“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” — Genesis 1:1

It is a rather extraordinary way to begin a book. There is no attempt to prove God’s existence, no explanation of where He came from and no lengthy argument for how the universe came into being. There is simply a declaration: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

To many people today, that sounds like a crazy idea. The belief that an eternal God existed before time, spoke into nothingness and brought everything into existence challenges a culture that wants everything observed, measured, tested and explained. Yet Genesis does not apologize for its claim. It simply tells us what happened. Perhaps that is because Genesis 1:1 is about more than creation. It introduces us to one of the most fundamental questions of faith: Will we take God at His Word?

We often think faith begins when we have all the answers. Scripture suggests otherwise. Faith begins when we trust God even when we do not have all the answers. Faith does not require us to understand everything God does. It requires us to trust the One who does.

Consider the people whose stories fill the pages of Scripture. Noah was told to build an ark before he had ever seen the flood. Abraham was promised a son when the circumstances made that promise seem impossible. Moses was commanded to confront Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler of his world. Joshua was told to conquer Jericho in a way that made little sense from a military perspective. Mary was told she would give birth to the Son of God.

Each was asked to believe God’s Word before seeing God’s work. That is the nature of faith. We do not always get the explanation before we receive the instruction. We do not always see the outcome before we are called to obedience. This does not mean faith is irrational. It means we recognize the limitations of human understanding. We are finite creatures attempting to comprehend an infinite God. If we refuse to believe anything we cannot completely explain, then our understanding has become the authority rather than God’s Word.

Genesis 1:1 reminds us of something remarkably simple: God does not need our understanding in order to be right. He was there in the beginning. We were not. He created. We were created. He speaks. We listen. And that principle reaches far beyond the question of creation. God tells us to forgive when we would rather seek revenge. He tells us to love our enemies when we would rather avoid them. He tells us not to be anxious when tomorrow looks uncertain. He tells us to trust Him when circumstances seem to contradict His promises. He tells us that His grace is sufficient even when our suffering makes us wonder how it could possibly be enough.

Sometimes taking God at His Word can seem like a crazy idea. But maybe the truly crazy idea is believing that finite minds should be able to fully comprehend an infinite God. The God who spoke light into darkness can be trusted when our path is dark. The God who brought order from chaos can be trusted when our lives feel chaotic. The God who created what did not exist can be trusted to accomplish what we cannot yet imagine.

The Bible begins with a declaration, not an explanation: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” And from that first sentence to the final “Amen,” Scripture repeatedly calls us to the same response: Take God at His Word.

Faith is not having every question answered. Faith is deciding that the One who has all the answers can be trusted. Maybe that sounds like a crazy idea. But then again, faith has always sounded a little crazy to those who insist on understanding everything before they believe anything. The real question is not whether we can explain everything God has said. The question is whether we trust the God who said it.

Dr. Tony Banning is a longtime Southern Baptist minister who serves as pastor of Whitehouse Fork Baptist Church in Baldwin County and as an adjunct professor at Coastal Alabama Community College. He is the author of “Come Aside: An Invitation to Experience the Presence of God,” forthcoming this winter.