I have been a church-goer my whole life, but even through eighteen years have not quite gotten the hang of a lot of the cultural and historical details of the Bible. I’ve grown up hearing the main people and stories, but there is much more to the story than twelve disciples, than Jesus feeding the five thousand, than the prodigal son, than David and Goliath. Maybe some of you can relate in feeling a little behind or lost in all of the years and stories.
The past six weeks, I have been going through a devotional called Seamless by Angie Smith with my Young Life leader. The whole point is to see the “seamless” work of God throughout the Bible and understanding it as a complete story. The Bible is very summarized and quick, but man oh man this devo gooood. I have more of a confident grasp of the whole story and timeline of the Word. From this also came a new perspective. By taking a step back and looking at the big picture, it becomes so clear that the same seamless hand of God is RIGHT THERE in front of you the WHOLE time!
Some things are a lot more visible with this perspective & here are some things I have learned from it:
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Obedience is KEY…. it’s hard but man it’s good for you. (the next points all bolster and point back to this discipline)
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God is omniscient, or all-knowing, and He has your BEST interest at heart
In so many stories all throughout the Bible, you read the foolishness of man, doubtful and questioning God, “are you even up there?”. I can so clearly see God staring down at us shaking his head with a smirk saying “oh child if only you knew what I have planned for you”. I get teary-eyed and feel foolish myself, comparing my ignorance to my almighty God. What a joy it is to rest in him, that he will never let us down and that he is a good, good father!
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Patience (this is a big one)
The Bible makes time go by a lot faster when you’re reading about someone’s life simplified into chapters in a book. Matter of the fact is, that is a biiig illusion. In the flood, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years. The Jews were exiled for 70 years. Genesis tells us people lived for 900 years. Sarah waited for a child for at least 10 years. Babylonian captivity in Jeremiah lasts 70 years. My point is to not be fooled. Do not let yourself think that God’s promises come as quickly as you read through them. Be patient and trust Him.
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He may ask you to do something and have someone else finish it
This does not lessen or devalue your work or purpose. We are a page in a book in a library. Luckily, we get to be used to be a tiny part of God’s story. But we’ve seen that things take time, so our short time here on earth may be to simply be the one person needed to start a ripple of what God has planned.
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God keeps his promises
Every last promise. All of them. Too many to list, but if you read Seamless, you’ll notice that time and time again, God fulfills what he has promised his children. We see He kept them throughout scripture & he hasn’t changed since.
This links back to patience & makes me think of the Hillsong song “Seasons” :
I can see the promise
I can see the future
You’re the God of seasons
I’m just in the winter
If all I know of harvest
Is that it’s worth my patience
Then if You’re not done working
God I’m not done waiting
You can see my promise
Even in the winter
Cause You’re the God of greatness
Even in a manger
For all I know of seasons
Is that You take Your time
6. We mess up a lot
We must accept the hard-to-swallow truth that we are sinful, imperfect, and undeserving of the Cross. We mess up a lot, like … A LOT….AND YET God STILL chooses to love and forgive us FREELY. It’s hard to wrap our humane, sinful minds around that kind of love, that kind of sacrifice, that kind of passion, that kind of power.
My mind is a tad all over the place but in short, I want you to take away this:
God is good. He has crazy plans for us, always with our best interest at heart, and we can rest in that promise. Hallelujah! There is such freedom found in giving it all to him.
“I will rest in the Father’s hands. Leave the rest in the Father’s hands”
Here is a link to this devotional if you want to go through it! 10/10 recommend! https://www.amazon.com/Seamless-Understanding-Bible-Complete-Member/dp/1430032308
