A Month's Worth of God-Thoughts

It's been awhile since I have written anything on here. Life has been busy! But in the busyness, there have been some really cool God-moments that have touched my heart. At the end of February, I finished reading through the Bible again and started back at Genesis. As I started re-reading, I tried to keep a clear mind and read as though I was a child reading the stories for the first time. It's been an interesting tactic. I've been seeing the Bible with new wonder and appreciation for the simple things contained within the pages. Two Genesis stories in particular jumped out at me and stayed with me, allowing my mind to just ruminate on them, for the entire month. The first story is found in Genesis 15. The Katie-summary of the story is as follows: God visits Abram late at night and claims that He is Abram's reward, and nothing else is needed. Abram replies with questions as to his lack of a successor of his inheritance, as his wife is barren. God replies by taking Abram out to look at the stars covering the sky, and promises Abram that his descendants will be as numerous as the night-lights. I think of how deeply special this story would be to the Israelite nation who originally read this story, since they were the inheritance mentioned. I think of how deeply touched they would be by this historical account of God's faithfulness that led to their very existence. The thing that stuck with me the most, though, was thinking about this story from Abram's perspective. I just imagine the feelings within Abram as he went out to the edge of his camp to look up at the stars and talk with his Father. The excitement of a conversation with his Creator, paired with the frustration he felt that life wasn't turning out as he had planned. I imagine him just sitting out in a pasture, looking up into the vastness of God's creation. I imagine him and God just simply talking, a father to a son. For a more accurate description of what I imagine, think of that one scene in the Lion King where Simba is looking up into the sky and talking to Sky-Mufasa. I know, stupid. But the thought of this intimacy, this all-powerful, ever-loving God....it touches my heart and makes my heart thirsty for more of this God. On a totally unrelated story, my second "deep thought" came from Genesis 46: 2-4. I had always known that the Israelite nation ended up in Egypt because of Joseph's placement there, and after staying there for several generations of captivity, they were freed and returned to their promised land. I had always assumed that since this story included such a horrible story of oppression that the Israelites had disobeyed God in their movement to Egypt and were punished accordingly. But in the above mentioned passage, it says: "Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am." So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make a great nation of you there. I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again."" Reading this made me struggle with my thoughts for a day or two. How could a God who loved His people so much allow them to be put in a situation that would lead to pain, heartache, captivity, oppression? Why was He so slow to rush in and save the day? I think the answer goes back to the overall answer: Because God is God, and everything that happens is for His glory and praise. Yes, the people were oppressed and broken, but God used that brokenness to draw them closer to Him, and to perform miracles never imagined to show them how deep His love truly was. The way that God rushed in to save the day left people talking everywhere, for centuries and beyond, and His ways of miracles provided a foundation of faith and trust in His faithfulness towards those who love Him. The fact that God willingly allowed bad things to provide things so much better is another thing that is too beautiful for me to wrap my mind around. My explanations behind these two stories might not even make sense. Let's just leave it at the fact that my God is an awesome, all-powerful, ever-loving, "Hero-with-a-sense-of-chivalry" kind of God, and I stand in amazement. May Your wonders never cease!