A Happy Ending: An Old Testament Devotion for the Anxious Covenant Child’s Heart
Then God said, “Let us make man 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.”
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
When a woman has a baby in her belly, the people around her often like to guess what the baby will look like… or rather, who the baby will look like.
Will she have blue eyes like her daddy? Or will he have dark hair like his mommy? Will the twins have dark skin or light skin? Will she be short like her mother, or will he be tall like his father?
One thing we do know is that no matter who the baby looks like, God is the supreme Artist.
We often like to think about artists as people with paintbrushes or pencils or even cameras. But the first artist was God. And He is and always will be the greatest and ultimate Artist. Each baby He creates in a mother’s belly is a beautiful work of art. And unlike human artists, God doesn’t run out of ideas. He grows each baby as a new creation, gifted and unique in his or her own way.
Of course, this makes us wonder what God meant when He said in Genesis that He made man in His own image. After all, God doesn’t have a body. How can we be made in God’s image if He’s invisible?
When the Bible says that God made you in His image, it means that God made you like Him in that you have the abilities to think, understand, create, and—most importantly—love as God does.
Animals, of course, can love in their own ways. A dog might lick his master. A cat might snuggle her owner. Even some elephants and lions have affection for humans.
But none of them can love in the way God loves. Animals don’t know what it means to love someone like God loves them. They like to lick and play and cuddle, but their love is not deep like God’s. They don’t understand what it means to repent when we hurt others, or to forgive someone else’s sin. They don’t know what it means to tell the truth in love.
Even more importantly, as they are not made in God’s image, animals can’t know what great love God has for us, that He would send His only Son, Jesus, to live a sinless life for us, to die in our place, and to rise again from the dead. They cannot understand God’s mercy or grace.
Because humans are made in God’s image, each of us is special, each a one-of-a-kind work of art with special talents and a specific purpose in this world. So, as you lie down in bed tonight, think about how God crafted you with a special purpose. You were no accident, for you are a masterpiece made by the ultimate Creator and Artist—the God of love.
So sleep in peace tonight, child, knowing you were made with love.
Discussion Questions
1. Why are people even more special to God than animals or plants?
2. What are three things that people can do that animals can’t?
3. If someone insults us or calls us mean names, where should we look to remember how wonderfully we were made?
This devotion is from the book, 31 Old Testament Devotions for the Anxious Covenant Child’s Heart, written by a mother for her children. If you would like this devotion in your home, you can order it here:
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