I\u2019ve been reading in Genesis these past few weeks and have been struck again by the awesomeness and power and goodness and love of God! I felt absolutely dumbstruck again by the (not to overuse the word but..) awesomeness of what He created and how with such care and detail and foresight! We, the human race, are created in His very own image, after His likeness, because He wanted to have intimate fellowship with us!!! And I fell in love again with how distinctly he made us male and female. We women were created as no other things had been\u2026specially designed by our God as distinct and beautiful but also in His image and likeness! How incredible is that? I\u2019ve heard some say that they believe God does not care about the details of our life. But how can a God that creates with such uniqueness and distinction and foresight not be a God of detail? No. I can see that even the details of my life, however mundane they may seem to me, are important to my Lord who created me!<\/p>\n
John MacArthur pointed out in his commentary of Genesis that every time man responded to God\u2019s authority with rebellion, God extended grace and mercy with the justice! The more man rebelled, the more grace that was extended! And did we every push Him! To the point where He finally destroyed almost all living things! But even in that, His grace is seen\u2014in His delay of a year while the ark was built for men to repent; His grace in sparing Noah, his wife, their three sons and their sons\u2019 wives who feared and obeyed the Lord. God re-created almost everything about the earth and re-established man in it. Again and again God restates His plan for salvation and fellowship to His children. He does not ignore sin but He shows such patience and grace!<\/p>\n
And then I began reading about the life of Abram and several things about Abram\u2019s journey and adventures with God struck a chord with me. Abraham set out for parts-unknown when God told him to go, not knowing the outcome, but trusting the God who had called him. Wherever he stopped, he built an altar and worshipped God there. Every place God led him to was received with gratitude and worship. But there were times when Abraham panicked, doubted God\u2019s promises or that it was really what God had meant when He spoke them, worried over how things were looking, and leaned on his own understanding of the situation. In most situations, Abram and Sarai made a huge mess by taking things into their own hands. In contrast, in Genesis 15, when Abraham called out to God with his doubts and fears, God answered with sweet reassurance and promise. He was knew exactly what He was doing and it would be okay. As I look towards the end of my time here in PNG, so many things in my life feel \u201cup-in-the-air\u201d again. So many decisions to be made\u2014some of them mine to make, some of them for others\u2019 to make. I begin to worry, dream and plan things instead of trusting that God is working and will tell me the next step when it\u2019s time. But I\u2019m impatient and it seems like it\u2019s taking such a long time! But looking at how things turned out for Abram in Egypt when he lied to the king about Sarai, or when Sarai insisted he take her maid for his wife to bear the promised heir, or when he lied to the king of Gerar about Sarai, I realized that I don\u2019t want that. Every time he or his wife took things into their own hands to do what they understood needed to happen, it created a mess! Proverbs warns often against relying on your own understanding and, as one of the missionaries here pointed out last Sunday, \u201cWe always think our understanding is right!\u201d I don\u2019t want to be them. I don\u2019t want to make these things messy. So I\u2019m going to have to trust, resting in gratitude in the place He has me now. Going no further than He directs and worshipping Him for the amazing God that He is wherever I happen to land. This is the life God is for me.<\/p>\n
Also in John MacArthur\u2019s commentary on Genesis, I found a list of some of the names used for God in the Old Testament and the translations of those names:<\/p>\n
1. Elohim, meaning \u201cGod,\u201d a reference to God\u2019s power and might (Gen. 1:1, Ps. 19:1)<\/p>\n
2. Jehovah (sometimes spelled Yahweh), a reference to God\u2019s divine salvation (Gen. 2:4)<\/p>\n
3. El-Elyon, meaning \u201cThe most high God\u201d (Gen. 14:17-20, Is. 14:13-14)<\/p>\n
4. El-Roi, meaning \u201cThe strong one who sees\u201d (Gen. 16:12)<\/p>\n
5. El-Shaddai, meaning \u201cThe God of the mountains\u201d or \u201cGod almighty\u201d (Gen. 17:1, Ps. 91:1)<\/p>\n
6. Jehovah-Jireh, meaning \u201cThe Lord will provide\u201d (Gen. 22:13-14)<\/p>\n
7. Jehovah-Rapha, meaning \u201cThe Lord our healer\u201d (Ex. 16:26)<\/p>\n
8. Jehovah-Nissi, meaning \u201cThe Lord our banner\u201d (Ex. 17:15)<\/p>\n
9. Jehovah-Maccaddeshem, meaning \u201cThe Lord thy sanctifier\u201d (Ex. 31:13)<\/p>\n
10. Jehovah-Shalom, meaning \u201cThe Lord is peace\u201d (Judg. 6:24)<\/p>\n
11. Jehovah-Rohi, meaning \u201cThe Lord my shepherd\u201d (Ps. 23:1)<\/p>\n
12. Jehovah-Sabbaoth, meaning \u201cThe Lord of hosts\u201d (Is. 6:1-3)<\/p>\n
13. El-Olam, meaning \u201cThe everlasting God\u201d (Is. 40:28-31)<\/p>\n
14. Jehovah-Tsidkenu, meaning \u201cThe Lord our righteousness\u201d (Jer. 23:6)<\/p>\n
15. Jehovah-Shammah, meaning \u201cThe Lord who is present\u201d (Ezek. 48: 35)<\/p>\n
16. Adonai, meaning \u201cLord,\u201d a reference to the lordship of God (Mal. 1:6)<\/p>\n
I also read that morning Proverbs 18:10, \u201cThe name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.\u201d I may not have the promises for the future that Abraham received but the same God who promised Himself to Abraham has promised Himself to me. The names that describe Him are promises of His character, who He will always be. And that, to me, is safety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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