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It was an incredible sight. The trees were unlike any you have ever seen, graceful, majestic and beautiful. The birds sang in a harmony that made the greatest of composers sound ordinary. There were lawns, garlanded with flowers and streams babbling through the garden. It was the most beautiful sight that the earth has yet seen. It was Eden.
It came from the heart of God. In the eternity before creation he had dreamed, planned and designed. Out of the experience and the fellowship of the Godhead came the wonder of the universe, vast galaxies flung across the blackness of space. An eternity in the preparation, the merest word of God was enough to cast star systems into their orbits. All the wonders of the heavens were created in a moment. Barely a word from the Almighty had sufficed for their creation.
The garden took time. The entire expanse of the universe was just a backdrop, an expression of divine exuberance. The earth mattered. The garden mattered. The garden needed serious divine attention.
And with good reason. God did not create just for the fun of it. Surprising as it may seem, creation was not just a whim, a way to pass the time. God did not create just because he was bored.
He had a plan, a purpose and a very clear intent. The entire universe was created for just one reason. He created with us in mind. From the moment when the beginning began, this was his intent. From the moment when the first atoms popped into being the Lord was looking for a people. God himself was seeking fellowship. He was seeking the sons of God, a people not just to rule but to fellowship with.
This has always been his desire. His entire history of the earth is focused on this one plan. The Old and New Testament tell one story, the story of our God and his people. In the Old Testament it was the story of Israel and in the New Testament it is the story of spiritual Israel. The Lord wants a people.