In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

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When the first refugees from Syria arrived in Europe in 2015, seeking refuge from the war, I was gripped by fear once again. What consequences would this event have for me and my family? Should I emigrate or move away? Should I perhaps stockpile a large supply of food? Many questions arose within me. Our beautiful city of Speyer also agreed to take in 300 refugees. An old Bundeswehr barracks, about 300 meters as the crow flies from my home, served as the reception center.

At the same time, I started my new Bible project. My goal was to read the Bible twenty times by the time I turned forty. I had promised this to a bishop during a mission trip. I still had seven years to read the Bible sixteen times. To achieve this, I completed a speed-reading course and was looking forward to applying the newly acquired techniques to Bible reading. I opened the Bible and read the first verse: “ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ” (Genesis 1:1).

This verse struck me like a bolt of lightning, and I couldn't read on for a moment. The presence of God surrounded me, and tears welled up in my eyes. I read the verse again: " In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth " (Genesis 1:1). My worries and fears vanished instantly in God's presence. For the next 20 minutes, the world stood still for me. I felt so close to God and safe in His presence.

My findings

Right in the first verse of the Bible, God introduces himself to the reader. But he does so differently than we are used to. He refers to his works and to what he has created. He speaks to us through the image of creation and says to us metaphorically: “Look and see what I am capable of. See what extraordinary abilities I possess. When there was nothing , I created heaven and earth. Notice and recognize in creation my wisdom and insight, my power and strength. And one more thing: I existed even before creation. I am the almighty and sole ruler of the earth. Nothing is impossible for me! ”

God created the earth for all time

Our blue planet, with its entire ecosystem, was created so perfectly that it has required no further corrections since its creation. God didn't need to reduce the distance to the sun in 70 AD because Adam was constantly freezing, or even remove a sea so that humans would have more land to cultivate. No, the Earth was perfect for all time – right up to the present day.

More and more often, I hear from Christian circles that the Earth is overpopulated. There are simply too many people on our planet, the media argues as well. Is that really true? If that's the case, then God made a mistake! He should have made the Earth 1000 km wider in diameter to create an eighth continent as a habitat for humanity! No, I don't agree! The Earth is perfect for all time. I invite you to try a simple calculation.

If the entire human race of approximately 8 billion people had to relocate to Germany, which has a total area of 357,386 km², each of us would have a living space of 44 m². That's roughly the size of a spacious living room these days. For a family of five, that would equate to a usable area of 220 m². That's the size of a large house. Not bad, right?! But then entire continents would be empty, waiting to be populated. North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

No, the Earth is big enough for all of us and fertile enough to feed everyone for over 6,000 years. Simply perfect for all time – thank you for this miracle, my Creator!

These two realizations brought peace and tranquility to my heart. Even today, I regularly drive past the refugee center. But instead of succumbing to fear and dread, I bless the people and wish them happiness, health, and peace in our country—because I know that God has provided enough for all of us. At the end of 2018, I completed my Bible project. None of the subsequent 31,170 Bible verses moved me so deeply or changed my thinking as profoundly as the very first one.

Sergej Kussmaul
Municipality of Speyer