"Follow Him" - Bible Journaling Recap - June, 2024

Genesis 16 - 17

"God said to Abraham, "As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name.  I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her.  I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her."  

Abraham fell facedown.  Then he laughed and said to himself, "Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man?  Can Sarah, a ninety-nine-year-old woman, give birth?  So Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael were acceptable to you!"

But God said, "No. . ."

Again, as always, thank you for coming out and sharing my love of God's word and Bible Journaling with me.  It is always a pleasure and a great blessing.  

We journaled about the story of Abraham and Sarah.  There is so much to unpack in that story, we could journal about it all year.  

Takeaways

1. Abraham and his wife waited many years before the promise became a reality.  We shared how waiting well is vital to the promises of God.  We can unknowingly jeopardize the beauty of God's plan by getting antsy and helping it along.  God doesn't need our help to help us, He's got it. 

2.  Abraham's faith was tested many times through this process.  With each test, his faith grew stronger. Abraham-like faith is a faith that develops, endures, and remains despite the obstacles and challenges that threaten to block the promises of God. 

3.  We didn't forget to give Hagar a shout-out.  Sadly, by no fault of her own, she was brought into this mess and later shamed for it.  The angel of the Lord promised that He saw her tears and pain.  She named Him El-Roi, the God Who Sees.  When her life was turned upside-down, God remained faithful to her and her son.

4.  When Abraham was told his wife would conceive, he laughed.  Maybe he thought, "Now, that's funny!"  Or, maybe they were tears of fear, "OMG!  She's 99?  'Hello!'" He asks the Lord, "If only Ishmael were acceptable to you?"  Not only would it make things easier in their household, but it would save them from childbirth and circumcision in their old age.    But, God said, "No."  

When God says "No.", it's because He has a better, "Yes".  God's plan is never easy, but it is always good.  It's also never just about us, it's always about impacting eternity.

Lessons on Waiting Well:

1.  The timing is just as important as the promise.  It all works together for our good.

2.  Ask the Lord to strengthen our faith when it begins to weaken.

3.  Remain faithful by refraining from taking things into our own hands.

4. Yield to His "no" for there is a greater "yes" at the door.

5. God doesn't follow us, we "follow Him".

Praise:  We are grateful to the Lord for taking care of Christina with her back surgery.  She shared how she didn't know what was happening, she felt fine.  It wasn't until her doctor told her she was not fine and needed surgery right away.  God is amazing.  He is looking out for us and showing us the way, guiding our steps.  May she continue to heal and feel back to normal real soon.  

Prays:  1. We have several family members who are far from the Lord.  We are asking the Lord to soften their hearts towards Him.  May He reveal Himself to them in a way that will bring light into their darkness.  2. We also have some family members who are dealing with serious illnesses.  We speak the Word of God over their bodies and ask the Lord to do a miracle in their lives.  3.  We pray for all of our children and grandchildren, of all ages.  We speak life, truth, love, and joy over them.  May they follow Christ and surrender to His plan and His purposes.  

Our next Bible Journaling Meet Up is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, August 25 @ 3pm.  

The date will be confirmed as it gets closer. 

Consider purchasing a small palette of watercolors with two brushes:  a basic round brush and a liner brush.  You can pick them up inexpensively at Walmart, Micheals, or Amazon. I'm hoping we could paint simple botanicals for our next bible journaling page.  

Have a lovely summer and I'll see you soon.