“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I’ve always liked how the Bible opens with “In the beginning God….” It’s like kind of the opposite of “once upon a time” which is purposefully vague and implies a “story,” meaning fiction, is about to be told. “ln the beginning” is actually very specific. It means at the very start of time. Before anything else existed, God existed.

This specificity indicates that what follows is the true story of how everything else came to be.

It’s a compelling start and a great read with so many fascinating insights into our past, and our future.

But this simple beginning also brings up some significant questions that are never answered in the Bible. Like, if God was all that existed, how did He come to be? Why was He alone? Did He create things besides our universe, outside our universe? Why did He suddenly decide to create this universe? How did He create all this, and why did He make it like this?

I could go on, and I’m sure you have some questions of your own.

But that’s not the story of the Bible. The story is laid out here in the very first verse. The Bible is the story of God and this universe He created.

I’m glad to be a part of it. I look forward to hearing God’s other stories one day when I get to speak with Him face to face. Perhaps chatting by the fireside with a mug of hot chocolate.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving us your Word, the Bible. Thank you for telling us the story of how we came to be and how things got to be the way they are and what you have done about that and plan to do about it in the future. I’m sorry for my part in the tainting of your beautiful creation. I am so grateful for your grace and look forward to meeting you face to face one day!

“He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

God made me to be curious. He made me to wonder where I came from, why I was born, and what will happen to me next year and a decade from now. He created me with questions.

And He usually doesn’t simply answer these questions.

God also gave us brains and skills and ideas. Life is a great mystery, but sometimes we discover answers. We created science and the scientific method to try to figure God’s creation out. There is beautiful satisfaction in revelation. God knew this and gave us the gift of figuring things out on our own.

But no matter how deep we dig, how far we look, how much we learn, we will never understand everything about God or His creation. That is also a wonderful gift.

Have you ever been reading a really good book and didn’t want it to end? Or maybe you have been working on a jigsaw puzzle and, although there was satisfaction, you were also sad when you finished it.

With God’s creation, we don’t have to worry about running out of story or puzzle. There will always be more to learn, discover, and understand. What joy!

Dear God,

Thank you for the beautiful puzzle of life you have given your children to solve. The more we learn, the more we realize we don’t know. You are infinite and oh so incredibly mysterious. I’m so glad for this mystery but also grateful for all you have shared with me about yourself.

“The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭19‬ ‭CSB‬‬

There is nothing that exists outside of God’s rule. Not just His notice or His awareness but His rule. He has ultimate power and authority over everything. There is nothing I can imagine that He isn’t able to control. There is no one more powerful, no one with greater understanding, no one with more knowledge.

What an amazing being our God is!

So isn’t it a relief that this all-powerful, all-knowing Being is also loving and good and holy and wise?

The rest of the chapter surrounding today’s verse describes how very wonderful that love is. God’s love is as big and impressive as He Himself is.

Dear God,

I am in awe of you and your power, vastness, permanence, and knowledge. And I am so grateful that you use these amazing qualities to love your creation, to bless us with goodness and holiness. Thank you!

“He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭29‬ ‭CSB‬‬

We just got done moving from one house to another. We have moved many times before, but for some reason this move seems harder than before. Maybe because we are older, or maybe because we moved to a slightly smaller house. Whatever the reason, my husband and I have ended every day feeling totally exhausted.

So today’s verse is pretty welcome.

But it also makes me wonder where that strength is that Isaiah says God will provide.

After some contemplation, God has mentioned a few things. He asked, “Are you really powerless or faint?”

Ok, no. I am just fatigued and overwhelmed because of a busy and confusing time in my life. We have a lovely home that we moved into. I have power — I’m not being oppressed — and haven’t yet actually fainted from hunger, thirst, fear, illness or any other reason.

God says, “So, do you really need me to give you strength or do you just need a few good nights of sleep?”

Your strength would be awesome, but a few good nights of sleep would help for sure.

God says, “You haven’t actually asked me for strength. Or even peaceful sleep. Why do you suddenly expect it? If you’ll notice, this Bible passage says my strength comes to those who trust in me. It seems to me you have been trusting in yourself right along….”

Of course you are right. I haven’t been relying on you, talking to you, asking you for help, strength, peace or anything else. And yet I am whining about this verse not being true for me. I’m sorry.

Dear God,

Forgive me for relying on my own strength and wisdom but then blaming you when the outcome is fatigue and weariness. I would love to claim your gift of strength. I trust you. I want to trust you. Teach me how and point out when I fail. Thank you for all the beauty you have blessed me with.

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬

For some reason today’s verse makes me think of the mask “debate” this country had during the pandemic. I use debate loosely because most people did not participate in “a reasoned, organized, and formal discussion where opposing views are put forward, heard, and considered before deciding a course of action.”

The people with the strongest views seemed to simply decide their stance based on partisanship or loyalty to a favored personality. “I’m on the blue team so I must do this” or “I’m on the red team so I have to do this” or “I have to do this because my hero said so.”

This way of decision-making is contrary to how God wants His children to make decisions.

So how does God want us to decide what to do and how and when to do things?

Today’s verse says we are to consider what is good for all and to take every opportunity to work towards that. It doesn’t say to listen to one person’s idea of what is right and only do that. It doesn’t say to embrace your team’s ideology and hate everything else. It doesn’t say to make sure my rights are in tact or my needs are met or my life is improved. It says to work for the good of all.

How do I know what is good for all? After praying with an honest heart to ask God, my next step might be to listen to all the people. I can’t know what’s good for you if I don’t ask you and listen for the answer. Particularly I should include people I think I disagree with in my considerations. (Especially to the believers in that group. After all, today’s verse does include that last part about working for the good of all, especially for the other believers.)

In the mask example, I shouldn’t think about my rights or my comfort as much as I work for the good of others: their health, their safety, their comfort, their rights, their peace… their good. If by wearing a mask I can protect one vulnerable person from any infections I carry, that is one small way to work for the good of all.

Mask-wearing is just one of many things our society wants us to take sides on. This is the devil’s plan. Divide and conquer. That is not God’s plan. God’s plan is always love. How can I plan to love today, to work for the good of all?

Dear God,

Thank you for your love and for wanting all your children to participate in it. Your plan to love and work for the good of all is so much better than this world’s plan to pick a side and ride or die. I want to live in a world of love and peace not a world of hate and fear. Teach me how to work for the good of all today. Show me ways and times I am doing the wrong thing. Please forgive me and help me to change.

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭26‬ ‭CSB‬‬

This whole chapter is about how deceptive this world is. We are taught over and over to seek beauty, value youth, strive for wealth, and glorify fame. If we can just have these things, we will be successful and happy. We will have won.

But this mindset is a trap. These enticing but worthless and deadly goals are set up by the devil to distract us from the only true thing that actually matters: God.

The author of this Psalm admits to falling for the trap for a while, until he entered God’s sanctuary, and, “like waking from a dream” (vs. 20), he recognized his stupidity (vs. 22).

Like the author here, I am often stupid. I fall for the big lie. I see people around me with bigger houses, newer cars, jet-setting lifestyles… Their lives seem easier, better, more fun.

It’s so easy to be lured into this way of thinking. But then I return to God’s sanctuary. He says, “Wake up!” I remember that old age comes for everyone, no matter how many surgeries you buy to delay its ravages. Death comes to the door of the rich and the poor, the famous and the obscure, beauty queens and plane Janes. There is only one escape in the end, and I can’t earn it or buy it or steal it or inherit it.

As today’s verse says, God is the only thing solid enough to cling to and the only thing that is eternal, always, and forever.

Dear God,

Forgive me for looking outward and comparing my life with other people’s. Forgive me for judging my success by the wrong standards. Thank you so much for your patience and for always being here for me when I come to my senses. I love that you are love and truth and forever and available to me. You are all I need, ever.

“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and he will give a reward to the lender.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I was taught about philanthropy as a young child, in the form of giving to the church. My parents always put money in the collection plate when it came around, which kind of mystified me because I knew how little they had. (I learned what it meant to postdate a check from my mom.)

The Bible often calls it tithing, which is a very churchy word for giving back to God at least ten percent of what He gives me.

Tithing is hard. But it is also something that God clearly asks, and I have always tried to be obedient with. My tithing has sometimes involved giving to a church and letting them decide how to disburse the funds in service of God’s will. More recently, it has involved giving to other organizations that directly meet the needs of the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society. I think God approves both methods of tithing. It’s just a matter of how much I want to be involved in the process of vetting and selecting worthy causes.

Today’s verse is part of my evidence for that opinion. If I am generous with the poor, whether through the church or not, God is pleased.

And God is actually more than pleased. He considers generosity to the poor equal to generosity to Him. God takes it personally. If I treat a person who is downtrodden with kindness, generosity, and respect, it is the same as treating God with kindness, generosity, and respect. And God will repay me for it. That’s what a loan is. Loans get repaid. But today’s verse says I will even get a reward on top of the repayment. Bonus!

In case obedience to God isn’t enough incentive toward philanthropy, today’s verse offers the selfish motivation of getting even more in return. And I can honestly and personally attest that this is very much true. God has repaid me many times more than I have given away, and I have given away a lot.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for your promise to reward my generosity with even more generosity from your infinite resources. I am so glad that I took you up on your offer to test you in this area. You continue to prove yourself faithful. Forgive me when selfishness and fear get the upper hand in my life. Remind me of this verse at those times, and pry open my fingers (and heart) to give.

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭CSB‬‬

To be honest, I didn’t really want to write here today or do my Bible study. I’m tired and busy with many things.

But thinking about today’s verse, I am reminded of all the people who would rather have been doing other things.

I’m sure Mary didn’t really want to be pregnant right then. She was young and betrothed. Her whole life was turned upside down. And yet she obeyed.

I’m sure Joseph was confused. He likely didn’t feel like marrying someone who was already pregnant and raising a child that wasn’t his. And yet he obeyed.

Then there’s Jesus Himself. He was worshipped as Lord of all in heaven. He probably didn’t feel like being birthed into some filthy stable in the middle of nowhere as a tiny, helpless baby human. And yet He went through with the plan. All the way to the end.

I thank God that these folks all obeyed even though they didn’t feel like it.

Mary would have rather spent her time preparing for the picture perfect wedding and honeymoon. Joseph would rather have been showing off his beautiful new bride around town and preparing to start his family. Jesus would rather not have had to come here the way he did, take all our sins on Himself, and die a grizzly death for us.

But I’m so glad they each chose to stick with the plan, the one that saved me from my sin.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for your plan to save me from my sin. Your forgiveness comes so easy for me, but required so much from you, and Mary and Joseph. I am so grateful! Forgive my laziness. Remind me of these things when obedience seems hard.

“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I remember the first time I received a job title worthy of a business card: Technical Director. I was so proud and delighted to see my name and my title on a little rectangle of paper. I felt important.

But that job title described only one small part of who I was — the only part my company was concerned with. Besides being Technical Director though, I was Third Base on my softball team. I was Trumpet Player in my marching band and Sweeper on my soccer team. I am Older Sister to my brother and Younger Sister to my sister. I am Wife, Daughter, Niece, Aunt, Cousin and Granddaughter. I am Neighbor, Friend, and Volunteer.

God has a lot of names and a lot of roles too. These names are described throughout the Bible. Today’s verse includes four of them, and they are all business-card-worthy.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Reading these, it is interesting to me that adjectives are included in God’s titles. He is not just a counselor, He is Wonderful Counselor! Could I have been “Terrific Technical Director” or “Stupendous Soccer Sweeper”?

Another thing that is interesting is that these titles seem a little in opposition to each other, and yet God is all of them, and more. He is both mighty and the Prince of Peace. How can He be both mighty and peaceful? How can He be God of everything and Father to me? One is so grand and global, the other so intimate and near.

God is all these things all at once. He is the ultimate oxymoron. He is big and small. He is powerful and gentle. He is holy and merciful. He proved all these things by coming to earth as a baby boy in a humble nowhere town and then powerfully conquering death forever.

Dear God,

Thank you for the reminder of who you are in all your glorious, mysterious variety. Thank you for your humility and your majesty, your ability and willingness to be anything and everything that I need. And thank you for the reminder that my most valuable identity is that of God’s Beloved Child.

“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬

I feel like God used to give signs a lot in ancient times. He spoke with prophets and even sometimes with random people. When reading the Bible it seems like God made His presence much more apparent and His will much clearer then.

But maybe that’s because we only have stories about the times when these things did happen, some written by the prophets themselves. There are many more times when God was silent or appeared to do nothing. There are many more people who lived and died and never witnessed a miracle like those in the Bible. Those stories aren’t in the Bible, of course.

Would there be any stories from my life in the Bible?

Well, actually yes. God did give me a very important sign once. At the time I was a workaholic. I was dying inside because all my energy, identity, and time was being poured into my job. I was miserable and a bit desperate. I prayed to God about whether I should quit my job to find balance. The problem was that as a single woman, there would be no way for me to continue to afford to pay my rent if I quit. I felt God was asking me to quit. To trust Him. But I was terrified. So I asked for a sign.

Shortly after that, I was at church and a couple mentioned they would be relocating to Asia for work. I asked if they’d be selling their house. I don’t know why I asked. I wasn’t in the market to buy. I was simply curious.

Their reply was that they were keeping their house but looking for a house sitter. They then asked whether I would be interested.

That was my sign. It was a big, blinking neon sign. I could practically hear God saying, “See, you can trust me.”

I took the house sitting gig, quit my job, and my world changed for the better in countless ways. And God has taken care of me ever since because I continue to try to trust Him.

Dear God,

Thank you for the way you have revealed yourself to me over the years. You have shown me your love and your provision. Forgive me for trying to rely only on my own strength. Forgive me also for still being afraid to listen to you. Open my eyes to what you are doing in my life and guide me along your path even if it looks a bit frightening.