Often the harvest from the challenging times in our lives is not obvious to us. Much of my journey feels like two steps forward and a whole lot of steps back with one thousand miles still to go. However, the study of Scripture is one area of my life where I can clearly point to the work God has done and the ways I have changed. Today I want to share with you a few highlights from my time studying Scripture with a Bible Study Fellowship group while my family was stationed in eastern Washington (we moved to Kentucky from Washington this past summer). During my time there I was able to study Genesis, Matthew, and People of the Promise Kingdom Divided (the fifteen books of the Bible spanning the time period from the split of Israel into the northern and southern kingdoms to the exile in Babylon). The accountability to study Scriptures daily, discuss in a small group, and learn from the study resources was exactly what I needed! I continue to be amazed at how God was able to heal my heart and answer some of my questions through being immersed in His Word.
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| Eastern Washington and Oregon are so beautiful. It was hard to choose which pictures to share. These are the Blue Mountains seen from one of our favorite parks. |
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| Hot air balloons frequently took off from an empty field near our house. |
Genesis
I read about the God of creation who made everything out of nothing and then called man and woman in his own image to create and make and care along with him. And I received a fresh vision for homeschooling my daughter without my son and appreciating who she was as a scholar: a creator, maker, and caretaker more than a knowledge seeker. It was a gift to be reminded that in her creating, making, and caretaking she was doing what God calls all people to do.I also read about Abraham, his willingness to trust God when called upon to sacrifice his son, his professed belief in the provision of God, and God’s ultimate provision of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. And I mourned my own son's death in a new way and was called to trust in God's provision of Jesus for this day and for the days to come.
I read about Joseph and his declaration in Genesis 50:20: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good." And I pondered what it means for God to "intend" and my picture of God grew a little bit and my faith along with it.
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| Eastern Washington doesn't get much rain, but that only makes the rainbows all the more special. |
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| Our neighborhood was full of dogwoods, redbuds, and other blooming trees. |
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| We would get a lot of fog in the wintertime, and sometimes it would freeze. |
Matthew
I read about Jesus healing people again and again and again. And I mourned that Oliver did not receive the healing I wanted him to, was encouraged by the fact that if Jesus in the flesh had been there Oliver would have been healed, and was reminded that Jesus has the power to heal and that in His power He will restore all things some day.
I read about how God blesses the poor in spirit and those who mourn with the kingdom of heaven and comfort. And I was challenged to seek out Jesus for comfort and to mourn not just my loss but the sinfulness of myself and the world.
I read Jesus' parable of the kingdom of heaven being like a pearl of great price, worth everything someone has. And I marveled at the gloriousness of God's kingdom which Oliver was enjoying in full and I was enjoying in part. And I marveled that each of us is the pearl of great price, which God considers worth the loss of his own son's life.
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| Our trips to the Blue Mountains, about an hour from our house, definitely gave us a bigger pictures of God's kingdom. |
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| Beautiful in every season! |
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| So much snow! |
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| Our first of several spring wildflower hikes. |
People of the Promise Kingdom Divided
I read again and again and again of man’s utter depravity, God’s righteous judgment, and the promised Messiah. And I was confused, but also so thankful for Jesus, sufficient for my own depravity and sinfulness, sufficient for my sorrows, and worthy of all of my worship.I read in the book of Amos God’s promise of restoration for his people: "They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit" (Amos 9:14b). And I took hope, as someone who loves to garden and has had to move away from many a garden without tasting its fruit, that my turn to garden is coming soon too, both in days to come here on earth and the full fulfillment in heaven. And I felt loved that God would paint a word picture that felt like it was just for me, hidden among the minor prophets.
I read in the book of Isaiah promises of a future resurrection and restoration, verses like Isaiah 26:19: “But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise- let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy- your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.” And I was surprised to find this and other resurrection promises in Isaiah and await it with joy.
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| Leah and I often plant bulbs at the houses we rent and wonder about who will be enjoying them each spring. |
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| Check out the busy bees! |
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| I won't remember what Ash was looking at! |
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 11:13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
