i got stuck in genesis

I used to think the Old Testament was irrelevant. But I’m in Genesis 8 and wow!! I’m always stunned at the things I take away from these “simple” stories.

I think we gravitate to the NT because it’s so straight-up. Paul gives lots of to-the-point commands with good explanations and logical reasoning, as do other apostles.

But the Old Testament is more work. It’s a lot of narratives, seemingly random stories. You have to dig to get something out of it. But this just makes the Holy Spirit’s work that much more obvious.

Origins

God made the world in six literal days and rested on the seventh. That’s what I believe because that’s exactly what the Bible says. Our world, and our country, has come up with countless other explanations for the world and its origin, so I wanted to go back to the beginning and just soak in the truth of God’s creation.

In light of my mom’s cancer, I loved reading about how God so meticulously crafted everything, then crowned His “good” creation with a “very good” human. He made my mom just as much as He made the moon and stars, just as much as He made Adam in the beginning. I don’t have to worry about my mom because He is a good Creator and still maintains His creation.

My own Eden

Satan can tempt us with anything.

It’s interesting having a mom going through cancer because, whenever prayer requests are asked for, everyone kind of looks at me in a guilty way almost. Some girls the other day amended their prayer requests by saying they knew they weren’t going through anything nearly as hard as me . . .

HOLD THE BOAT!!

I totally get what you’re saying, because I’ve been there myself. My own problems seem minuscule . . . but they are problems nonetheless. Strongholds, if you want a cool Bible term.

The fact is, Satan can use anything in your life to discourage you and lessen your usability for God. For Eve, it was a tree (okay, more specifically, the desire to know more than God). For me, maybe it’s my mom’s cancer. But, for a long while, it was being discontent with where OBO is and throwing a fit because everything I ate made my stomach hurt.

THOSE. ARE. DUMB. PROBLEMS. But they were strongholds I struggled through for the majority of this year. And, yeah, they discouraged me to the level of discouragement when I found out the insurance for my mom’s chemo was denied.

So, don’t “underrate” your own personal struggles. We all have our battles. Satan has been around for a while, so he knows what to look for and how to use your stronghold against you. Don’t let him!

An ark

I try to be careful when going allegorical with Bible stories because you can get into messy territory, but here’s the thing: I HAVE NEVER LOVED THE STORY OF NOAH SO MUCH.

I posted about this on our Instagram page but, if you didn’t see it, here’s a little bit of a starter: God didn’t just tell Noah to build an ark. He gave him directions, measurements, and instructions for both his preservation AND the preservation of animals.

Sometimes our own storms come. Noah got a warning, but usually we don’t. However, God has STILL given us tools: His Word, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and His people.

There’s a part in this story that says God shut Noah in and I absolutely love this. He provides a way for us to get through the storms (it may not smell the best or have the most room) but it is His perfect way. Then He holds us fast in that will; He “shuts us in” to keep the rains from seeping in through the door and drowning us.

He will deliver us to safety. He will lead us to the rainbow on the other side.

What is your favorite story in Genesis? Did any truth pop out at you? Have you ever made it through the whole Old Testament?