Life Walk Bible Lesson 51 — Chosen by God
2 "The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving [hovering, brooding] over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, 'Let there be light;' and there was light."
There were times in history when God came to earth to see if things were as bad as He had been told they were. For example, He came to Noah, and to Abraham, and later to Moses when the outcry of the people came to His heart. He came with compassion, deliverance and healing, resulting in the freedom to worship Him, and the abundant life God intended for people to have, culminating in the birth of Jesus, Who came to show us how to live, to die in our place and the be raised from the dead, seating the believer with Him in heavenly place, far above -- to see life from God's perspective, as a child of God our King.
The first mention in Scripture of a time when things did not look good is right here in Genesis chapter 1 verse 2, where Moses explains how things looked at the time. For a more in-depth study on the many accounts which explain this verse in greater detail, you can see the first few Life Walk Bible Lessons, so I will not go over that again here.
God did not avoid saying what was. He just did't take more time than necessary on the subject. When God spoke to John in the Book of Revelation, He said, in chapter 1:19, "So write the things which you have seen [in the vision], and the things which are [now happening], and the things which will take place after these things."
There are no good natural answers to the multi-layered personal trials and troubles the human being endures throughout their lifespan, that will wipe away the memory of them, nor the tears shed over them. The regrets are many, for most people, I am certain, and the do-overs are few and far between.
Words spoken, deeds done, things set in motion from Adam onward, toward the time of the Cross whereupon that which was held against us was nailed, are engrained in our minds, and in the eyes of our heart, irregardless of how often we attempt to sweep them away with our faith in God's word, and His promises. We pray the Word, believe the Word, and confess the Word of God -- as we have been taught, however, inevitably, we still encounter spiritual warfare at the hand of Satan, who reminds us of just how frail we are.
Scriptures of promise are not meant to be a pat answer, but a declaration of the light of the Kingdom shed on the situation.
Look again at the way God handles it in Genesis chapter 1.
He creates. He observes. He declares.
We can look at it again and by expanding this observation, see that God began to create, even as Jesus began a work, and continued it. Jesus also began a work in us, and He is the Author and Finisher of our faith -- that work -- we are His workmanship, according to Scripture, and literally, His work of art.
God is Light -- a multi-colored spectrum of undefinably, indescribable, and unfathomable beauty, with which He clothed humanity to reflect His image, so that whoever comes against another human being comes against the very image of God.
Jesus takes "love one another as I have loved you" and the accompanying practical deeds of love pretty seriously, for we, as believers in Christ, and partakers of His Kingdom, are all part of His Body.
God observes what He created, looking at it closely, and with intention to evaluate what He has done so far, as does a builder of a house, yet unfurnished, who then designs its furnishings. God puts leaves on the plant for healing, and fruit on the plant for nourishing -- encouraging, so we are taught to feed, shelter, and provide sustenance for one another, as does a good shepherd of his sheep.
God declares what is yet necessary to continue creating. Light -- setting it in motion for all time to fully supply all of His creation with everything life-giving.
Look at it again --
God saw something in His heart which He wanted to make visible to everyone else. So He created the heavens and the earth.
He observed that earth wasn't yet completely the way He wanted it, so He did not dive into the abyss He saw, but got on top of the situation, just as Jesus did when He walked on the water during the storm, on the way to bring deliverance to someone oppressed by Satan.
The only other time we see something similar is when God took the prophet Ezekiel [chapter 47] on a journey from the shallow end to the deep end of the goodness of God.
When God brought deliverance to the Ancient nation of Israel, God made a path through the water so that they could all walk through on dry ground. He does not overwhelm, but rescues the believer who endures hardship, bring the believer to a spacious place of worship. [Psalm 118; Isaiah 43:2]
God declared the solution.
Simplifying our lives according to this pattern is a step in the right direction, for the believer stuck in a place of grief, trauma, or devastation, just as we read so often King David experienced. He, along with many other prophets, left us a legacy of everyday life on the journey with God. It didn't always look great. In fact, if David had known what he was getting into when Samuel poured the oil on his head, he might have thought twice about it and said, No thank you. But I am glad he didn't do that.
I am glad he kept going no matter what, so that even God said of David, I have found a man after My Own heart. [Acts 13:22]
I am glad the Apostles said yes, even in the face of the horrific persecution of the early Church.
I am glad the many saints since then, whose testimonies are written on innumerable pages of experiences, from which we can learn from their mistakes and their triumphs, did not give up when life seemed impossible to enjoy.
I am glad that the early Church fathers, who suffered at the hands of many governments throughout history, brought us these very Scriptures so that we may know how good God was to them, and so that we may have faith for the same steadfastness in our journey.
Looking for ways to find joy in the madness is not confined to a Pollyanna mentality, whereby we only read the "glad texts" and confess them until they happen to us. These are indeed necessary for our well-being, in order to focus on God's goodness as part of implementing the solution -- the joy of the Lord is our strength. But they must also be believed with all our heart as true for us.
When we confess Scripture, but do not experience the desired outcome of our confession, what do we do then?
Jesus told us a story, recorded in Matthew 13, about a farmer who threw seed on the ground wherever it was he went, and some fell on this or that kind of ground. You can read it for yourself.
Many of us have deep-seated anguish that is so deep it seems not even God can reach it. But He can.
No therapist can erase the memory, much less make it less painful. No medication can take away the pain, and no other human-contrived solution can make it any less burdensome. Satan would have us believe we are yoked to that bondage for life, as our allotted suffering for Christ. But the Anointed One and His Anointing breaks the yoke of bondage to old hurts, old belief systems and old ways of doing life. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy everything God has created, and Jesus came to give it all back and then some.
Again, let's look at the Parable through the eyes of Genesis 1:1-3
God created the soil. God observes the soil's condition. God improves the soil.
God prunes the plant so that it can produce even better results, which means He removes what isn't working, thereby providing the way for the solution.
God created [chose the believer]; God covers, and fills the believer with His Holy Spirit to help Him receive the seed sown. God's love fills our heart so that the seed can grow and prosper, and its fruit and whatever else is produced from that seed's growth, can be shared with others, benefiting their lives.
The seed growing in a loving and receptive heart produces the desired outcome, the harvest.
No matter what our lives looked like before God planted His seed in our heart -- His way of life, His love, His joy, His peace, His gentleness, etc., etc [Galatians 5:22-23] our focus, for a good harvest, needs to be on the desired outcome., not on our past emptinesses.
How strange it would be if a farmer planted a seed in the ground and went out the next day and said, It's not growing! So then, we step back and observe what we have and ask God for what is missing, just like the builder who, after building it, wants to stage the house with beautiful furnishings so that it can be sold. He sees the desired outcome -- the sale of the house, and does whatever is necessary to accomplish that outcome.
Encouragement: You are chosen by God. You are valued by God. You are loved by God. No matter who didn't do all those things which caused you to feel like no one
As a child of God, and a co-heir with Christ of the inheritance promised, according to the covenant God made with Abraham, the father of the faithful, you can personalize Isaiah 41, placing your name in the contract God outlines in these verses with His beloved children. You can personalize John 15, and recognize your right to sit with Him, and believe what He says about you as a disciple of the King of kings. You can personalize Psalm 23 and realize that He is you very own Good Shepherd, who cares for you and carries you close to His heart. Have faith in God's ability to keep you, to help you, to teach you His ways, and direct your paths. He is faithful. Humans cannot possibly do this for you, so we cannot expect them to -- but we do, don't we. It is natural. But we have a faithful God, who follows us about with goodness and mercy, and lead us along with cords of kindness, and surrounds us with songs of love.
Stay in Christ. Stay deeply rooted in His love, forgive quickly, let go completely of all offenses, and build a new thing, with new and better memories, fully loaded with God's goodness.
You are chosen. You have not been rejected. You have been chosen. I realize I am repeating myself, however, I feel this with all the urgency that comes with someone needs this encouragement this minute.
Jesus tells His disciples, I have chosen you, and I know you. God knows you. He knows who you are, and what you have been through, and how it all sometimes just seems like such an empty waste, a chaotic mess. But He has good plans in mind which He desires to make visible to the believer. He loves to work on behalf of those who love and trust Him. So trust Him. When things look really bad, look up, for your redemption from the mess is closer than you imagined.
Benefits of Walking with God
Romans 6:22
Psalm 23:6
Psalm 103:1-5
Isaiah 40:31
*Forgiveness
*Healing
*Redemption
*God's Lovingkindness
*God's Mercy
*Good things
*Renewal/youth
Flourishing in Christ
Psalm 92:12-15
Psalm 1:3
John 15:5-8
