Mel Lawrenz’s new email devotional Everything New is into its second week and going strong! If you haven’t signed up for it, you’re missing out on a great weekly devotional. Here’s an excerpt from the devotional that went out this morning, “When ‘New’ was New”:

It all happened in an instant. There was nothing; and then there was a universe where there had been nothing. Hebrews 11:3 puts it this way: “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Theologians refer to this as creation ex nihilo, “out of nothing.” It would be remarkable enough if God created mountains and seas, reptiles and mammals, men and women out of some pre-existing clay. But that is not how it happened. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. No molecules or energy waves; no planets or stars. And then there was a universe. The desire of God made real. The real beginning. The first new thing.

So whenever we long for something new to happen in our lives or in the world—especially those things we know only God can do—we can know that God likes beginnings. He really does. Otherwise the Bible wouldn’t say so much about new beginnings. God longs to renew what has become tired, broken, confused, shattered or corrupted in our lives. He just does not give up. At the end of Scripture God says “I am making everything new!” (Rev. 21:5). What does “everything” include? Let’s think about that together.

You can read the full devotional, and chime in with your own thoughts, at The Brook Institute. To have these devotionals sent to your inbox each Tuesday morning, visit our Newsletters page.