The rather mind-blowing reality, however, is that creation was not a one-off event that happened long, long ago. God is still Creator and He continues to create, even in the 21st Century.
Psalm 104: 30, for example, says that God not only created the earth, back in the beginning of time, but He also, "renews the face of the earth" on an ongoing basis. Isaiah 65: 17 says that He will one day create a new heaven and earth - something that is echoed in Revelation 21: 1.
Amos 4: 13 speaks of His creating the wind... something that needs to happen on a regular basis. Interestingly, the word for wind is ruach and it also means breath or spirit - as when God breathed the breath of life into man (Gen 2: 7) or when Job says, "The Spirit of God created me, and the breath of El Shaddai gave me life."
(Job 33: 4)
God can create so much more than the physical world around us. David prays, "Create a clean heart in me, oh God, and renew a right spirit (ruach) in me." (Psalm 51: 10) The verb ḥāḏaš (renew) is often used to express the fact that God continues to create, restore and make new every day.
Isaiah tells us that God is not only the Creator of the ends of the earth; He is also the One who can create new strength in those who wait expectantly for Him to renew them in times of weariness. (Isaiah 40: 28 - 31)
This understanding of a God who is our Creator appears dozens of times in the Old Testament, and then continues to be a common theme in the New, where the Greek word is usually ktizō. Paul reminds the Colossians that everything, whether physical or spiritual, visible or invisible, was created by Him and for Him. (Col 1: 16) John's gospel tells us that Jesus was with the Father at creation and played a part in everything that was made. (John 1: 3) The angels around God's throne in heaven continue to proclaim that He created all things for His pleasure. (Rev 4: 11)
The Bible also tells us why we were created. The book of Genesis shows that we were created to have fellowship with God, to reflect His image and to take care of the creation here on earth. The New Testament tells us that He also wants us to be His co-workers (the Greek word in 1 Cor 3: 9 is synergos.) We are God's masterpiece, created in Jesus Christ, to do good works that He prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2: 10)
Living in a world that God created therefore has implications for how we live our lives. The writer of Ecclesiastes urges young people to, "Remember your Creator while you are young, before difficult days come and you find yourself saying that life isn't pleasant any more." (Eccl 12: 1) There's a poignancy to this plea, as the writer, thought by many to be Solomon, was writing in a time of disillusionment, a season of feeling fed up with the futility of life. Remember your Creator now, he's saying, before it's too late and you discover you've messed your life up by ignoring Him.
Indeed, Paul tells the citizens of Rome that not remembering God leads to all kinds of foolishness and evil. The greatest foolishness of all is when man goes his own way and worships created things instead of worshipping the Creator. We are without excuse, he says, because God has clearly revealed Himself through His creation. (Romans 1: 20 and 25) This is similar to what David wrote in Psalm 19: 1, when he said that the heavens display God's glory and handiwork.
Made in God's image, we are naturally creative too. God invites us to use our creativity for His glory, and He promises to create new strength in us as we follow in His ways.
