Happy Tuesday, friends! I thought I'd talk about my quiet time thoughts from Saturday. That was a day that I didn't have any set plans; I was able to read the Bible slowly that morning from the plan I use, and I really lingered over the time I spent praying and reading. Before I jump in with those thoughts, I thought I'd share how I go about my quiet time in the mornings.
First, let me say that there is no "one size fits all" formula; I only do what works best for me. Morning is my favorite time of day, which is why I do this at that time each day. Your best time may be at night, so I say to anyone who struggles in this area this: don't stress about this. You pick the time of day that works best for you, and jump in at that time.
Also, while I'm reading the Bible chronologically again this year, many of you don't do that, and that is absolutely fine! I would say to you that you should just read the Bible (or a devotional) in a way that works best for you. Some friends of mine are reading only the Gospels right now: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Some people I know and love are reading all of the books in the New Testament ending with "ians": 1/2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1/2 Thessalonians. Some people are just reading through the Old Testament this year in a way that makes sense to them, or in the books that they sometimes gloss over.
My point is that for those of us who are believers and followers of Jesus, any way that we read the word of God is the best way. We're all just doing our best, right?
I like to pray before I read the Bible each morning. Because I'm reading along with The Bible Recap community again for the third year, I use the scripted prayers that are written out. (Click that link to read how you can start this.) When I pray, I give God praise for who He is (Creator, Redeemer, Provider, Prince of Peace, the source of joy), and then thank Him for what He's done (He has saved me, my sons, my family, He protects me, guides me, gives me peace that is supernatural). I ask Him to speak to me through His word as I read, and I ask Him to fill me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding as I read the Bible that day. Later on I pray for other things, but again, there is not a formula for this; God just wants us to talk to Him! One thing I love about my current single life is that oftentimes I pray throughout the day. I feel like each and everyday is a retreat, and I get to talk to the Lord all throughout my day! That is my favorite thing.
After I pray, I read the chapters that are assigned to that particular day, and often times I even pray as I read the Bible. That's what I did on this day; sometimes I thank Him for what He showed me through the scripture that day, other times I ask Him to protect me from being prideful or angry.
I always read the Bible with a pen and highlighter, and I like to read in my Bible so that I can highlight, underline, and write in the margins what I've learned that day. One thing that Tara-Leigh Cobble from The Bible Recap encourages, is that we read the Bible not to look for ourselves in the pages, but to look for God and His character. She refers to this as a God shot and will ask on her daily podcast, "So what was your God shot today?" Mine is often different than hers, but sometimes it's the same. You'll see this in a minute as I share from Saturday.
On Saturday I read Genesis chapters 19, 20, and 21. Here's a quick synopsis of what was going on at that time. In the beginning of the Bible (Genesis 1), God created the world, the heavens (stars, moon/sun, sky), and its inhabitants (birds, fish, animals, people). He saw that these things were good, and people were His last creation: first came Adam, then from Adam's body and from a rib, Eve was created. They were sinless at this time, but after He placed them in the garden of Eden and gave them to instructions not to eat from one tree, Eve was tricked by a serpent (Satan), and she ate from the tree. Then she convinced Adam to do the same; the instant they did, they saw that they were naked, and were filled with shame. (Because of their sinlessness at first, they were naked, but there was no shame.)
That was when sin entered into the world, and it's been getting worse ever since. After they died, we read in Genesis that the world was so horrible that God regretted creating it and the people who lived on it. There was a righteous man named Noah; God told him to build an ark for him and his family, and two of each kind of animal. Noah obeyed God, and God flooded the earth with rain for forty days and nights; everyone/thing on earth died in that flood, except for Noah and wife, their sons and wives, and the animals on the ark. When the water finally receded, God promised to never again destroy the earth by water, and He placed His (rain)bow in the sky; the rainbow is a sign of God's covenant.
(This is why I hate that the LGBTQ+ community uses the rainbow as their symbol; they took something sacred and desecrated it by making it into something that blatantly sins against God and His word. I love all people regardless of their sexual orientation; I love them all. What I hate is the sin that is against the word of God. An old friend of my son's lives this type of lifestyle, and I love him dearly; I haven't talked to him in a few months, but we do keep in touch and randomly text one another. I've been thinking about him a lot lately and need to reach out to him today.)
After Noah and his family died, there was a man named Abram (Sarai was his wife) to whom God had promised that God would use to multiply the earth. God told Abram that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and through him the whole earth would be blessed. Abram and Sarai were old, as in their nineties. (Back then, people lived longer than they do today; Abram (later Abraham) was over 100 years old when he died.) God followed through with His promise, but Abram's wife tried to take things into her own hands when it seemed like it was taking too long. She gave to Abram her servant Hagar, and a son was born to Abram through her; Sarai mistreated Hagar, even though it was all her idea to begin with, and that's where I'm picking up with in this particular day of reading.
Sarai was jealous over the feast that Abraham gave to celebrate the occasion of Ishmael (the young child) being weaned. When she witnessed Ishmael making fun of her son Isaac (the son of Abraham and Sarah (God had changed both their names by this time), Sarah demanded that Abraham get rid of them. So, Hagar and young Ishmael left the home, taking prepared food and water with them. When the water was gone, Hagar placed Ishmael in the shade of a bush so that she wouldn't have to watch her son die. Can you imagine how this must have felt? My heart breaks over what Hagar went through, being mistreated so unfairly by Sarah.
As thirsty and hungry children do, Ishmael began to cry and here is what happened:
But God heard him crying; an angel of the LORD called to Hagar from heaven: "Hagar, what's wrong? Don't be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants." Then God opened Hagar's eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer, and he settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land of Egypt (Genesis 21:14-21).
Earlier, in Genesis 16:4-16, when Hagar was pregnant, she was mistreated so harshly (by Sarai/Sarah) that she fled the home. This was when another angel of the LORD found her; He encouraged Hagar to return to the home. He promised Hagar that she would have more descendants than she could count; the angel told her to name her son Ishmael (which means God hears), because God heard Hagar's cry of distress. After all of this happened, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She gave Him the name El-Roi, which means either the God who sees, or the God who sees me.
Here's what I got out of the reading from Saturday based on chapters 19-21 of Genesis and knowing what I shared from Genesis 16:4-16:
- God hears when we cry. He heard Hagar crying in the wilderness when she was pregnant, and He heard Ishmael crying when he was about to die from thirst and lack of water.
- God provides. When He heard Ishmael's cries, an angel appeared to Hagar and told her not to be afraid. He told her to go comfort her son, and then Hagar's eyes were opened and she saw a well. God provided for them water they needed to live: living water. Jesus is living water, and His life, death, burial, and resurrection give to us eternal life. Physical water sustains human life, living water provides eternal life for those who believe in Jesus!
In John 4:13-14, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well: Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again (He was referring to the well water). But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It become a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.
- God is with us; one of His names is Immanuel, which means "God with us". He was with Hagar in the wilderness while she was pregnant, He was with them after they were kicked out of their home, He is with you and me today in this very moment.
Do you know Him? If you want to talk more about this, please comment on this post or email me at allboys@gmail.com. I want you to know Jesus like I know Him; I want you to have a relationship with Him, and I would love for you to live in Heaven with me someday! Don't wait another day, because we are not promised tomorrow.
I pray this encouraged you today, friends. Love to all.
Jenn 🩷❤️
Linking up with:
