Stand in Awe (Part 1)

This last weekend I had the honor of being one of four speakers at our 2018 Women’s Conference.  The theme was ‘Stand in Awe.’  Each of us was given the task to seek God in what He would say through us.  AMAZING!  Amazing how God orchestrates, weaves His thoughts.  Four women of God, all had different topics, but oh (OH!) they connected!

Three months ago, God began to massage a word in me that I can honestly say, I am now happy to have released.  It began to build and BUILD until, once I was up speaking, I stepped away from my notes and just let it out!  Stand in awe of HIS plan and timing. (Below is an excerpt – more to come)

Genesis chapter one, God created well … just about everything.  Genesis two; The narrative slows down and zeros in,  we see God creating Adam, putting him in the Garden, giving him instructions; Tend the Garden and don’t eat from that tree over there, the one next to the Tree of Life, do NOT eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, if you do, you will die.  It goes on to tell of God creating Eve.  Genesis three:  Eve chats it up with the serpent (he does not deserve a capital ‘s’) he twists his words and questions in such a way, doubt spreads across Eve and she eats and shares.  Instantly everything changes. Everything.

In their disobedience sin rushes in, God and man(kind) are now in a broken relationship.  We all know the rest of the story, we’ve heard it in Sunday School, we skim over it in our yearly ‘Read Thru the Bible.’  God comes and finds the man and woman, He’s ticked off, curses man and snake and kicks man and woman out of the garden. God slaps His hands together and with a heavy sigh, ‘Good riddance and good luck out there.’ – Um, no.

You see the key is in verse 22, (chapter 3).  They hadn’t eaten from the Tree of Life (yet) They HAD to leave.  HAD to!  Adam and Eve were in a fallen state, broken relationship with their God, if they had stayed, they would have eaten from the Tree they DID have permission to eat, they would then live FOREVER – in that fallen state.  Yes, God was angry, what father isn’t when his children disobey, but God was grieved over the current relationship, He sending them away was merciful.  I can hear the Holy whisper as He points, telling them to go… “It’s Alright, I Have a Plan…”  (Please read that out loud in whispered tone… “It’s Alright, I have a Plan!”) If you’re sitting in Starbucks right now, lean over to the person at the next table and tell them, “It’s alright, GOD HAS A PLAN!”  The rest of the written Word is the description and history of that plan.

God’s plan.  Stepping back to Genesis chapter two.  I am in awe of His plan and design of man, His timing, right up front!  God created man from the dust of the earth, the dirt (v.7) the earth is now literally part of man’s body, man is biological.  To sustain and nurture the body, God provides animal, plant, and mineral and water for him. Again in verse 7, “God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life and he became a living being.”  In the Hebrew, “He became a living soul.” What design, BRILLIANT!  Our bodies need the earth, but our soul, our inner – spirit man needs GOD to be sustained and nurtured.  It’s HIS breath in us! Think on that!  How often we go to the frig to satisfy our bodily hunger, BUT how often too we go seeking to satisfy the craving of our soul.  (Been there, done that – came back starved and completely malnourished!)  Throughout scripture, we see again and again of the hunger and thirst, the Psalmist cries, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God...” (Psalm 42:1-2)  Jesus speaks of this in John 6, He says, “I am the Bread of Life...” He wasn’t talking about feeding our body!  Paul too, “All scripture is God-breathed…” (2 Timothy 3:16)  God breathed on those writing and breathes also on those reading – sustaining and nurturing.  If we are to be healthy and whole on the outside and inside – God created man to NEED Him!  BRILLIANT!

It’s alright I have a plan…

More next time…

In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)

Stand in Awe image above was created by Chase at East River Fellowship