Zechariah 4:1-5:11; Revelation 14:1-20; Psalm 142:1-7; Proverbs 30:21-23
At the end of yesterday's reading in my OYB, there's a little
sticky note, covered in names: Phoebe, Julia, Gideon, Jedidiah, Hope Nellie,
Nathan, Boaz, Naomi, Lucy, Mae, and more. I put that sticky there in May
of 2012, as 12/22/12 was the due-date for our last child, and added names as I
thought of them or read them in Scripture. I never could talk Eric into
Boaz - what a man to name our son after! - but that ended up being fine since
we had a daughter. Boaz would be a rough name for a boy in Southern
California, but impossible for a girl!
Even after our Naomi Mae (see how handy that list was?) was born, I left this sticky note. It is a beautiful, yearly reminder of her, and of the men and women in God's word who lived a life used by God. As we come to the close of this year of reading The One Year Bible, I'm reminded to pause, to reflect, to thank God for his word, to remember Genesis through Revelation. It has been an encouragement this year.
Okay. Onto today's reading! A smattering of thoughts:
- Don't you just love the idea of "the day of small things" (Zech. 4:10)? The concept of rejoicing in the many small gifts of the Lord (like the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand) - where can we celebrate and not despise?
- The image of the woman in the basket: Did you notice how the angel shoved "wickedness" back down and slammed the cover on it? (See Zech. 5:8.) I could not help but think of all the ways wickedness tries to escape - in my own life, in the culture around me, in the world we live in. But even so, even with the woman's craftiness, God prevails and wickedness departs.
- There's a ton of conversation happening in Revelation 14. The 144,000 praise God, the angels make three proclamations, there's a voice from heaven which the Spirit confirms, and then more angels speak. God uses words to communicate his plans, both explicitly and audibly (as we see here in Revelation) and in the pages of his written word. As a word person myself, I am grateful that God speaks to, for, and with us.
- Psalm 142:3: "When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way." What a declaration of trust. "God, I am weary and uncertain, but how wonderful that you are not. You are my refuge, my portion (vs. 5). I am not alone."
- One item on the list in Proverbs 30:21-23 particularly struck me. The servant who becomes king, the fool full of food, and the ill-placed maidservant can all be perceived by those outside the situation - everyone notices the mismatch, and the effects are more far-reaching. To put it in vernacular, "it just ain't right" and everybody can tell. But the last item on the list, the unloved woman who is married, is known only by the persons involved. The man and wife alone can observe this disparity, and there's an element of subjectivity to it as well. Of all the items on the list, this one seems the saddest to me. Perhaps it's because I am a much-loved married woman, but the loneliness of it seems so palpable.
Even after our Naomi Mae (see how handy that list was?) was born, I left this sticky note. It is a beautiful, yearly reminder of her, and of the men and women in God's word who lived a life used by God. As we come to the close of this year of reading The One Year Bible, I'm reminded to pause, to reflect, to thank God for his word, to remember Genesis through Revelation. It has been an encouragement this year.
Okay. Onto today's reading! A smattering of thoughts:
- Don't you just love the idea of "the day of small things" (Zech. 4:10)? The concept of rejoicing in the many small gifts of the Lord (like the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand) - where can we celebrate and not despise?
- The image of the woman in the basket: Did you notice how the angel shoved "wickedness" back down and slammed the cover on it? (See Zech. 5:8.) I could not help but think of all the ways wickedness tries to escape - in my own life, in the culture around me, in the world we live in. But even so, even with the woman's craftiness, God prevails and wickedness departs.
- There's a ton of conversation happening in Revelation 14. The 144,000 praise God, the angels make three proclamations, there's a voice from heaven which the Spirit confirms, and then more angels speak. God uses words to communicate his plans, both explicitly and audibly (as we see here in Revelation) and in the pages of his written word. As a word person myself, I am grateful that God speaks to, for, and with us.
- Psalm 142:3: "When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way." What a declaration of trust. "God, I am weary and uncertain, but how wonderful that you are not. You are my refuge, my portion (vs. 5). I am not alone."
- One item on the list in Proverbs 30:21-23 particularly struck me. The servant who becomes king, the fool full of food, and the ill-placed maidservant can all be perceived by those outside the situation - everyone notices the mismatch, and the effects are more far-reaching. To put it in vernacular, "it just ain't right" and everybody can tell. But the last item on the list, the unloved woman who is married, is known only by the persons involved. The man and wife alone can observe this disparity, and there's an element of subjectivity to it as well. Of all the items on the list, this one seems the saddest to me. Perhaps it's because I am a much-loved married woman, but the loneliness of it seems so palpable.
- Sarah Marsh
No comments:
Post a Comment