Hi Pastor John,
I’ve been thinking lately about how it would be a good idea while I’m not in school to spend this time to get established in knowledge, specifically the Bible. The other day, I had the day off so I started by going to Starbucks and sitting while I drank my coffee. I decided to choose a reading plan from that Bible app. on my phone that Bekah had talked about in one of the last meetings.
The plan started off in Genesis, so I began to read. Actually, I began to read very quickly. I figured I had read Genesis Chapter 1 several times and it was pretty straight-forward.
A few verses down, I stopped. I decided to start over, read slowly, and pay close attention to the detail, keeping in mind the knowledge about the Father and Son that we have been shown. So, here I sat on the couch, people coming and going, the environment quite bustling…and as I began to read again from the top, it was as if everything around me became quiet and I was sucked into this warp where all I noticed was what I was reading. It was as if I was reading Genesis for the very first time. The God that created the earth, paying close attention to every detail, is the same one attending to all the details to my own insignificant life, and who was at that moment, allowing me to experience a morsel of Creation. As I read about the birth of the earth, I could literally feel the crispness, the newness, the pureness of the new day. When I read about the whales being created, I could hear the mighty “whoosh” of the water spewing from their backs. When have I ever read Genesis before and have tears well up in my eyes? It was so interactive.
I know God did that for me because I have been praying for more knowledge and to enjoy it. He opened that book right up for me.
Anna
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That is beautiful, Anna. Thank you for letting us in on that testimony!
I remember the Lord, some years ago, putting it on my heart to read the first chapter of Genesis. At first, I questioned why. I thought to myself, “I have taught Genesis in the community college system for years. What else could there be for me to learn about it?” But then, I knew that Jesus always has a good reason for putting things in our hearts to do, and besides, I also knew that he is well able to teach us new things from the things we think we already know. So, I sat down and read it.
I made it to verse 9, where the waters were commanded to be gathered into one place. Then Jesus asked me, “If the waters were gathered in one place, then how many places could the land be in?” I understood immediately what he meant. All land on this earth used to be in one place, just like the waters. I was already aware of what geologists call “Pangaea”, the super-continent that broke apart to form the seven continents we have today. I loved that! The Bible tells of Pangaea, too!
That was a good conversation piece for me and Brother Bob, as you might imagine.
Pastor John