Read this familiar passage and take note of the creative and commanding characteristics of what God says (the first time God ever spoke to humans):

Gen. 1.26-31

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Whenever I read Genesis 1, I am always struck by how all the creation occurs because “God said.” God does a lot of talking in Gen. 1 and something always happens when he speaks. Note that the very first thing God does after making Adam and Eve is speak to them, directly to them. It is the first instance of “you” (the second person personal pronoun for all the grammarians out there) in the Bible and it comes when the Creator God enters into direct communication with the only part of his creation that he breathes his own Life into (see Gen. 2.7). This demonstrates that God communicating directly with humans is a normal part of our created existence, something to be expected.

Also note the nature of what God says to them: God’s speech to them is creative just as it has been throughout this chapter, creating a state of blessing and responsibility for them. Is God’s speech always in this command/creation mode? We already know that we need to be listening for God to speak to us; perhaps we also need to learn that when God speaks into our lives, his speech may very well come creating and commanding.

What do you think? Has God spoken to you lately? Are you listening? What is the Lord creating in your life? What is God commanding you to do? Are you willing to hear his creative command and obey?

It can be encouraging to share with others what the Lord has said to you. It reaffirms the word to the one who heard and it encourages others to listen and not think they’re crazy when God speaks to them. So share in the comments below.