5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide
Based on the Sermon "In the Beginning, God" by Pastor Jeff Carlson
Day 1: Before Everything, There Was God
Reading: Genesis 1:1-2
Devotional:
Before your fears, before your failures, before the first breath you ever drew, there was God. Genesis 1:1 does not begin with a problem to solve or a crisis to manage. It begins with a Person. When life feels like it is unraveling, the temptation is to search for solid ground somewhere in your circumstances. But the truest solid ground exists before circumstances themselves. Whatever you are facing today, there is a beginning that precedes it, and that beginning is God. He was not surprised by your situation. He was already there. Rest in that reality today.
Reflection Questions:
Practical Application: Write down one fear or uncertainty you are carrying. Beneath it, write the words: "In the beginning, God." Place it somewhere you will see it throughout the day as a reminder that your story did not begin with your problem.
Day 2: God Is Not Afraid of Your Darkness
Reading: Genesis 1:2; Psalm 139:7-12
Devotional:
The earth described in Genesis 1:2 is not a pleasant picture. It is formless, empty, dark, and deep. These are not words we would choose for ourselves. And yet, rather than turning away from the chaos, God hovers over it. He is drawn toward the darkness, not repelled by it. Psalm 139 confirms that there is no depth you can descend to where God is not already present. The void you may be sitting in right now is not a place God avoids. It is, remarkably, the very place where He begins His most beautiful work. He creates out of nothing. He always has.
Reflection Questions:
Practical Application: Spend five minutes in honest, unfiltered prayer. Do not clean up your words or pretend things are better than they are. Name the formlessness, the void, the darkness. Then sit quietly and let God hover over it.
Day 3: The Restless Heart and the Home It Was Made For
Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:11; John 14:1-3
Devotional:
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has placed eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fully grasp what He has done from beginning to end. This is why you ache for something you cannot name. It is why death feels wrong even though it is universal. It is why injustice enrages you even when it does not touch you personally. You were not made for this broken version of the world. You are homesick for a home you have never visited. Jesus, in John 14, does not dismiss that longing. He validates it. He says He is preparing a place, and He is coming back to bring you there. Your restlessness is not a spiritual deficiency. It is evidence that you were made for more.
Reflection Questions:
Practical Application: Take a walk outside today. As you observe the beauty around you, allow yourself to feel the longing for something more rather than suppressing it. Let that longing become a prayer, a reaching toward the One who placed eternity in your heart.
Day 4: When Jesus Seems to Be Sleeping
Reading: Mark 4:35-41; Romans 8:38-39
Devotional:
The disciples were not casual observers of the storm in Mark 4. They were experienced fishermen who understood the water, and they were terrified. Meanwhile, Jesus slept. It is one of the most honest pictures in all of Scripture of what faith sometimes feels like. You have handed over the wheel. You have prayed. You have surrendered. And the storm has not stopped. It is not a lack of faith to cry out in those moments. Jesus Himself cried out in the garden of Gethsemane, asking for another way. What Mark 4 ultimately shows is not a God who is indifferent, but a God who is so profoundly unafraid of the storm that He can sleep through it. And when He speaks, even the wind obeys. Romans 8 assures us that nothing, not even the deepest silence, can separate us from His love.
Reflection Questions:
Practical Application: Identify one situation in your past where God seemed absent but, in hindsight, was clearly at work. Write a brief account of it. Keep it as a marker of His faithfulness for the next time the storm rises and silence follows.
Day 5: Let There Be Light -- Living With Hope Turned On
Reading: Genesis 1:3-4; 2 Corinthians 4:6-9
Devotional:
God's first spoken act in all of creation is to call light into existence out of absolute darkness. He does not wait for ideal conditions. He speaks into the worst possible environment and transforms it. The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4 that the same God who said "let there be light" has caused that light to shine in our hearts. You do not manufacture that light. You receive it. The invitation of the gospel is not to pretend the darkness is not real. It is to turn the lights on inside it. You are safe and loved not because your circumstances are manageable, but because the Creator of all things has spoken life over you. Live today with the lights on, honest about the darkness, but anchored in the One who has always spoken light into it.
Reflection Questions:
Practical Application: Share the hope you carry with one person this week. You do not need a polished testimony or a theological argument. Simply tell someone what you are hoping for and why. Let your honesty about the darkness and your confidence in God's light be the witness.
"You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." -- Augustine of Hippo
Based on the Sermon "In the Beginning, God" by Pastor Jeff Carlson
Day 1: Before Everything, There Was God
Reading: Genesis 1:1-2
Devotional:
Before your fears, before your failures, before the first breath you ever drew, there was God. Genesis 1:1 does not begin with a problem to solve or a crisis to manage. It begins with a Person. When life feels like it is unraveling, the temptation is to search for solid ground somewhere in your circumstances. But the truest solid ground exists before circumstances themselves. Whatever you are facing today, there is a beginning that precedes it, and that beginning is God. He was not surprised by your situation. He was already there. Rest in that reality today.
Reflection Questions:
- What in your life right now feels like it has no solid foundation?
- How does knowing that God existed before your circumstances change how you face them today?
Practical Application: Write down one fear or uncertainty you are carrying. Beneath it, write the words: "In the beginning, God." Place it somewhere you will see it throughout the day as a reminder that your story did not begin with your problem.
Day 2: God Is Not Afraid of Your Darkness
Reading: Genesis 1:2; Psalm 139:7-12
Devotional:
The earth described in Genesis 1:2 is not a pleasant picture. It is formless, empty, dark, and deep. These are not words we would choose for ourselves. And yet, rather than turning away from the chaos, God hovers over it. He is drawn toward the darkness, not repelled by it. Psalm 139 confirms that there is no depth you can descend to where God is not already present. The void you may be sitting in right now is not a place God avoids. It is, remarkably, the very place where He begins His most beautiful work. He creates out of nothing. He always has.
Reflection Questions:
- Have you ever felt that your darkness disqualified you from God's presence?
- What would change in your daily life if you genuinely believed God hovers over your chaos rather than abandoning it?
Practical Application: Spend five minutes in honest, unfiltered prayer. Do not clean up your words or pretend things are better than they are. Name the formlessness, the void, the darkness. Then sit quietly and let God hover over it.
Day 3: The Restless Heart and the Home It Was Made For
Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:11; John 14:1-3
Devotional:
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has placed eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fully grasp what He has done from beginning to end. This is why you ache for something you cannot name. It is why death feels wrong even though it is universal. It is why injustice enrages you even when it does not touch you personally. You were not made for this broken version of the world. You are homesick for a home you have never visited. Jesus, in John 14, does not dismiss that longing. He validates it. He says He is preparing a place, and He is coming back to bring you there. Your restlessness is not a spiritual deficiency. It is evidence that you were made for more.
Reflection Questions:
- In what areas of your life do you feel the deepest sense of longing or homesickness?
- How does the promise of Jesus returning to bring His people home change the way you hold your present circumstances?
Practical Application: Take a walk outside today. As you observe the beauty around you, allow yourself to feel the longing for something more rather than suppressing it. Let that longing become a prayer, a reaching toward the One who placed eternity in your heart.
Day 4: When Jesus Seems to Be Sleeping
Reading: Mark 4:35-41; Romans 8:38-39
Devotional:
The disciples were not casual observers of the storm in Mark 4. They were experienced fishermen who understood the water, and they were terrified. Meanwhile, Jesus slept. It is one of the most honest pictures in all of Scripture of what faith sometimes feels like. You have handed over the wheel. You have prayed. You have surrendered. And the storm has not stopped. It is not a lack of faith to cry out in those moments. Jesus Himself cried out in the garden of Gethsemane, asking for another way. What Mark 4 ultimately shows is not a God who is indifferent, but a God who is so profoundly unafraid of the storm that He can sleep through it. And when He speaks, even the wind obeys. Romans 8 assures us that nothing, not even the deepest silence, can separate us from His love.
Reflection Questions:
- Have you ever felt that God was asleep during a crisis in your life? What did that feel like?
- Looking back, where do you see evidence that God was present even in the silence?
Practical Application: Identify one situation in your past where God seemed absent but, in hindsight, was clearly at work. Write a brief account of it. Keep it as a marker of His faithfulness for the next time the storm rises and silence follows.
Day 5: Let There Be Light -- Living With Hope Turned On
Reading: Genesis 1:3-4; 2 Corinthians 4:6-9
Devotional:
God's first spoken act in all of creation is to call light into existence out of absolute darkness. He does not wait for ideal conditions. He speaks into the worst possible environment and transforms it. The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4 that the same God who said "let there be light" has caused that light to shine in our hearts. You do not manufacture that light. You receive it. The invitation of the gospel is not to pretend the darkness is not real. It is to turn the lights on inside it. You are safe and loved not because your circumstances are manageable, but because the Creator of all things has spoken life over you. Live today with the lights on, honest about the darkness, but anchored in the One who has always spoken light into it.
Reflection Questions:
- Where in your life are you currently keeping the lights off, pretending things are fine rather than bringing them honestly before God?
- What does it mean practically for you to be "always ready to give an answer for the hope that you have," as Scripture calls us to be?
Practical Application: Share the hope you carry with one person this week. You do not need a polished testimony or a theological argument. Simply tell someone what you are hoping for and why. Let your honesty about the darkness and your confidence in God's light be the witness.
"You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." -- Augustine of Hippo
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