Today is January 1, 2015, and I’ve been planning for some time to start the new year like many with a plan to read through the Bible this year. I’ve done it before. Countless times. Much to my chagrin, often it’s been like checking off boxes, and I’ve gotten not much out of it–though my husband insists, and I agree, that it is good even when you don’t realize it just to have the daily self-discipline and to get the big picture.
But a few years ago, I determined that I’d use a chronological plan and just read at my own pace, little by little, until I finished. I made it through Genesis, Job, and most of Exodus. Most of it was fruitful. But then I went through wave upon wave of severe trial and needed to drink deeply from Psalms, Philippians, I Peter, and other passages that spoke to my need. It’s now been months since I’ve been in Exodus.
I have two goals: One is to read meditatively and prayerfully and devotionally. The other is to read through the Bible–to get the benefit of the daily self-discipline and the big picture. So often the two seem to conflict–if I begin with the assigned portion, I can easily get distracted in reading devotionally and prayerfully and not finish the assigned portion. But if my main goal is to finish the assigned portion, I can go through the motions without a clue as to what I’ve read! Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free? Thanks be to Jesus Christ our Lord, who has sent us the Helper, the Holy Spirit. O Lord, please help me!
So, I did a quick search for a Bible reading plan and scanned several on this link: http://about.esvbible.org/resources/reading/ and decided on the ESV literary plan. I liked it because it had a reading from the psalms/wisdom literature, Israel’s history, Chronicles and prophets, and New Testament. Over the years, I’ve read various translations–the NASB for accuracy, the NIV84 because it was fairly easy to understand, and the ESV because it was advertised to have the accuracy of the NASB, the readability of the NIV and the beauty of the KJV. This year, I’ve decided to use the NLT–which is even more readable than the NIV.
O Holy Spirit, open my eyes and my heart and mind that I may receive wonderful things from Your Word. Do not let me merely go through the motions. Sink Your Word in my heart.
Father, as I read the names of the people in Israel’s history in I Chronicles 1, I am struck by how different it must be for people in other parts of the world to read these same names. For me, the familiarity of the sons of Abraham in v. 28. How different it must be for those Muslims who have converted to Christianity–like those whose testimonies we’ve heard in Dispatches from the Front. And how that ancestry gives Your Word such a ring of truth. Thank You, Lord.
And then in Genesis 1, I am struck once again that this is the narrative of the beginning of the history of human beings on the earth, and it begins with You. You are eternal. Before the beginning of time–You are. You have always been. My finite brain cannot begin to comprehend Your eternal nature. Then You spoke, and the world came into being. And throughout the account, there is such beauty in the order into which You created. Separating the light from darkness on Day 1, the waters from the sky in Day 2, and the dry ground on Day 3, and then the next 3 days correspond with rulers to dominate each of those environments. Day 4 is the sun, moon and stars to rule the darkness and the light, Day 5 the birds and fish to rule the skies and waters, and Day 6, the beasts and man to rule the earth. So very beautiful, Lord.
And how I praise You that we see You as a Trinity right there in v. 26 when You say, “Let Us make man in Our image.” A rich rich verse if ever there was one. Thank You for all that You’ve taught me about that verse over the years. About the love that exists within the Trinity. The Father’s deep love for the Son–that I have a tiny glimpse of in being a parent myself in how I adore and delight in my children, and how the Father sends the Son, and the Son walks in obedience and humbles Himself and sacrifices Himself for the Love of His Bride and always lives to honor and glorify the Father, and for the Holy Spirit that enables this sweet communion to flow between the two and who opened the hearts of people, applying Your Word and giving us life. Thank You that when we see any of those activities in ourselves–loving, creating, communicating, glorifying You–they are all reflections of our being made in Your image. And even in v. 26–the dominion You give us over the earth–when human beings are endowed with gifts and skills–they are reflecting Your image, and as they beautifully develop and exercise those skills, they glorify You–even those who don’t know You do so. They can’t help it. They glorify You by their mere existence and reflection of Your holy image. No wonder in v. 31 You say You saw everything You made and behold, “It was very good.” Thank You, Lord. Thank You for opening my eyes to behold Your goodness and beauty.
Luke 1. Having just read or heard and even seen this passage depicted in the movie The Nativity, during the Christmas season, I thank You, Holy Spirit, for still giving this passage a freshness to my soul this morning. I thank You for Luke–that he was a Gentile who set out to write this book for another man–Theophilus–so he “could be certain about what he’d been taught about Christ.” (v.4) Thank You for the details You moved him to include–like the time period “when Herod was king of Judea” v. 5. And thank You for the reference to incense being burned in the Temple while the people prayed–another sweet reminder of how You view–how our prayers are before You as a sweet aroma or fragrance. (For more on our prayers as a fragrant aroma, click here.)
Thank You for how out of the ordinary the story is. It’s just so unexpected. One moment Zechariah is performing his priestly service–the next moment Gabriel the angel appears to him. This is Your doing, Lord. Z did nothing to manipulate this extraordinary supernatural vision. This is no show he put on–no hocus-pocus. He was just being faithful doing his duty. Thank You for that reminder of how You work. Help us not to seek the supernatural hocus-pocus or to try to control You, Lord. But to simply be faithful. Earlier in v 6, You give an indication of Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s character–they were righteous in Your eyes–careful to obey all Your commandments and regulations. I can’t help but think of Jesus words: “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments.” They expressed their devotion to You not by being showy, but by faithfully obeying. Still, Zechariah was so shocked by this vision You gave him that he did not believe at first. v. 18 Thank You for that too, Lord–and how it comforts me in my weakness. That if a righteous man like Zechariah, whom You chose to parent John the Baptist, would struggle with doubt and belief, there is hope for me.:) But Your work is not hindered by his lack of faith. You fulfilled Your Word in spite of him. As v. 37 says, “For the word of the Lord will never fail.”
I find it fascinating that both Mary and Zechariah knew Your Word so well that when they broke out in song, worshiping You, their praises echo the sounds of the Psalms and the praises of Moses. And that they would both focus on Israel–that You are the God of Israel. And how lovely that Luke, a Gentile, would record that reality–seeing that You–the God of OT Israel are the One True God and that You also have made all Your people part of spiritual Israel. In both of these hymns of praise there is that literary genius of that double meaning. How beautifully exquisite–I can’t help but wonder if Zechariah or Mary were even aware of the fulness of their praise, inspired by You, Holy Spirit.
And then the beauty of vv. 78-79. Because of Your tender mercy, Lord, the morning light from heaven was about to break upon them, and how I thank You that You have caused this light to break upon the darkness of my heart, mind, and soul–to give light to those who sit in darkness–in the shadow of death–to guide us in the path of peace. And as I think today of the passing of my grandfather–from death to eternity–and of all my family–my mother, aunts, uncle, cousins–who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, how I pray that Your light would break upon them because of Your tender mercy.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Thank You–that as 2014 has closed and I look forward to a new year, for the wisdom in this passage–that to everything there is a season. Help me as I go through these different times, to accept each as from You, and to worship and praise You, knowing that You alone are eternal and do not change with the times.