majesty of God – Be Still…

Job 38:1-41 – God Answers Job!

Read Job 38:1-41

Don’t rush past verse 1. “Then the Lord answered Job.” There is a lot of power packed into these words. The word “then” stops us in our tracks as if someone just turned on the light so we can finally see. How climactic! After all the time Job longed to hear from God, God now speaks and tells Job to “Brace yourself.” Hold on and get ready to be wowed!

The whole book of Job hinges on this moment of truth. God’s words are important, but the simple fact that God answers from the whirlwind is huge! It proves God is always present with us, listening to our prayers. After the last 35+ chapters, we’ve heard from Job and his friends, all spinning their wheels, spouting off misguided theology while trying to figure out what is happening. Continue reading “Job 38:1-41 – God Answers Job!”

Daniel 11:2-20 – North vs. South

Read Daniel 11:2-20

The messenger from our last reading continues to share with Daniel in this passage. And there will be still another reading to finish up this one vision. Can you believe the detail Daniel is receiving from this angel from God?

I’m not really a history buff, but when I read this vision, I very much wanted to figure out who these people were from the north and south. I tried drawing a diagram of what we know from Daniel’s vision but felt even more lost. Continue reading “Daniel 11:2-20 – North vs. South”

1 Chronicles 16:37-43 – Worship Assignments

Read 1 Chronicles 16:37-43

Interesting that David wanted all of Israel to be part of the celebration around the Ark as well as witness his appointment of priests and Levites in both Jerusalem and Gibeon. All of that before “all the people returned to their homes, and David turned and went home to bless his own family.” It makes sense that tradition holds that the Chronicler was from the Levite clan, possibly even the priest, Ezra.

What stood out to you in this reading? Other than assigning seventy (yes 70!) gatekeepers to watch over the Ark, being a worship leader myself, I was drawn to David’s assignment of musicians. They were commissioned to give thanks to God with their instruments. What a great assignment!

Christmas 🌟 Matthew 2:1-12 – Wisdom

Read Matthew 2:1-12

These men were expecting a Jewish king to be born from prophecy. They must have been elated when they finally saw the star. We don’t know much about these men, other than they were wise. The text doesn’t say where they came from, how long they had traveled, or how many of them there were. Have we assumed three because there were three special gifts? (Fun fact: the Eastern church recognizes there were twelve wise men!)

Their wisdom had prepared them for this moment. You can imagine many people had seen that glorious star in the sky, but they had no idea what it meant. Somehow, these men knew it signified the birth of a future Jewish king, even greater than King Herod, the then current king on the throne.

Mark 4:26-29 – Kingdom of God

Read Mark 4:26-29

Jesus again uses seeds to make his point. Describing the kingdom of God is tricky, and we often have a hard time wrapping our heads around what it truly means. We all have a picture of what a kingdom is–from fairy tales we read as a child or seeing news reports of what’s happening in the royal families of England or other nations with that type of rule.

So, what does this parable teach us about the kingdom of God? For me, I understand it as a beautiful mystery that’s hard to explain. We should be in wonder of it! Just like we marvel at how a seed, when planted, can become something entirely different.