In the presence of God, Isaiah was not proud, demanding his way, or assertive of his will. In the presence of God, Isaiah pleaded for the mercy of God. This is how you must understand Genesis chapter 1 and the nature of man. Man’s nature and purpose are not according to the autonomous will of man but determined, ordained, and commanded by the sovereignty of God.

Like Isaiah before the throne, recognize who you are before holy God. You are an image bearer of God, a steward of creation, and made to fulfill the will and purposes of God.

Believing that God created all things out of nothing is a matter of faith. It is also fundamental to being a Christian. At the heart of every heresy and evil sin is a rebellion against God’s sovereignty that is demonstrated most fully through the creation.

 The early church developed what is known as the Apostles’ Creed. It remains today a fundamental statement of Christian orthodoxy. The first line of the creed reads: “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.”

 In AD 325, the result of the Council of Nicaea produced the Nicene Creed. While the Apostles Creed predated it, this was the first creed to be officially recognized, and it provided theological clarity in opposition to the heresies of its day. It too began with an affirmation of God the creator: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.” 

This fundamental truth that “God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible” forms how Christians understand God and His creation. God is the creator of all things. God is sovereign over all things. And it is good.

William Cowper was born in 1731 and became a well-known English poet. He is best known today as a hymn writer.

He struggled with debilitating depression all of his life and spent some time in an asylum for the insane. Through the providence of God, he moved to Olney, where he met and developed a close friendship with John Newton, a former slave ship captain who had devoted his life to Christ and the gospel ministry. Newton ministered greatly to Cowper in some of his darkest days of depression. He also invited him to contribute to a hymnbook he was compiling. Newton's hymnbook would include many of the hymns that continue to bless the church today, such as his hymn, Amazing Grace, and Cowper's hymn, There is a Fountain Filled with Blood.

The hymn that most moves me is "God Works in a Mysterious Way." The lyrics of this hymn are so powerful to me because, in no small part, I know they were penned by a man who desperately struggled with depression yet tenaciously clung to the promises of the gospel. He believed God's word and trusted in God's promises alone. Emotions will lead you astray. Feelings will tell you a lie. However, the truth of God stands forever and will bless you for eternity.