So for one of my Old Testament classes I was given the assignment to find spiritual rituals, practices, and symbols in the old and new testament and apply them to myself. Here is the paper I wrote on it.
Enjoy!!
Symbols and Rituals
Over the past couple of days, I have been practicing some rituals and using some symbols that have assisted me in my pursuit of God’s heart.
The first ritual I have been practicing comes out of Deuteronomy 4:9-10. God had just delivered Israel from the cruelty of Egypt and he knew that they were humans, and they would forget how great their God is. Right after they come out of the land and came to the red sea, they started to panic and thought that the Lord was going to let them. They had so quickly forgotten the power that God displayed with the disastrous plagues. And when Israel was hungry or thirsty, they also thought they were going to die. They were looking at their problems and not what the Lord had already done for them. Deuteronomy 4:9-10 says, “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God.” This speaks to me because I get so stressed out by my problems but and I don’t always look straight to what the Lord has already done for me. Now, I have been looking at what the Lord has already done for me. I will not forget. I will tell them to my friends and remember the power he has and in all the miraculous ways he has already worked.
The next ritual I have been doing comes out of Psalm 63:6. “On my bed, I remember you: I think of you through the watches of the night.” These past few weeks I have been going to bed without my phone or a book. All I do is remember him every night on my bed before I go to sleep. I want him to be the last thing on my mind when I go to bed and the first thing when I wake up. I ponder his goodness and remember his glory. This has impacted me tremendously and helps me to find my comfort in him and not in anything else.
A symbol that I love and have been practicing comes out of Ezekiel 2 and 3. An Angel appears to the prophet Ezekiel and sends him to Israel to Prophecy. He tells him to open his mouth and eat what he will give him. The Angel hands him a scroll with messages of doom and funeral songs on it. Ezekiel’s task is to fill his stomach with these words and take them to the people of Israel. And when Ezekiel ate the scroll, it was as sweet as honey. I want to do this with the word of God. Metaphorically of course. I want to know the scriptures and have them in my mouth so I can speak them everywhere the Lord would send me. I have been doing this by keeping 2-3 index cards with bible verses on them in my back pocket everywhere I go. This will help me to know and meditate on his words. Binding them around my neck and writing them on the tablets of my heart.
One last symbol that I just love comes out of Deuteronomy 15:16-17. This passage tells about biblical times when a slave had served his set number of years to serve and is now free to leave, but loves his master and wants to serve him for life. In this case, the servant would go with his master publicly and have him pierce his ear with an awl to show that the slave has eternally given his rights to his master. He loves him so much that he wants to give up his rights and live with his master forever. I love this so much and my piercings are a public representation that I belong to Jesus. I love him so much that I give up my rights, my desires, and my life to be with him forever and he will give me the fullness of life, love, and salvation from my sins. I want everybody to know that I have willingly given my life up because of the immense love he has shown me so then I love him. I have become a servant of the highest God, a friend of Jesus, a slave to the gospel, and I am no longer an enemy of God.
This exercise has been so fruitful for me. I love the bible and practical ways to grow closer to God. And yes, I will continue to do all these practices.
