A fiery sunset riveted my attention. I dashed for my camera in hopes of capturing the magnitude of its beauty. Got it! My heart soared.

Not long after that, as I was driving home one evening, I was caught off guard by the bigness of a harvest moon looming above and before me. I was witnessing the handiwork of Elohim.

The scope of God's creativity is seen all around us. No two fingerprints are alike. Crystals forming into geodes or diamonds, or the frosted beauty of snowflakes on my windowpane in winter's sunshine—these cannot be replicated, though people may try. The movement of stars and planets in space; northern lights in the Alaskan sky; trees and plants of incalculable diversity; every creature that moves, above and under the earth, in the sea, on mountain and prairie alike—all were created according to Elohim's master plan (see Genesis 1:1-25).

Who is Elohim?

What do I learn about God when I meet God for the very first time in the Bible? I am introduced to God by name, and that name is Elohim. "In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1 CEV). Elohim is the Hebrew name for God, as Creator, and it is the primary word used for God throughout the Old Testament. Centuries later, the New Testament writer of Hebrews comments, "It is by faith that we understand that the universe was created by God's word, so that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen" (Hebrews 11:3 GNT).

Ponder this. By faith we believe that…

Elohim is our creator. "Then [Elohim] said, "And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us…So [Elohim] created human beings, making them to be like himself…" (Genesis 1:26–27 GNT).

We exist because of Elohim. Elohim is a plural name for God. For Christians, this suggests our encounter with God as Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Bible indicates that all three persons of the Trinity play an integral part in creation (Genesis 1:1–2; Colossians 1:15-17).

We are the unique handiwork of Elohim—created for a unique purpose on this earth (Ephesians 2:10, GNT). Have you ever thought of yourself as being "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:13-15, ESV)? You are!

God has not only created the world and all that was in it, including humankind, God has also planted in our DNA God's creative ability—with a command to continue God's own creative work (Genesis 1:28). When you pen a poem, write an essay, paint a picture, or lay out a design for your flower garden, you are using Elohim's gift of creativity!

How Should I Respond to Elohim?

Scripture indicates that our response to knowing God as Creator is to worship. Elohim is worthy of our worship because God is the creator of all things, and by God's will "they existed and were created" and have purpose (Revelation 4:11 ESV). The psalmist's invitation goes out to each of us:

"Come, let us bow down and worship him; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! He is our God; we are the people he cares for, the flock for which he provides…" (Psalm 95:6-7 GNT)

Every human being is invited to praise Elohim, who designed us to reflect God's image in the world around us, to show what God is like.

"Worship the LORD with joy; come before him with happy songs! Acknowledge that the LORD is God. He made us, and we belong to him…" (Psalm 100:2-3a GNT)

The Bible has much more to say about this aspect of God. The Psalms are full of poetic phrases that proclaim God's creative nature.

Psalm 19:1-4a (GNT)
"How clearly the sky reveals God's glory!
How plainly it shows what he has done!
Each day announces it to the following day;
Each night repeats it to the next.
No speech or words are used,
No sound is heard;
Yet their message goes out to all the world and is heard to the ends of the earth."

Psalm 139:13-14 (GNT)
"You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because you are to be feared; all you do is strange and wonderful. I know it will all my heart."

Psalm 121:1 (GNT)
"I look to the mountains; where will my help come from? My help will come from the LORD, who made heaven and earth."

Praise God today. Knowing God as Elohim is the beginning of understanding the reason we live and breathe. Ask God to give you a new sense of wonder and praise for God's creative character. Bask in what God reveals.

Want to learn more about God's creative character reflected in creation?

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