Genesis 1: God Makes the World, a Bible Story for Bedtime

Right at the very start of everything, the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the deep. Tonight's story comes from the very first chapter of the Bible, in the book of Genesis. Let's begin together.

Glimmer: Hi, friend! I'm Glimmer, and I'm glowing just for you. Ooh, I do love a good story!

The Bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The earth was empty, and darkness was over the deep waters, with no shape yet. And God’s Spirit was hovering over the water. Even in the dark, God’s Spirit was there.

Then God spoke. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light! It was the first light in the story. God saw the light, and saw that it was good. Can you picture how lovely that first light must have looked?

God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day. Our big round Earth turns slowly, all the way around, once every day. That is why there is a time for playing in the light, and a time for sleeping in the dark, just like now.

On the second day, God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and God called it “sky”. Look up, and picture it, the wide sky above. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Now, you might be wondering about the sky. Isn't it blue because of sunlight? You would be right. Sunlight looks white, but it is really made of every color of the rainbow, and the blue bounces around in the air more than the rest. That is true, and it is wonderful. The story tells us something else: not how the blue gets there, but who made the sky. Some people see science and the story as answering different questions, and it is fine to keep wondering.

On the third day, God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good. Can you picture the seas, gathered in one place?

Then God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth”; and it was so. These are herbs that yield seeds. Grass, herbs, and fruit trees grew up, each after its own kind. God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

Glimmer: Ooh, wow! This all sounds so big and so beautiful. I feel all warm and cozy inside!

On the fourth day, God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years.” God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars. Picture the two great lights, the greater one for day and the lesser one for night, and tiny stars twinkling.

God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. Tonight, perhaps a soft light is glowing outside your window.

On the fifth day, God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” God created the large sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, and every winged bird. Imagine big, gentle sea creatures gliding, little fish flicking by, and birds swooping high.

God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” God's words were: be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

On the sixth day, God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. God made the animals of the earth, and the livestock, and everything that creeps on the ground. Livestock are animals like the ones people keep on farms. Creeping things are the animals that creep on the ground. And God saw that it was good.

Look at the world now: shining light, a wide sky, rolling seas, and dry land. Grass and trees, fish and birds, and animals of every kind. It is all so full, and so alive. And God was not finished yet.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. The Bible says people are made in God's image, and that includes you. What a special thing to be.

God blessed them. God said to them, “Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Dominion is a big word. Here, it is about being given a special place over the fish, the birds, and every living thing that moves.

God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.” And to every animal and every bird, God gave green plants to eat. And it was so. There was food for everyone.

The Bible says, “The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished.” “All their vast array” sounds like everything in them, too. “On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.” Imagine it all, calm and still.

God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done. Holy means set apart, and very special. Rest is a good thing. And tonight, you get to rest too, with a heavy, sleepy head on a soft pillow.

You may still have questions, like how, or when, or why. Those are big, good questions, and grown-ups ask them too. The story says God made it all, and it was good. You do not have to figure everything out tonight.

Now picture it all together: the light, the sky, the seas, the green trees, the two great lights, and the stars, the fish, the birds, the animals, and the people. God looked at everything he had made. Here is what the Bible says about it.

Glimmer: Mmm, I'm so sleepy. Goodnight, friend! Sweet dreams from my glowy tail to your cozy toes.

Scripture: God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

One last thing to wonder about as your eyes grow heavy: which part of God's big world makes you feel the gladdest? If you would like to know more about God, you might gently wonder about Jesus for yourself, with no pressure at all. A friendly church near you would be glad to talk with you about Jesus, and the people there are happy to answer questions about faith. You are always welcome back for another story. Many people of faith believe God is with you, in the dark and in the light. Now, let's pray. Dear God, thank you for the sky, the stars, and the soft, quiet night. Thank you for making me and loving me. Please stay close to me while I sleep. Amen. Goodnight, little one. Sleep well.