Genesis 1:20 Daily Devotional & Meaning – God Speaks Life into the Seas and Skies

Daily Verses Everyday! Day 6

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl [that] may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”

It is now Day 5, and God has spoken once again; and this time, His command will fill the seas and skies with life. The waters will teem with creatures great and small, and the heavens will be adorned with birds in flight. For me, what comes to mind is the fact that of all the ocean out there, only between 5 to 20% has ever been explored. That means 80% or more remains a mystery to us. And yet, every drop of water, every current, and every creature hidden in the depths is known perfectly to God. If you go online right now and ask, “How much water is in the ocean?” you will find a number so vast it almost escapes imagination. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the oceans hold approximately 321,003,271 cubic miles of water, which comes out to be about 352,670,000,000,000,000,000 gallons. Numbers like that are staggering, but they should lead us to worship, because even such immensity is still finite, and yet, our God is infinite.

When I read this verse, I can’t help but think of Psalm 104:24–25, which says, “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. [So is] this great and wide sea, wherein [are] things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.” In other words, the seas and skies remind us not only of God’s creative power but also of His wisdom, imagination, and delight in beauty. He filled the world with such abundance that humanity could never exhaust its wonder. We could spend our entire lives exploring creation and still only scratch the surface of what God has made.

This is the first appearance of “life” in Scripture, signaling a transition from mere matter to living souls. Up until this point, creation had been about forming the stage: light and darkness, sky and seas, land and vegetation. But now, God’s creative Word breathes vitality into the world. The waters, once empty and formless, are now filled with swimming, darting, singing, and gliding creatures, each uniquely fashioned. The skies, which had carried only the sun, moon, and stars, are now filled with the fluttering, soaring, and gliding life of birds.

With this, creation moves from the inanimate to the animate, from structure to rhythm, from pattern to interaction, from stillness to motion. Life is not simply a byproduct of physical laws; it is an intentional act of God. The seas teem with creatures “great and small,” a phrase that reminds us that no detail is too insignificant for God’s attention. Every microscopic plankton, every whale gliding through the depths, every bird tracing arcs across the sky exists because God willed it so.

His knowledge encompasses not only their forms and functions but also their roles in the complex ecosystems He designed. Scientifically, our modern exploration of life echoes this awe. Marine biologists estimate that millions of species remain undiscovered, and ornithologists continue to classify new birds each year. Yet, even the life humanity has yet to catalog is already fully known to God.

This reality humbles us: our understanding is fragmentary, our discoveries provisional, but God’s knowledge is perfect and complete. Life, in all its diversity and intricacy, reflects His wisdom, creativity, and sustaining power.

Spiritually, the introduction of life foreshadows God’s ongoing relationship with creation. Life is not static; it interacts, grows, reproduces, and flourishes. By creating living beings, God sets the stage for relational dynamics between creatures, between humanity and nature, and, ultimately, between God and His image-bearers.

The seas and skies, full of movement and song, call humanity to witness and participate in the wonder of creation, cultivating reverence, stewardship, and awe for the One who speaks life into being. This marks the dawn of a universe not only structured and beautiful but alive, dynamic, and filled with the echoes of God’s delight.

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If you would like to explore Genesis in a sustained, verse-by-verse way with space to reflect, journal, and trace how these foundational truths unfold through Scripture the Verse by Verse book expands these reflections into a unified reading experience. The book gathers these meditations into a structured journey through Genesis, designed to help readers linger in the text and engage God’s Word more deeply over time.

Continue on with Verse 21.

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