The spirituality of Genesis centers on God as Creator and God as a Faithful Partner.

“In the beginning, God . . .” The Lord makes all things. He is therefore the God of all power and wisdom. What’s more, he creates everything good. Very good. And when they go bad, he still works his good will. Things are not the way they were supposed to be. Genesis begins the story of a God who is working to make things right.

When humans abandon their proper place and rebel against the Lord, he punishes them as any loving father would. But he does not abandon humanity or the rest of his creation. Genesis tells the story of how God works in surprising ways through human choices, good and bad, to reclaim and restore his creation.

Genesis tells of a faithful God. And the Lord in turn expects his people to be faithful. That means trusting him, especially when his ways do not make sense. Abraham is willing to sacrifice his own son. Joseph trusts even when he is a slave and a prisoner. As we meditate on these stories of those who trusted, followed, and wrestled with God, let us open ourselves to his Spirit. Let us trust his inscrutable ways. Let us believe God so he might, through his covenant of love, count us as righteous.