I know everyone is still up to date with their “read through the Bible” commitment. Sure, just like we are all rocking-and-rolling along on our new 1200 calorie-a-day, low-fat, pass-the-rice-cake New Year’s Diet! I don’t know about you, but my daily Bible reading is always easier when I first start out-- Genesis is familiar and fairly easy to read. It is not always easy to understand; who were the sons of God who married the daughters of men and got all that trouble going before the flood? As many times as I’ve read this material, it is always amazing to find something new. Well, it’s not new—it’s been there all along. But sometimes you see things you never saw before.
Take Genesis 16:13-15. I’m sure this little paragraph has always been right there in my Bible, but I’ve evidently never paid attention. It’s part of the Abraham story where Sarah’s scheme to have a child through her servant Hagar crashes and burns because of her jealousy and maybe a little arrogance from Hagar. Sarah mistreats her, and Hagar runs away into the desert. But an angel comes to her and tells her to return home, have her son and trust God to give her many descendants. Here’s the part that I had missed--
Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael. (Genesis 16:13-15)
Hagar had come to God in a whole new way… and by a whole new name. God became for her “The God Who Sees Me.” Because of her desert experience, God had become more real to Hagar. She named her son Ishmael, which means “God hears.” Because of God’s protection over her during a time of struggle and rejection, God became for Hagar the God who sees and hears.
Is that not what happens in our lives during our times of struggle? If we open ourselves to the presence of God, he can become more real (more present?) to us and we can be brought closer to him. God was working in Hagar’s life in ways that she could never have known. And He is working in our lives as well. Like Hagar, we need to open ourselves to the God who hears and sees.
6 comments:
I am falling behind with my reading already but I’m not going to beat myself up over that. If I only ate 1200 a day I would dry up and blow away (or maybe my body would go into “shut down famine mode” as it would have to consume it’s own muscle mass to stay alive) the only way I could live on 1200 calories is if I sat around and did nothing. The United Nations recommended a minimum daily caloric intake of 1200 calories a day for low activity. On active days I have double that. (1200 calories a day, Not today!) FDA suggests 2000 a day to maintain weight but some have a more efficient metabolism and can get by on less without wasting away while some might need more depending on such factors as differences in activity levels and metabolism which may become more ‘reved up’ as one becomes more physically active.
The story of Abraham, Serah and Hagar is a lesson of faith and ‘wait on the Lord for he is the faithful’ God hears and sees his children and does not forsake them in their time of need. When we lean on him we know he is near and we can know he does see and hear as we open our arms to him without terror. Those who do not know him and will not serve him are a terrible lot and will tremble in the presence of the one they would not believe without seeing.
About being filled with, evident fruits of and our obligation toward the outward expression of the Spirit as explained by Paul in his letter to the Romans chapter 8 verses 12-17 {The grace of Christ does not release us from doing everything we can to live right. Walking after the flesh would mean giving ourselves to the gratification of our fleshly desires. Some fleshly desires are natural and necessary. We must abstain from those that are wrong and abstain from them altogether (amen ?) Reading toward and through 38 and 39 of same chapter I think (“Awesome. . . what magnificent passages are these?”)
As His people open themselves up to the Lord with honest hearts He becomes “present” He dwells with them overflowing in their lives and others began to know Him (perhaps for the first time) through the reflection of His Grace, Mercy, faithfulness and His essence which is the Love of The Father that no one person can posses on their own, He can not be contained or hidden from those who search him out, who will take the free and priceless gift of Salvation, the redemption that is found in His son by those who have a repentant heart as their every stain is washed away and anyone yes anyone who wills to do his will can have that gift.
The old law, that has been fulfilled and we live under the new convenient of Christ. The old testament was written because the Lord loved his people and wanted them to be healthy and clean, it was a shadow of things to come and brought the faithful believers to that place were they could receive that which was to come. Salvation has been given to all, His kingdom the church is here it is the people on earth who fight the good fight against evil and they love one another with a deep, honest and selfless love it is a foretaste of heaven. The tears, sweet, blood, thorns and disease and the suffering that we know today will pass away (it is temporary)while the rewards for the faithfull and the seperation of the unrightous from them will be eternal. Decide who you will serve it will be the darkness or the light. Who among us will make that step to enter into His rest, serve Him and be with the author of life His adopted child, forever under His wing?
Let us be one nation under God united for one cause. . . Electing Godly men and women to offices for His cause, the cause of piece (lasting piece) which likely will come at a great cost, let us count that cost. How much are we willing to pay are we willing to lay down our own for the life and safety of others? Let it be on earth as it is in heaven. The prince of piece will not dwell with evil people, the nation that does not fight against the evil one will be put to His sword as will we if we do not conform to his will. We have allowed parts of our society to become corrupt and evil and it has infected and drawn away those members of the church that are not with us today and puts our children and their children in danger. If not rescued they will be consumed as rotted dead flesh is consumed by a worm. Welcome that which is good nurture it and feed it. Reject that which is not, mark it, surround it and change it for the better, let no good be lost with it, as it is removed from us we will be His holy nation. This is my prayer for His people that we will be a Holy nation, by the one who shed his blood for his people may our hands be ready and quick to do His will.
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