Pastor Paul's July Meditation

Pastor’s Meditation July 2020

A Happy Independence Day and month of July to everyone. As I write this, our country is in a state of unrest.  Please pray for our nation, that God’s power and love will supersede all the chaos. 
 
For this month’s devotion, I want to share a memory.  A few years ago at KFC, I had to help teach the first and second graders.  For those that know me, working with and teaching small children is not my forte.  It’s not that I can’t do it, but I feel much more comfortable working with high school students up to adults.
 
In this KFC class I was using an illustrated children’s Bible.  The pictures and stories were really good, and I seemed to have the kids attention as we talked about God’s love and provision. I don’t remember what Bible story we did, but the name of the  book that was used was “The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name.” 
 
Part of that title stuck with me.  “Every Story Whispers His Name.” 
 
If we’re honest, sometimes the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is hard to understand.  Plus, there’s things that happen in the Bible that don’t seem fair. Why do those who don’t know God seem to do better than those that love God?  Why does God allow evil when we know God is pure and his purposes for us are good? 
 
After his resurrection, Jesus met two followers on the road to Emmaus who didn’t recognize Him and were struggling with disappointment over the death of the hoped for Messiah (Luke 24:19-24). Luke 24:21 tells us they “hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Luke then tells us how Jesus reassured them.  In 24:27 Jesus started with Moses and the Prophets, and explained to them what the scriptures said about Jesus. 
 
I share this because in the Bible, every story whispers Jesus’ name.  Even the hard stories.  The hard stories really whisper His Name because it’s in those stories we really see the brokenness of our world and our need for Jesus.  Every act, every event, every intervention points to the redemption God designed for us.  God gives us Jesus to bring us back to Him.  It’s my prayer this month as we read the word of God, that we hear the name of Jesus in every story.