Love at first listen + FDWJ

Let's pretend today is yesterday, because that's the day I planned on publishing this :).

This song is really beautiful!  So I'm being a nice person and sharing it, so everyone can know that the champion of heaven made a way for all to enter and that fear is not an option because He makes us brave. More like because I need to keep reminding myself about that.

Since I'm so smitten with it, it was the background song for today's bible reading. I'm very proud of my progress, I’m not slacking with reading my Bible these days. Even though I could be better at typing out my reflections. I actually have a bunch of unedited drafts sitting around here somewhere.

Today, I read Genesis 35. I think I've read all of Genesis to this point. It's really interesting to be following Jacob's life. Well not quite "following", but at least it's a close view on the major events in his life, almost like a Facebook page (except that we see negative happenings too). It's interesting to see how God is dealing with him. 

I hear it all the time and try to remind myself that, for God, there is no box. So there's no point trying to imagine His ways, or worse still, predict them. He does just what pleases Him and however it pleases Him too. But just reading and studying this first book of the bible and the other passages I stumble on during the day (on YouTube, other blogs, Instagram and family devotions) has made things a whole lot clearer. Coming to that stage of total surrender, where it is: God, I'm trying to know you and your will as given by your word and the Holy spirit, but it's still really up to you to do what you will. Brokeness? Is that what it's called?

I had my own ideas on how Esau should have treated Jacob when they finally reunited years later, my own opinions on the many appearances God made to Jacob, on the way Laban treated Joseph and on Dinah's brothers' reaction to her rape too. But that's what reading and studying is about: learning and edification. Some things make sense to us, or don't, but still God's will will be.

In today's reading, God speaks again to Jacob directing him on where to go. Just like a friend calling you to say "meet me at the ABC mall". Just like that. I long for that sort of explicit direction. It's the kind that saves you the time and many other resources wasted in life's merry-go-rounds. Even in chapter 32, when he was returning home and he heard that Esau's troops were on their way to attack him, Jacob was able to boldly to say "but God you said go home". Not that I need to be able to confidently blame God...lol! Like that would do any good.  It's just the confidence of knowing God said “go!”.  Just to know that every hindrance along the journey is just temporary. You know? The "I got the go-ahead from God, He's right behind me" kind of confidence.

Is it ironic that I'm listening to a song about this braveness that comes from God and I'm here feeling unbrave about a lot of things. Sigh, I’m getting there. By the way, you need to check out Jacky Hill Perry's "I Just Wanna Get There". I normally don't give that much time to songs I don't instantly love, but I bought this whole album, so I had to keep listening. Tens of listens later, I must say it's really growing on me, which I think means it's serving its purpose. It's not just a bunch of beats and rhymes that give the "good vibes", so yeah edification is happening.

ed·i·fi·ca·tionˌedəfiˈkāSHən/

noun

formal

the instruction or improvement of a person morally or intellectually.

"the idea that art's main purpose is to supply moral uplift and edification"

synonyms:

education, instruction, tuition, teaching, training, tutelage, guidance; More

 (source- google)

Summing up this post, I'll say that I've seen a lot of acknowledging God going on in these chapters. Almost as if for Jacob to remind himself of God's work in his life in the past, Jacob named every meeting point with God. He even offered sacrifices (kind of like giving thanks) in many of these places. And seeing that all these events took place within quite a stretch of time,  (doing the math and going by the record of events: he was able to work 14 years for wives, have tons of sons and even one old enough to sleep with his concubine), he probably had times when God didn't feel so present. Just knowing there were all these meeting places in the past surely helped to keep him trusting in God.

So yeah, cheers to more growing, moving closer and closer to God, to Him moulding me to who be more like Him.