed by a recurring phrase: “And God said” (Gen 1:3). With each repetition, these words invite us deeper into the creative energies of God, bringing forth a world teeming with life, beauty, and wonder. These are not simply words of desire or longing but are words of potential and power.

When God speaks, his words command a response, bringing into being that which previously did not exist.

We are often tempted to think of Genesis as a singular event from an ancient and archaic past, with little to no bearing on the contemporary world in which we find ourselves. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth! Genesis reveals to us a world that was first spoken into being from nothing, yet is continually upheld and sustained by the creative word of God. 

“And God said” reveals to us the very nature of God as creator and sustainer. If God were to stop speaking, we would cease to exist. Everything depends upon the word of God spoken - every breath you take, every sunrise and sunset, every newborn’s cry - each is evidence that it is “in him that we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

God speaks the world into being, and through his Word, he continually speaks an invitation into an intimate and loving relationship. When we speak, it is most often because we want to be heard. Our words have an intended destination, focused and directed at a specific person or situation. It is no different with God. He speaks, not into a vacuum, but into the hearts of his beloved. His Word, we are told, is “living and active” (Heb 4:12). The Lord speaks to sustain and uphold, yet also to be known and encountered by those he loves.

"Just as in Paradise, God walks in the Holy Scriptures, seeking man." St. Ambrose of Milan

The Lord, at this very moment, is speaking and longs to be known. The question before us, then, is whether or not we are listening? Have we silenced our ears to his voice through a life of inattentiveness and calculated disregard? Do we assume him to be silent and distant, failing to see our own culpability and failure to cultivate an ear that is able to hear?

The first step to listening is to acknowledge that someone is speaking. If we do not hear his voice, let us not despair or doubt his nearness, but instead, learn to see our own faults and, by his grace, learn daily to remove the distractions and silence the chaos in our hearts and lives so that we might again learn to truly listen.