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Sketched XI Day 5 Faith Forward

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Sketched XI Day 5 Faith Forward

Meribeth Schierbeek

June 23, 2023

Amazed,Glory,Handiwork,Help,Trust,Waiting,Worship

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Kings 17:8-16
Hebrews 11
Psalm 73

Just as the Lord foretold, savage drought was upon the land, a result of Israel’s abandonment of the LORD their God.
Yahweh revealed Himself as sovereign.

Just as the Lord foretold, He cared and provided for me, Elijah, near the brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.  
Yahweh revealed Himself as enough.

As the wadi dried up, the Lord continued to guide me…a widow will feed me on my next leg of the journey. 

Today I am moving, at the Lord’s command, to Zarephath: 
“Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.” (1 Kings 17:9)

As I hear these words from my God, I’m reminded of the weight of my calling as a prophet. Following Yahweh rarely means staying in one place, which often feels wearing. Still, I am reminded of the truth. I dwell with the Lord, the God of Israel, MY God; my home and my comfort are in Him. He will be enough. My rest comes from knowing He sees; He knows and He alone is ALL things wherever I dwell…I am with Him as I walk.

I begin my travels wondering about this widow, her name…her story… 
The Lord knows it but I do not…I trust she, too, will follow the Lord’s command.  

As I walk toward Zarephath, I see vile wickedness all around. These are sacred, and sometimes scary, times. I have seen the Lord prove Himself faithful time and time again, and yet my humanness perceives the brokenness around me and wrestles with faith.  

In these moments, I recall the faith of my forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I’ve heard of their lives from the Torah, our holy Scripture; while each man was undeniably caught in sinful humanity, Yahweh drew them again and again to faith in Him. (Hebrews 11:6-22) Bolstered by remembering God’s empowering work in their lives, I ask Yahweh for the gift of faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

As I come to the gates of Zarephath, I lay eyes on a woman in widow’s clothing, gathering sticks. My thirst is unbearable, and I immediately ask for water. She turns to bring it willingly and I add a request for bread. 

Her first words landed on my ears sweetly. “As the LORD your God lives [. . .]” (1 Kings 17:12a) She, a foreigner, knows my God! 

Then, I hear her heart cry as she continues, “I don’t have anything baked–only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.” (1 Kings 17:12b)

I am struggling. 

Struggling with loneliness as I bear the crushing burden of survival for myself and my sweet boy. 

Struggling with a society that leaves us scraps at the best of times, dust and searing hunger and the looming specter of death during this time of drought and famine.

Struggling with fear, which snarls in my ear and prods me to clench tight the handful of grain I have left. Who does this stranger think he is? What does he imagine I, who have nothing, can give him?

And struggling with the gentle nudge I feel in my spirit, like the first rivulets of rain slipping along the cracked earth of my soul. Trust Me, I seem to hear. I have not abandoned you. I have sent My prophet to you. Heed his request, for I can bring bounty from nothing. 

I watch the battle between faith and fear play across the widow’s countenance.

I encourage her in her obedience, trusting the Lord alone to be sufficient: 
“Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son, for this is what the LORD God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the surface of the land.’” (1 Kings 17:13-14)

As long as I live, I’ll always remember the day my mother returned from gathering wood for what we thought would be our final meal. Hearing her enter our home, I barely had the strength to lift my head from the place I layed curled in a ball, quaking with hunger and fatigue, my mouth too dry to ask what she was doing. Consciousness slipped away.

I awoke to the smell of baking bread as my mother pressed a cup of water to my bleeding lips. As I swallowed and sputtered, unaccustomed to such bounty, I caught a glimpse of a stranger seated nearby. He ate a small loaf of bread as he watched me, kindness in his weary gaze.

That day and beyond, the widow chose to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), as she shared her flour and oil. The Lord, in His great power, kept her supplies full. She fed her household and me, knowing Yahweh was sovereign, enough, and in control of her life, in His way and His time. 

A Note About Sketched

In Sketched themes, we imaginatively step into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally.

We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters viewed God, themselves, and the world around them.

Perhaps we will find parts of our story reflected in theirs!

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Sketched XI Day 5
Digging Deeper

If the widow’s pantry had been full, all Elijah would have gotten was a meal. Instead he reaffirmed he could hear God and trust what He said.

Elijah also became the means of blessing a faithful servant of the Lord who would have starved to death had he not come.
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Sketched XI Day 5 Faith Forward: Digging Deeper

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Sketched XI Day 5 Faith Forward: Digging Deeper

Rachel Jones

June 23, 2023

Alive,Amazed,Daughter,Digging Deeper,Giving,Good,Hero,Hope

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Faith Forward"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Kings 17:8-24

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.” 10 So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink.” 11 As she went to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”

12 But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”

13 Then Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son, 14 for this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land.’”

15 So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days. 16 The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord he had spoken through Elijah.

17 After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness got worse until he stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do you have against me? Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death?” 19 But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again!”

22 So the Lord listened to Elijah, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived. 23 Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upstairs room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the Lord’s word from your mouth is true.”
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) Why would God provide for Elijah through a widow with such meager means? (verse 12)

When Elijah obeyed God in Zarephath by asking a widow for food, she told him she only had “a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.” (1 Kings 17:12) David Guzik notes, “Widows were notorious for their poverty in the ancient world. God told Elijah to go to a Gentile widow and receive provision; it probably seemed to make more sense to wait beside a dry brook.”

God could have sent Elijah anywhere, but he chose an impoverished widow to supply his needs so Elijah would know that God can provide through seemingly impossible circumstances. (Jeremiah 32:17) A widow with minimal food was as useful to God as someone with a storehouse of grain. God was not dependent upon her supply. He only needed her willingness and obedience to cooperate with His purposes. (Philippians 2:13)

God was also stretching and strengthening Elijah to do His will. Donald Wiseman notes, “Elijah was visiting enemy territory and showing the power of God in an area where Baal was worshiped.” Every time God moved Elijah to a new place, he learned to trust God more and believe in His promises and His provision. Garrett Kell suggests, “God doesn’t train His children to trust Him in just one situation; He often changes our circumstances to teach us to trust Him in new ways.”

Elijah learned that no matter what God led him to, He could always be trusted to provide (Philippians 4:19) and keep His Word (Hebrews 10:23). 

The Everyday Application

1) Why would God provide for Elijah through a widow with such meager means? (verse 12)

As a child, I read voraciously. One day I grabbed a book of my Dad’s called Hey God! by Frank Foglio. It portrayed an extremely poor Italian-American family who became Christians and decided to share Jesus with everyone they met.

One day Papa Foglio brought visitors home for dinner so he could share Jesus with them, but Mama Foglio didn’t have enough food for her large family, let alone extra mouths. So they prayed, and she just kept pulling spaghetti out of the pot until everyone in the house had eaten their fill!

As a child, reading Foglio’s unwavering faith that God would provide, made a big impact on me. It was just one in a string of testimonies that built my faith in God and taught me that He can be trusted even when circumstances say otherwise. (Psalm 56:3)

The same kind of faith played a role in the events surrounding Elijah and impoverished widow of 1 Kings 17:12. God sent Elijah to her to be fed and housed, even though she was preparing to cook her last supply of oil and flour on the day they met. Elijah trusted she was the one God provided, even though it looked like she was the last person who could help him. The widow made Elijah the loaf of bread in faith, trusting his words about the flour and oil not running out would prove true.

If the widow’s pantry had been full, all Elijah would have gotten was a meal. Instead he reaffirmed he could hear God and trust what He said. Elijah also became the means of blessing a faithful servant of the Lord who would have starved to death had he not come.

The Original Intent

2) Why did Elijah question God regarding the tragedy of the boy’s death? (verse 20)

God sent Elijah to the home of a widow and her son in Zarephath, where He miraculously fed Elijah by replenishing the widow’s meager store of flour and oil. (verses 13-16) Elijah’s presence saved the widow and her son from starvation, but the son grew ill and died during Elijah’s stay. (verse 17)

The grieving widow brought her lifeless son to Elijah who “cried out to the Lord and said, ‘Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?’” (1 Kings 17:20) Elijah assumed that all of his trials followed him to the poor widow’s house and brought her tragedy as well.

Authors Keil & Delitzsch propose, “These words, in which the [Hebrew] word also refers to the other calamities occasioned by the drought, contain no reproach of God, but are expressive of the heartiest compassion for the suffering of his benefactress and the deepest lamentation, which, springing from living faith, pours out the whole heart before God in the hour of distress.”

Elijah was certain God led him to this widow, as evidenced by the miracle with the flour and the oil not running out. Elijah could only trust God and implore Him to heal the son of this faithful servant. His faith in God’s direction was solid, as was his belief in God’s mercy and compassion (Psalm 145:8)

The Geneva Study Bible also suggests “He was afraid lest God’s name be blasphemed and his ministry condemned, unless he continued His mercies as He had begun them, especially while he remained there.”

Elijah knew God had shown Himself Good and Faithful to Elijah, and he trusted that God had led him to this widow’s home to show Himself Good and Faithful to her as well. 

The Everyday Application

2) Why did Elijah question God regarding the tragedy of the boy’s death? (verse 20)

Elijah was finding it difficult to be the Lord’s prophet when he arrived at the poor widow’s home. He was going from one trouble to another, trusting in God to sustain him day by day. By the time the widow brought her dead son to him, he was overwhelmed with the amount of troubles in his path, and he “cried out to the Lord and said, ‘Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?’” (1 Kings 17:20).

Elijah was not blaming God or even complaining so much as he was exclaiming, “Here’s yet another hardship God is bringing me through.”

By now, Elijah’s reflex response was to go directly to God with his need and throw himself upon God’s love and mercy. (Hebrews 4:16). Although he was weary of the problems, he trusted God was with him in the midst of it all. (Psalm 23:4)

Most of us, like Elijah, have cried out at the addition of yet one more hardship in our lives. Relationship struggles, financial burdens, health challenges and anxious thoughts can make us feel like we can’t handle everything we need to manage.

Like Elijah, we need to turn immediately to God with every struggle that threatens to overwhelm us and allow Him to help us. He may bring immediate healing or deliverance, or He may provide assistance through friends or family, but He promises to always meet every need (Philippians 4:19) and never leave us alone (Joshua 1:9).

We can trust in His provision no matter how trying the situation becomes.

The Original Intent

3) Why did it take Elijah raising her son from the dead for the woman to believe Elijah was a man of God? (verse 24)

Although Elijah stayed with the widow and she witnessed the daily miracle of no decrease in her store of flour and oil, it was only after Elijah prayed and her son was raised from the dead that the widow proclaimed, “Now I know you are a man of God and the Lord’s word from your mouth is true.” (1 Kings 17:24)

While experiencing the blessing of food on the table every day surely convinced her that Elijah was sent by his God, having her son restored to her showed her the Hebrew God was personal. She went from learning about Jehovah from Elijah to personally experiencing His power and love in a life-changing way.

“Whatever stage her religious belief had before reached, she now advances beyond it, and acknowledges Jehovah as truth itself.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) Elijah was led to this widow’s home so God could meet her physical needs, but also so He could meet her spiritual needs. The visit from Elijah was just as much a ministry and display of God’s power, authority, and personal love for the widow as it was for Elijah.

Author J. Hampton Keathley III suggests that the Lord “was more concerned that she get to know Him because He was her real need.” Bringing a person back to life was something only a powerful, benevolent God could do, and it was what the Lord chose to use to reach this widow with His Truth.

As He had done with Elijah, using his hardships to teach him about faith and trust in Him (Romans 8:28), so God did with the widow, using the famine and her son’s death to teach her about the powerful and loving nature of Jehovah.

The Everyday Application

3) Why did it take Elijah raising her son from the dead for the woman to believe Elijah was a man of God? (verse 24)

My husband is a public school teacher, but we both agreed  homeschooling was the best option for our family. I had been a teacher before our children were born, so he left most of the homeschooling duties and decisions to me.

One day, a friend hired him to tutor their homeschooled children in Spanish for a quarter. Every week he came home excited about the benefits of homeschooling. He was enthused about the opportunities available due to the nature of home education. He had been on board with homeschooling before his hands-on experience, but now he was an active proponent of home learning. Teaching in a homeschool environment made him a bona fide “homeschooler,” and that helped him engage in our own homeschool adventures in a way he never had before.

Having a deeply personal encounter with the God of Elijah changed things for the widow. Before her son was raised from the dead, she was glad to have the man of God in her home, grateful for the food his presence provided, but when he prayed on her behalf and God resurrected her son, she exclaimed, “Now I know you are a man of God and the Lord’s word from your mouth is true.” (1 Kings 17:24)

She went from believing Elijah was God’s prophet to experiencing God for herself in an unforgettable way. This is what God desires for each of us; it’s what He’s building the journey of our lives around. He is pleased for us to learn about Him, but more than anything He wants us to know Him. Personally. Deeply. (1 John 5:20)

He loves us so much that He longs for communion with us. (John 15:4-5) He wants us to know Him deeper and become more like Him every day. He uses every experience in our lives, positive and negative, to bring us closer to Him. (1 Peter 5:10)

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Sketched XI, Day 5
Journey Study

I am struggling.

Struggling with loneliness as I bear the crushing burden of survival for myself and my sweet boy.

Struggling with a society that leaves us scraps at the best of times, dust and searing hunger and the looming specter of death during this time of drought and famine.

Struggling with fear, which snarls in my ear and prods me to clench tight the handful of grain I have left. Who does this stranger think he is? What does he imagine I, who have nothing, can give him?
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June 19 - July 7, 2023 - Journey Theme #120

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Mission Day 3 Heart Of Mission

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Mission Day 3 Heart Of Mission

Sara Cissell

May 10, 2023

church,Community,Confession,Faith,Healing,Heart,Humility

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 28:16-20
Romans 12:9-21
Hosea 10:12

I love how God’s Word is described as living and active!
“For the word of God is living and effective[.]” (Hebrews 4:12)

Until we experience this reality, verses may simply be words on a page. 

The moment the Holy Spirit highlights a verse and brings deeper understanding, it comes alive in an entirely new way, like a diamond held up to the light. 

Hosea 10:12 is a prime example from my own life. I recall reading it and sensing the Holy Spirit bring it to life within me. 

“Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the Lord until He comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.”

In that moment, I knew the Lord was talking to me about my fallow ground. 

I had an area in my heart I had been carefully guarding and protecting. At first, this had been wise and useful, much like the practice of letting a literal field lie fallow in order to better cultivate crops in a future season. Yet, if it is allowed to remain unused for too long, the purpose of that season of rest may become lost.

The Lord seemed to say, “Sara, it is time to turn over that section of your heart. It is time to let me soften it and prepare it for what I desire to grow there. I want you to bear fruit.” 

The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart as only He could, presenting the verse as an invitation. It was accompanied by a peaceful assurance surrendering to Him would be well worth it. 

And it was. 
It was also a process of releasing control and believing that the work of tilling the hard soil of my heart would result in good things, in glory unto the Lord. 
It was boxes of Kleenex and copious amounts of tears softening the proverbial ground. 
It was vulnerability, trusting, sharing wisely, and making room for the Lord to show up however He decided to engage. 
It was brave obedience.

As a result, I began to see the Great Commission come to life in my everyday moments as never before. 

I’ve experienced this process more than once with different “fields” of my heart. One would think I would be able to apply what I’ve learned in one season to another, but alas I am still discovering how desperately I need the Lord to redeem all the areas of my heart. 

One thing I have discovered and can accurately apply to situations across the board is the desire to not miss what the Lord is doing. 

The Lord is faithful and sovereign. (2 Thessalonians 3:3, Jeremiah 32:17) He loves people and His plans will come to pass. I truly believe if I miss the prompts of the Lord and/or refuse to participate in His mission field, the Lord is big enough to bring about His purposes another way. The timing and method may be different, but it will come to pass. 

However, I will miss out on being a part of it. 

I want to catch every opportunity to bring Him glory. I do not want to watch on the sidelines as He does what only He can; I want to be part of His work. 
I want to share His unfathomable love for us (1 John 3:1), and share how the Lord rescues and redeems us through Jesus’ death, resurrection, and indwelling Holy Spirit.
I long to obediently make disciples of all who put their faith in Him. (Matthew 28:16-20)
I want to get to heaven and glorify the Lord for all the ways He used me. 

This desire helps me keep a heavenly perspective, to look at the world around me and strive to see what the Lord may be doing. 

The more time I spend in the Lord’s presence, reading His Word and praying, the more I have the ability to look for Him. Time spent in corporate worship, listening to sermons, and engaging in Bible studies enable me to sense the movement of the Holy Spirit and learn from other believers.

Essentially, the closer I am to Him, the softer the ground of my heart becomes, even the fallow parts. It is easier to say yes to Him. 

Do you sense Him asking your permission to break up some ground today or to join Him on mission? 

Maybe it is related to finances. 
Time.
Prayer intercession.
Resources.
Being willing to be inconvenienced for the Gospel. 

Even if the topic the Lord is highlighting seems insignificant, that which seems incredibly small to us may be the very thing He uses to set off a dramatic chain reaction. 

Lord, may our hearts be fertile ground for Your use.
Help us to bear much fruit for the sake of Your Gospel.

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Mission Day 4
Digging Deeper

To love without hypocrisy, we have to hate lies and deception (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

We may have to confront uncomfortable issues that we would rather gloss over or ignore. We might want to pretend like we don’t have any problems, but loving others in truth requires that we be transparent about the heart-changing work Jesus is doing in our own lives (Philippians 1:6).

When we can love without pretense, we approach the love without hypocrisy that Christ wants us to share with others.
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May 8 - May 26, 2023 - Journey Theme #118

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Pause VI Day 2 Fruitfulness Of Partnership

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Pause VI Day 2 Fruitfulness Of Partnership

Melodye Reeves

January 3, 2023

Heart,Joy,Love,Pause

Read His Words Before Ours!

Philippians 1:7-11

Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Read More Of His Words

All fruit springs from some sort of seed. Without that seed, fruit would be impossible. Once planted and properly cared for, the seed matures into fruit.

“Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you …” (Philippians 1:7)

At the beginning of his letter to the believers at Philippi, Paul rehearses the evidence (fruit) he’d seen of gospel grace (seed) that had been planted in their hearts and lives. Paul’s deep affection and appreciation for them is seen by the joy he expresses that is in his heart as he thought about them. His feelings were not misplaced. They were typical feelings that anyone would have toward partners who have demonstrated such loyalty and faithfulness.

“… because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:7)

Can you sense his heart’s overflowing thankfulness? What a beautiful phrase: partners with me in grace. That’s the most wonderful kind of partnership, isn’t it? I hope you have some partners in grace that walk alongside you in the gospel. We all need those who are with us in this journey of life. Scripture has included many instructions regarding our partnership with “one another.” We are to love, serve, honor, be devoted, encourage, pray for, and live in harmony with each other.

“For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:8)

The beauty of this kind of partnership is we can partner in grace even from a distance. Paul’s friends did this by living out their faith where they were. Just knowing they were in Philippi serving God and loving others encouraged and strengthened Paul from afar. He missed his friends deeply. He felt the sting and weight of the distance, but he also knew he was not alone in the shared gospel work. He had people in Philippi who were bearing fruit from the seed of the gospel that had been planted.

Paul and his partners found nourishment from the very same tree.

John 15:1-8 tells us Jesus is the source of good fruit; all who are in Jesus are partnered with Him by His grace.

Today's Pause Challenge

1)  Pull out your Bible and read the prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 fully through 3 times. 

2)  Each time, write down everything that pops out at you, noting Paul’s deepest desire, especially for those in Philippi.

3) Pay special attention to what is not mentioned. Consider what this may mean about what’s most important to pray for other.

4) Think about five people you care deeply about (a believer who is family or friend). Write their names in your journal. Pray these verses fervently for them.

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Sanctified Saint

Do you consider yourself a saint? Some people who think they are shouldn’t be so sure, and others who think they aren’t should reconsider!
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Jan 2 - Jan 20, 2023 - Journey Theme #112

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Sketched X Day 13 Dinner & Identity

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 43:15-45:15
John 14:9-11
John 13:1-17
Luke 24:13-35

Sketched X, Day 13

After all this time….
Thirteen years (Genesis 37:2, Genesis 41:46) spent wondering what would become of me. Years of wondering what had become of those who had sold me into slavery – you, my half-brothers. (Genesis 37:12-28) Now here you are, back for more grain. (Genesis 43:1-14)

This time I won’t be rough with you as I was at your last visit when I desperately needed to know if your hearts had truly repented. (Genesis 42:9-20) Instead, I will continue to show kindness like I did as you returned home to our father. (Genesis 42:25-26)
I will instruct my servant to invite you to the noon meal. 

I see my brother Benjamin (Genesis 35:24) has returned with you, as I had previously instructed. (Genesis 42:20) How my heart is both joyful and heavy. I missed so much of his life while I served Potiphar and sat in prison. (Genesis 39, Genesis 41:1) O Benjamin! Let me retreat to my room as I am overwhelmed to see him as a mature young man. (Genesis 43:30)

I want to reveal myself to you, my brothers, on this visit, but I also want to continue to test your hearts. You were honest with my servant about the money I returned to you, and you gave more care to Benjamin on the journey here than you did to me that fateful day. Maybe you have learned. But how will you handle favor? Will you be jealous, like you were when our father favored me with the coat? (Genesis 37:3-4) Let us see.

First I arranged you in birth order. (Genesis 43:33) I knew that would alarm you. Then I gave my brother Benjamin five times more food and drink than the others.
But you did not get upset and for that I was overjoyed. (Genesis 44:34)
I enjoyed my time with you, but I needed to prepare for my final test. Well, not my final test, but Yahweh’s. It is He who is guiding and obstructing me in how I deal with you brothers.

As you left to return to our father, I sent my servant after you to accuse you of thievery. (Genesis 44:1-2) Many would think you are thieves, stealing my freedom and so many years of my life. But you stole nothing. Not this day, nor the day you sold me into slavery. It was all part of God’s plan, and I intended to share this truth with you if you passed my final test.

When my servant stopped you and found the cup in Benjamin’s bag I had placed there, you returned to me, not angry and indignant, but humble! You fell to the ground and bowed before me, (Genesis 44:1-14) just like in the dream that made you hate me enough to sell me. (Genesis 37:5-11) In that moment, you were more humble than I had been when I shared the dream.

And then Judah. O Judah! You mentioned I was dead, but I was not. I was right before you. But despite still holding onto that story of what happened to me, you, above all, amazed me. You came to me with humility, a sense of responsibility and dare I say love and compassion. (Genesis 44:18-34)

You offered your very life for my brother Benjamin. You offered your life to prevent our father from any further grief. I saw none of that before, but now, now, my brother, I see the change. You passed my test. All of you passed.

Now, I weep as I reveal myself to you brothers. Yes, I tricked you, but it wasn’t done in vengeance or hate. I sense your worry, but I say to you, “…don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5) Brothers, I love you in spite of your actions.

And now, I await your return with my father, Israel. How I have missed him! How I have missed all of you! My soul rejoices for the plans of Yahweh, for they are always true and right. Now hurry my brothers and bring our father to Egypt, where he will be well cared for and Yahweh will be glorified.

John: Joseph invited his brothers to a meal to reveal who he was. We see Jesus openly reveal who He is at a meal, but without any trickery in John 14. Joseph used trickery to confirm his brothers’ heart intentions, but Jesus had no need for such tactics. He simply served them humbly and lovingly by washing His disciples’ feet. (John 13:1-17)

Cleopas: Joseph went to great lengths to reveal to his brothers who he was, with the big reveal at the noon meal. I wonder if they sensed it before he told them? As I walked the road to Emmaus, I felt something, a recognition. But it was at the meal that He, Jesus, fully revealed Himself. And it was my great privilege to truly see the God who keeps on revealing Himself to humanity through our telling of Him. (Luke 24:13-35)

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
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And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

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Whole Day 11 Whole Story Messengers

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Whole Day 11 Whole Story Messengers

Guest Writer

July 4, 2022

Forgiven,God,Grace,Hope,Jesus,Love,Obedience

Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Matthew 18:21-35
Mark 2:1-12
Micah 7:18-19

It was a warm, sunny day in Mali, West Africa. 

I’d jumped at the chance to lead a missions work team to the local artisan market to shop for souvenirs before their departure. 

We headed to one of my favorite sections with wooden carvings and other cultural gems. I was immediately greeted in French by a shopkeeper. When my team decided on their purchases, the shopkeeper quoted a ridiculous tourist price, his response curt and full of animosity. He made it known, in no uncertain terms, that he would never sell anything to the French, who had taken advantage of his country, for a fair price. 

I was taken aback. He’d clearly assumed my nationality based on hurts from his past and the color of my skin. So, I switched from French to his heart language of Bambara. 

“Sir, I think you have it wrong. I am not French. I am American and have lived here for 18 years. My parents & grandparents have lived in your country for many years as well. We love your people and your country. I am sorry for how the French treated your people. It was not right.” 

Surprised, his demeanor and tone began to soften. I reassured him we shared a common hope for his people, and we were supporting his community through building schools, medical clinics, and literacy programs. After discussing the beautiful people in his country, which I considered home, we agreed on a fair price and off we went with our carved wooden treasures. 

As I look back on that moment, I am reminded that reconciliation isn’t just a one-time event that is wrapped up in a tidy bow. The continuum of reconciliation is ongoing. It requires us to understand the past and properly assess the situation in front of us. This step of obedience will lay a foundation of empathy and trust, paving the way for us to make connections with the messiness of this world. 

Our message is full of hope because of Jesus, and our world needs all the hope it can get. Reconciliation requires us to find a commonality with the person next to us and use that as a connection point before we launch into the heart of the matter. 

Just as with my shopkeeper friend, it can often involve some uncomfortable moments where emotions run high. I wasn’t able to fix the hurt in his heart from the French people, but I was able to remind him there are people who DO care and want to help. For all of us, this conversation can serve as a helpful reminder that jumping to conclusions can lead to judgment. Instead of judgment, reconciliation involves communication and asking questions.  

Why do we engage in this messy work of reconciliation?

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 urges,
“Everything is from God, who has reconciled Himself to us through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’ He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 

Because the blood of Jesus has reconciled our separation from God and secured a right relationship for us with the Father, we are now tasked with sharing this message with the world. 

Notice Scripture doesn’t say, “If you want, you can be part of the ministry of reconciliation.” 
No, Scripture states, “He gave us this ministry.” 
God’s commission implies action on our part. (Matthew 18:21-35)


If we truly want to embrace the way of Jesus,
then we are called to step into the lifelong work of reconciliation. 

Often, we think of reconciliation as a single, turning-point moment, and while it can certainly be that, I’d challenge us to see small opportunities to pursue reconciliation in everyday situations. They are like stepping stones, leading people to know Jesus and the forgiveness and hope He offers. (Mark 2:1-12) Each stepping stone is key in building trust as we encounter the world. 

When we love people who are different from us, we are offering them the chance to be seen by a God who loves them. 

When we offer our kindness in the grocery store to a Muslim woman who is wearing her hijab and speaking another language, we are reflecting the kindness and grace Jesus has shown us. 

When we build a friendship with our coworker and demonstrate that we can listen without jumping to a rash conclusion, we model the way Jesus listened and truly cared. 

These seemingly mundane moments walk people closer to reconciliation with a God who loves them and desperately wants them to know Him.  

Questions for reflection…*What assumptions have you made about people? How might you stop yourself from making those same assumptions in the future?

*How can you engage with someone who is different from you, to show them you are listening? 

*How can you reflect the message of hope in the messy parts of your day? 

Written by Guest, Brooke Wiens

Tags :
Communication,embrace,heart,kindness,Messenger,questions,reconciliation,story,whole
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Digging Deeper

Undoubtedly, we’ve all experienced hurt from others in life. Some hurts are small while others are so painful we would be well-served to navigate them with Christian counseling. When preparing to live overseas as missionaries, it’s often said the hardest people to love are those within God’s church. Hmmm, say that again?! The church is supposed to be the safest, easiest place to love others!
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The GT Weekend! ~ Whole Week 2

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The GT Weekend! ~ Whole Week 2

Katelyn Palmer

July 2, 2022

Broken,Character,Christ,Community,GT Weekend,Hope,Humility,Jesus,Scripture,Truth,Unity

Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

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Pray His Words Back To Him!

Psalm 103:1-6

“My soul, bless the LORD, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. My soul, bless the LORD, and do not forget all his benefits. He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with Faithful love and compassion. He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
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Prayer Journal Entry

Yahweh, You have told us we are not of this world (John 15:19) and neither is Your Kingdom of this world (John 18:36), yet we are to remain here, shining as lights in the darkness until Your return. (Philippians 2:15)

Please keep my thoughts centered on Your Kingdom, Lord, especially when the darkness seems overwhelming. Use me to reflect Your light so others may be drawn to You and a little more darkness is squeezed out of the broken places. Guide my quiet time with You, still my mind and heart so I may hear Your whispers, God.

Yahweh, you are the Shepherd (Psalm 23), the Teacher (Psalm 25:5), and the Lord of Armies (Psalm 46:7). You quench the thirst of my soul like a glass of ice water in the desert (John 4:14). I ache to be close to You, to feel Your love and warmth in my soul. Equip me to reflect this love to Your creation and renew my strength to push forward each morning against the rulers of this world in Your power. (Ephesians 6:12)

I pray for opportunities in this coming week to lift up someone who is low in spirit and point them back to You, Father. I move as You command; in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Worship Through Song

Journal Prompts

JOURNAL ONE 
As Christ-followers, we must hold to truth when it seems hatred is around every corner and division on every billboard. Scripture reminds that our fight is not temporal but spiritual. (Ephesians 6:12)

Of course, we battle our flesh daily, but a spiritual enemy uses our physical world to attack our spiritual livelihood. The enemy’s tactics have remained the same since time began: lying, deception, misinformation, distortion, and misinterpretations of God’s truth. 

How do we fight against that? First, we educate ourselves on the enemy’s battle plans, like deception through social media or the division rising up around us. (1 Peter 5:8) We must study Scripture to understand and identify truth, praying for guidance and wisdom. We can stay informed on world events through multiple sources and strain our responses through the safeguard of Scripture. Second, we engage. We must start a dialogue with those inside and outside our circle with open minds and soft hearts about the brokenness of our world with a willingness to take action. Third, we seek community. God designed us to seek support from our brothers and sisters of all backgrounds. God did not promise us a life free of storms;
He promised to be present with us through them. (Isaiah 43:2)
JOURNAL TWO
It’s easy to acknowledge that we live in a damaged world and that humanity is flawed, but what happens when the finger is pointed at us?

The most effective way to attack oppression, hatred, and evil, is by looking inwardly first. Zechariah reminds us to have compassionate hearts for others (Zechariah 7:9-10), and Jesus taught us to love one another as ourselves. (Matthew 22:36-39) Isaiah calls for us to repent of our sin, be cleansed, and learn what it looks like to do right in order to stand against injustice. (Isaiah 1:17) 

All of these Scriptures appeal to Christ’s Church, that’s us! Imagine if the whole of believers around the globe actively lived out these verses in our everyday relationships. What peace and pushing back of oppression would result! Conquering hate and bringing unity to our communities must start at home. We must also pray fervently for leadership in our churches and our world. (1Timothy 2:1-4) Where we have the privilege to elect government officials, do so by searching the Scriptures and using your vote to elect righteous leadership. Have conversations, not debates, about what righteous leadership looks like that protects people, lifts oppression, and promotes justice. (Jeremiah 22:2-3, Proverbs 31:4-5; 8-9, Matthew 20:26-28).

It is our duty as Christ-followers to lead and pray with zealous love as God has commanded us to in order to reflect His light in the darkest places.
JOURNAL THREE
Have you ever heard the saying “practice what you preach?” Better yet, have you ever met anyone who could do it? I can think of one person who practiced everything He preached, and the world was quite literally saved in the process. Jesus.

He experienced sorrow, oppression, discrimination, and hatred, as well as taught about it in the synagogues, in boats, in fields and in city centers. Jesus illustrated how to suffer silently with purpose (Mark 15:3-5), but also how to boldly call out sin. (Matthew 21:12-13) He showed us how to lift up the lowly (Luke 8:43-48) and stand firm against the enemy, both spiritual and worldly. (Matthew 4:1-11; Matthew 23:1-7) More than all of that, Jesus showed us how to bring our brokenness to God in humble submission. (Mark 14:33-36)

In His submission, Jesus was renewed in His mission for God’s glory, for it is in tribulation where we develop endurance; endurance produces proven character, which produces hope. (Romans 5:1-11)

I challenge each of us as we face adversity in the next minute or the next week to rejoice at the opportunity God has allowed to further shape us into the image of His Son that we might proclaim Him all the more! (Romans 8:29)
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Worship X Day 2 Proclaiming Praise: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
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The Questions

1) What aspects of God’s character are revealed in Psalm 9?

2) Who are “the wicked,” and what is God’s response to “the wicked”? (verses 5, 16-17)

3) What can we praise God for when He is acting as judge? (verses 16-20)

Psalm 9

I will thank the Lord with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous works.
2 I will rejoice and boast about you;
I will sing about your name, Most High.

3 When my enemies retreat,
they stumble and perish before you.
4 For you have upheld my just cause;
you are seated on your throne as a righteous judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations:
You have destroyed the wicked;
you have erased their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin;
you have uprooted the cities,
and the very memory of them has perished.

7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
8 And he judges the world with righteousness;
he executes judgment on the nations with fairness.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted,
a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you
because you have not abandoned
those who seek you, Lord.

11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;
proclaim his deeds among the nations.
12 For the one who seeks an accounting
for bloodshed remembers them;
he does not forget the cry of the oppressed.

13 Be gracious to me, Lord;
consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me.
Lift me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may declare all your praises.
I will rejoice in your salvation
within the gates of Daughter Zion.

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made;
their foot is caught in the net they have concealed.
16 The Lord has made himself known;
he has executed justice,
snaring the wicked
by the work of their hands. Higgaion.
Selah

17 The wicked will return to Sheol—
all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy will not always be forgotten;
the hope of the oppressed will not perish forever.

19 Rise up, Lord! Do not let mere humans prevail;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
20 Put terror in them, Lord;
let the nations know they are only humans.
Selah

Original Intent

1) What aspects of God’s character are revealed in Psalm 9?
Psalm 9 refers to God by several of His names. The first being “LORD” in verse 1, which is actually the Hebrew name for Yahweh or Jehovah. (Got Questions) This name means the one true, self-existent, eternal God and it’s the personal name God used of Himself when He revealed Himself as the “I AM” to Moses at the scene of the burning bush. In verse 2, the psalmist also names God as “Most High”, or Elyon, which literally translates as Highest of Highest or Elyon Elyon. This name emphasizes that nothing is higher than God for only He holds all authority and rule. The psalmist specifically includes these two names to emphasize God’s interaction with His creation as a God of justice. (verse 4) One of the most common names for God in the Old Testament is Elohim, derived from an ancient word for “judge.” Woven into the character of Elohim, which means supreme God of all gods, is His unchanging character of justice. Though Psalm 9 doesn’t specifically refer to God by this name, this element of God’s character is on display in this particular writing. Try reading through the psalm and taking a few notes of how God’s justice is displayed and what the implications are for His just character.

2) Who are “the wicked,” and what is God’s response to “the wicked”? (verses 5, 16-17)
The wicked described in this psalm, and in most places in Scripture, are those who have actively rejected God and His ways. They are guilty and deserving of punishment for their rebellion. While we all share this verdict of guilty because of our sin (Romans 6:23), Scripture names the wicked as those who have no desire to repent and turn from their sin. The wicked are actively hostile toward God, perpetually living as morally wrong, allowing their sin to rule over them. (Romans 6:12) Like all of us apart from the mercy of God, the wicked are condemned to an eternity of death and God’s wrath upon them (John 3:36) due to the condition of their hearts and the actions flowing from corruption. We see a progression revealed in this psalm as to how the merciful and just God responds to the wicked. First, He rebukes them (verse 5), drawing attention to their sin. Whenever God convicts the sinner of their wickedness, it is meant to spur them to repentance; this is His kindness to us! (Romans 2:4) When a person, or nation, refuses to heed God’s rebuke and turn from their sin, God allows them to be ensnared by the work of their own hands (verse 16), their foot is caught in the net they concealed (verse 15), and they fall into the pit they have made (verse 15). Finally, He destroys the wicked who are unrepentant, erasing their name forever and ever (verse 5); this is eternal condemnation.

 3) What can we praise God for when He is acting as judge? (verses 16-20)
As God judges the wicked, Psalm 9 provides some outcomes of His justice and the benefits provided to those who do repent and trust Him.

  • Our enemies retreat, stumble and perish before Him. (verse 3)
  • The oppressed will NOT perish forever (verse 18); He remembers the cry of the oppressed (verse 12); He lifts the oppressed up as we turn to Him in dependent trust and repentance (verse 13).
  • God is gracious (verse 13) and fair (verse 8); He does not abandon those who seek Him (verse 10); He is a refuge (verse 9); He works wonders (verse 1); He upholds our cause (verse 4); He judges with righteousness (verse 8); He provides salvation (verse 14); He makes Himself known (verse 16).

We see the repeated phrases in Psalm 9 that speak to the utter destruction of those who are enemies of God, and, when we align ourselves with Him, who are our enemies as well. He destroys, ruins, and uproots the wicked; even the memory of them perishes.

Everyday Application

1) What aspects of God’s character are revealed in Psalm 9?
While we all want justice, we rarely want justice meted out to ourselves. We don’t like facing the reality that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, emphasis mine). Jesus said, “This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19, emphasis mine) When confronted with our sin, we resort to hiding and blaming as Adam and Eve did in Eden. We each sin by loving our selfish desires, idolizing our lusts, and worshipping everything except God. The God of Justice rightly deems us worthy of the consequence of eternal death for our sins against His holiness. (Romans 6:23) This would be tragic if it were the end of the story. If the final declaration is that we are sinners relentlessly rebelling against the righteous judge, and that our response would always be a knee-jerk reaction to hide from his Light and blame Him and others for our sin, we would be right to despair of all hope. But God is merciful and righteous. The Hebrew word for mercy depicts humble stooping to show gracious favor to those undeserving of kindness. Even as we were God’s enemies, He chose to die in our place, taking our punishment for sin upon Himself. (Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 2:24) Justice was served at the cross where God’s wrath was poured out on His Son instead of humanity. (Romans 5:9) This is the God of mercy, and the God of righteous judgment. This is a God of humble stooping (Philippians 2:6-8), a God who seeks and saves the lost (Luke 19:10), and a God who desires none to perish (2 Peter 3:9). This God of supreme justice and immeasurable mercy is worthy of our worship!

2) Who are “the wicked,” and what is God’s response to “the wicked”? (verses 5, 16-17)
It is tempting to look outward whenever we hear the word wicked. Surely, this is not a descriptor of ourselves! Even in psalm 9, the psalmist speaks of his enemies. “Oh, God,” we say, “Smite the wicked!” Yet, we don’t want to be smitten by Him; we want to be welcomed and justified. What about us? We are the wicked. All have sinned. All fall short of God’s holiness. This is me. This is you. The wicked aren’t limited to that person who is upsetting me or not living as I wish they would. We need to be so cautious of the sin of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day who quickly pointed to others’ sin while ignoring their own. Jesus called them “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27) who were dead within and completely unaware of their own need for God. They refused to acknowledge their sinfulness, which meant they couldn’t accept a God who would show them unmerited mercy and grant them salvation at His cost. They simply did not perceive themselves as needing a Savior; they were good enough on their own. Let’s respond to the word wicked by saying, “This is me. I need Him.” Thank Him that we are counted as righteous because of His work, not our own because we could never earn righteousness. Apart from His mercy, the inclination of our hearts is rebellion against God, and our destiny is the condemnation of the wicked. May we have compassion on the wicked as God has compassion on us, for at the cross, the ground is level. We all come to Him as rebellious sinners in need of a Savior.

3) What can we praise God for when He is acting as judge? (verses 16-20)
I remember a time when I began to understand that those who had deeply harmed me in the past were recipients of God’s just wrath, and I could trust Him to act justly on my behalf. For the first time, I felt a comfort deeper than I’d previously known. I saw God’s judgment as being on my behalf, not against me. He was judging the wicked, my enemies, so to speak, for harming His beloved daughter, as any good, protective father would. God’s judgment is ultimately a very good thing; it’s one we can trust without needing to take justice into our own hands. (Romans 12:17-21) Imagine a world where justice didn’t matter, and no one enforced the laws established for safety, harmony, and preservation of freedom. God is a God who cares enough to judge rightly. We can praise Him that He judges the unrighteous, and that He offers mercy in that process, but ultimately those sins committed against Him and those He loves do not go without retribution. (Romans 12:19-20) God cares deeply for the oppressed. And though the oppressed suffer for a time, He is aware of their suffering, and He is near to them. (Psalm 34:18) He always has the oppressed on His heart. He sees, hears, and cares when we are pressed down and persecuted and when we face trials of all kinds. (1 Peter 4:19) He also cares about those around us who suffer and He calls us to represent Him in their lives with love, compassion, and just action. When God judges, He does it with righteousness, fairness, grace, and mercy. He is never unkind or mean, unfair or temperamental in His judgments. We can trust Him as Elohim, the just God of all gods.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Eden Day 11 The Blame Game

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 3
Psalms 51
John 10:1-13
Romans 8:31-39

Eden, Day 11

Sin.
It’s an ugly word.
We often try to avoid it, saying instead: I messed up, my temper got the best of me, I was hangry, rules are just suggestions.

Reading the Old Testament fascinates me, because it’s easy to see not much has changed since the beginning of time.

For example, consider the conversation between God and Adam in Genesis 3:8-10 (emphasis mine) regarding sin:
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. So the LORD God called out to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ 

And he said, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’”

Can’t you imagine this happening today?
During those times when I try to “hide” from God because of my sin, I imagine God whispering to my soul, “Hey Lori, whatcha’ doin over there?”
I imagine replying, “Hiding from you God, duh.”
Joking aside, we all do this. Much like Adam and Eve, in our sin, we try to hide from God, hoping He won’t notice.

But God does notice. In Genesis 3, we see God gently nudging Adam to come clean by asking some pointed questions:
“Where are you?” (verse 9)
“Who told you that you were naked?” (verse 11)
“Did you eat from that tree I commanded you not to eat from?” (verse 11)

Still, Adam won’t admit his sin. He sidesteps God’s first question about his nakedness; instead, launching into “it wasn’t my fault,” beginning the first blame game. (Genesis 3:12) And don’t we do this? Yet we cannot hide from God, or fool Him with blame-shifting. He sees us exactly as we are: naked, exposed, and afraid.

I think of our youngest daughter when I read this story. From an early age she came to us, without prompting, to admit she (or her sister) had done something wrong. Given her second-born-child tendency to push boundaries, this happened often!

As a parent, this was a pretty sweet gig. We could rest assured that if either child had transgressed, our youngest would let us know long before we would find out on our own. Thinking back, I have no idea where this behavior came from, because I have always been a “rules are basically suggestions” kind of girl.

But she was nearly always compelled to admit her wrongdoing,
and when you think about it, isn’t this exactly how we should be with God!
Unlike us parents, God already knows when we sin,
and He wants our honest confession.

Psalm 51 is a great example of confessing sin that stems from true heartfelt repentance. When confronted with his sin, verse 4 describes King David acknowledging it by saying to God,

“Against You—You alone—I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight. So You are right when you pass sentence; You are blameless when You judge.”

Like Adam and Eve and King David, we too have a sneaky enemy who twists God’s words, tempting us into sin. John 10:10 tells us our enemy is coming to “steal and kill and destroy.” Therefore, we need to be on guard, ready to meet the lies of the enemy with God’s truth. In this same verse, Jesus also says, “I have come so that [you] may have life and have it in abundance.” Instead of agonizing over our sin or trying to hide it, we can come before our gracious Savior and confess, “I have sinned, Jesus, and I’m sorry.”

Indeed, Scripture explains,
“If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)

Romans 8:31-39 provides us with the confident hope we need when dealing with sin. Read these words slowly and then spend some time reflecting or journaling on their meaning.

“What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 

Because of you
we are being put to death all day long;
we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Eden Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Eden!