One Year Bible - February 5
Scriptures to read:
Hebrews 1; Genesis 45:1-46:27; Psalm 36
Growing up in the church, I had a relationship with God. But I was a little afraid of Him, and all of the scary and confusing prophecies of the end times. It took time for me to grow to the point of loving God.
As I continue to study God’s word, my love and sense of security have grown deeper. Passages that talk about the God who is full of power, justice, glory, grace and mercy further enrich my picture of Him, both in my heart and in my mind. I’d like to highlight two small sections from our readings today which reveal aspects of the Father that I find most compelling.
In Psalm 36, David contrasts the wicked and their future with that of those who humbly seek their refuge in God. The humble group have a fabulous future In store! But my favorite image is in verse 8b: “…You give them drink from Your river of delight.” In these words, I see my God, who is excited to bring joy to his children. Exactly what this will look like in its heavenly way is not clear, but I do know what delight feels like, and it is a word that gives me a clear sense of unbridled joy.
The very notion that my God has given thought to prepare ahead of time that which will bring delight shows me someone that I want to be with. I can imagine the joy it brought Him just thinking this up. It reminds me of how excited I get about giving gifts to my own children. I love to delight them.
The other highlight in today’s reading is from Hebrews, Chapter 1. In this chapter, we see grand, glorious, fabulous details about Jesus. He is the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representation of HIs being. He is superior, even over the angels. These are lofty thoughts. But as we look at verse 9, we see that, because Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness, God set him above others by “anointing Him with oil of joy.”
Of all the things God could have anointed him with…glory, dominion, praise, power, the Bible described the anointing as one of joy. God values joy!
I appreciate all of who God is, and that he brings about justice and righteousness. But for me, I am most excited by an eternal future with a God who made the “river of delight” and anoints his beloved in joy.
Memory Verse: Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. - Psalm 36:5
Prayer: Lord, anoint us with joy. This is a rough season for many and the struggle to find joy is so common. I pray joy over your people. Amen.
