God is Weaving Your Tapestry (Blogging Through the Bible)

The image of God as the Master Weaver, weaving together both the good moments and the bad moments of our lives, to create a beautiful tapestry, is a lovely illustration of God's hand working in our lives. Only now, as we walk through these Grace-Filled-Moments of our lives, we cannot see the completed beautiful tapestry that God is working to create on our behalf.

That's why I'm so thankful we have the life of Joseph to look at. Today we finish reading in the book of Genesis. The book of beginnings has come to an end for us, but the impact of the lessons we have learned from these 50 chapters I think has only just begun.

We have looked back on the Master Weaver at work in the lives of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Issac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah, and Joseph and have seen how God can truly work ALL things together for the good of those who love Him. Joseph has taught me to offer up to God the painful moments of my life that can be redeemed for His glory in His faithful hands.

It's hard to imagine the beauty of our tapestry during the painful moments of our lives. In the moments of our pain we do not understand what good can come out of our circumstances. It's in these painful moments that we must trust who we know God to be and be open to discovering even more of Who He is. This is my prayer for me and for you as we walk through the painful moments of our lives.

Here are my S.O.A.P.s for Genesis 49 and 50. 

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Genesis 49

Scripture: Genesis 49:24-25
²⁴ But his bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong
By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
²⁵ By the God of your father who will help you,
And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

Observations: Jacob’s words concerning his son Joseph in verses 24 and 25 reveal to us that Jacob truly did discover a personal understanding of Who God is as he had experienced God for himself during his lifetime. 

Jacob gives five titles of God: “the Mighty God of Jacob”, “the Shepherd”, “the Stone of Israel”, “the God of your father”, and “the Almighty”. 

Jacob’s personal relationship with God is seen in how he refers to God in 3 of the 5 titles using “of Jacob”, “of Israel”, “of your father”. He has discovered God for himself and can now refer to God in this way instead of how we see him referring to God back in chapter 32 verse 9 as “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac,”. God is now "the God of Jacob".

Application: The things we go through in this life allow us to experience God in a personal way for ourselves. A tradition I started for our family each Christmas is buying or creating an ornament for how our family has experienced God throughout the year. Last year was “Peace” as we experienced the Peace of God through trying times with our son who was dealing with fears and anxieties related to his diagnosis’ of Asperger’s and OCD. God was our peace during those trying times. This year we have experienced the faithfulness of God during financial struggles that He has brought us through, so I’ll be looking for an ornament that says “Faithful” because God has moved mountains in our finances. I might do two ornaments this year because God also reminded us during this time that He is our Provider.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for using the experiences of our lives to show us Who You are. Help us to remember to look for your attributes in every circumstance we will go through in this life. What a blessing it is to know we can take the hard places of our lives and use them to grow in our personal understanding of Your character. Give us eyes to see Who You are so that we can comfort others in the valleys of this life with the same comfort that You gave to us during our valleys. Thank You for being so faithful to my family and for reminding us that You are our provider for all that we need. In the faithful name of Jesus I pray. Amen!

Friday, November 21, 2014

Genesis 50

Scripture: Genesis 50:15, 19 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” ¹⁹ Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? ²⁰ But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Observations: Joseph’s brothers acknowledge “all the evil” they had done to their brother and worry that he would now turn on them since their father was dead. Joseph reassures his brothers that they have no need to be afraid of him because he is not “in the place of God” to bring retribution upon them. Joseph goes on to confirm the truth of the evil that his brothers committed against him, but even more so the greater truth that in God’s hands it was meant for the good purpose of saving the lives of many people.

Application: We need to develop the habit of looking for God’s hand in all the circumstances of our lives. When we live this way we can live as the “victor” instead of the “victim” and we can become “better” instead of “bitter”. We must trust the goodness of God to overrule any evil that would try to come against us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your Word tells us that no weapon formed against us shall prosper and that You’re working all things together for our good! Help us to hold on to these truths as we face the hardships and struggles of this life. May our hearts not seek retribution against those who have hurt us, but help us to lay our pain at the foot of the cross and earnestly pray for them instead. Teach us to intentionally look for Your hand weaving together all of the circumstances of our lives into a beautiful tapestry of your grace and mercy. May this be our focus which will allow us to be victorious conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is in His victorious name I pray. Amen!


Remember we will be in Psalm 3 on Monday. We have already read Psalm 1 and 2 back in September, so if you weren't with me then and want to read those two short Psalms over the weekend that would fine. 

Here is the reading plan for next week. I'll see you back here on Monday to discuss Psalm 3. Have a beautiful weekend friends!

Walking in His Grace, 
Laurie


Many thanks to Courtney Joseph of Women Living Well, home of Good Morning Girls, for leading us through the Bible. Click on the image below to read other Blogging Through the Bible posts.