We come to the third day of God’s amazing work of creation. The world was not yet ready for humanity to live in it. There was air and there was light but there was no land and so God commanded the water to separate from the land, and it obeyed His voice. 

He established the earth on its foundations;

it will never be moved.

The watery deep covered it like a garment;

the waters reached above the mountains.

Your shout made the waters retreat;

at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off—

as the mountains rose up

and the valleys went down—

to the place you appointed for them.

You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,

so that they would not cover the earth again.

–Psalm 104:5–9

God put boundaries on those waters so that they would stay where He placed them. He made the seas, lakes, rivers, ponds, and oceans. Each body of water was undisturbed as there was nothing living in them yet. God was meticulously setting the stage for His most masterful creature, human beings. 

Sometimes I find myself thinking that the only land that existed was the garden of Eden, but when God formed the land, He made all the continents and countries, He formed the deserts and the forests, the swamps and the mountains. He filled the earth with treasures, like gold, silver, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds. Everything was made for humanity to discover. 

Then God added vegetation to this land. He colored the land with various shades of green through grass, bushes, and trees. He added splashes of color through plants and flowers. 

But not only did God give color to His land for beauty, He also made it useful. This land would feed the creatures He would place there and the people who would call it home. God is generous: He made not one, but hundreds of fruits and vegetables for His creatures to find, eat, and enjoy. 

At the end of this third day there were still no animals or people. The only sounds would have been the waves splashing on the shore and the wind blowing through the trees. While there were no voices raised in praise, there was praise that came through the creation that God had made. 

Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy.

Let the sea and everything in it shout.

Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.

Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy

–Psalm 96:11–12

Marvel at the beauty found in nature. Let it cause your eyes to be lifted to the heavens and praise the One who made all things. God saw that it was good. He had made it and He loved it. There was evening and there was morning, the third day. 

Looking to Jesus,

Have you purchased your In the Beginning Bible study journal yet? Not only will you find all of the daily reading passages and SOAP journaling pages, but you’ll have each of the daily devotions in printed form–no need to check the app on your phone while working through your study!

Don’t forget, the Bridge Reading Plan is only available in the printed journals! The Bridge is a two-week long reading plan designed to bridge the gap between two studies. In the In the Beginning journal you’ll find the Bridge Reading Plan along with two weeks of SOAP journaling pages and daily Scripture reading! Don’t miss this! The Bridge reading plans will walk through the entire Book of Psalms during 2021. This plan is found only in the study journals, so grab one today! You don’t want to miss out!

When you purchase a journal, you are helping us reach women around the world with the gospel. By purchasing a journal you help our incredible team of volunteer translators build up leaders around the world. Your journal purchase allows women to read God’s Word in their native language and have access to quality Bible study materials in the language they best understand. We hope you’ll join us on our mission to make God’s Word accessible to women in every nation and in every language!

Order In the Beginning and In the Beginning for Kids journals here!

Jen Thorn

Jen Thorn grew up in Germany and then spent her teenage years in Africa, where her parents were missionaries. She moved to the United States for college and attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago where she met her husband. They have been married for twenty-two years and have four children. Jen lives in the suburbs of Chicago, where her husband is the pastor of Redeemer Fellowship. Jen is passionate about theology and the connection to daily living.