A few weeks ago, I wrote about the new Bible-reading method our pastor introduced us to. I’m excited as I read through each chapter and look specifically for how God reveals Himself and how I can apply this truth to my own life and deepen my relationship with Him. I just completed the whole book of Genesis, and have a renewed appreciation for how God has recorded for us His intimate relationship and covenant promises made to His people, and how they are being fulfilled.
When I came to chapter 5, I read an entire list of names of all the generations from Adam to Noah. At first, I was thinking, “What does this long list of names and the number of years each one lived have to do with God’s revelation of Himself?” But soon the answer came! God knows every name and everything about every person! And each person is important enough to be named and recorded.
I love Psalm 139:16 which tells how intimately God knows each individual:
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.
Take some time to let this truth sink deeply into your mind and your heart: Can you grasp the fact that even before you were born God knew every day of your life?
Other scriptures tell us of God’s record of names. Luke 10:20b Jesus tells His disciples that “your names are recorded in heaven.”
And one more account of names being recorded is found in Revelation 21:27. We read about the new heaven and the new earth and the names that are written in the Lamb’s book of life – the record of all who belong to the Lord by faith in Him.
Reading the Bible with these specific questions in mind has made God’s Word come alive in a deeper way for me. As I mentioned before, just reading through several chapters a day in order to complete the whole Bible in one year just wasn’t satisfying to me. I’m gaining a stronger relationship with the Lord as I take time to consider how each chapter can be applied to my own life. I encourage you to consider trying this method! Once again, if you’re interested in learning more about this method, I can email you the complete document with more detailed guidelines. My email address is sjspokane000@gmail.com.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
Read again the Scripture above from Psalm 139:16. Ask God to speak to your heart. Consider writing your thoughts as you pray and meditate on the truth of God’s knowledge of you.