Before

I want to share a few familiar passages of scripture with you today in the hope that you, too, will see something you never saw before. Here we go.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:1-5 KJV

Now let’s jump to Genesis 1:14-19 KJV:

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Creation. One of the first things we learn about in Sunday School. It’s so wonderful yet elementary at the same time, isn’t it? Are you scratching your head, wondering why I’ve returned to this simplistic foundation? All these years, all the times I have read and/or listened to the Creation account, I never saw it.

Day One: “Light!”

Day Four: sun, moon, stars.

God created light before He created the sources of light. Isn’t that amazing?

Now, let’s look at another familiar passage.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 KJV

We are healed. Not will be healed, are healed; Old Testament, not New Testament — before the cross.

Don’t you see, Beloved, before there was need, He met it.

Maybe, unlike me, you had these revelations before (see what I did there? 🙂 ) I presented them. Then take what I have brought to you today as a gentle reminder. But if like me, this is the first you really thought about how awesome it is that God provided before we ever had need, then join me in meditating on it, thanking God for it, and sharing it today. It’s a word worth passing on.

LORD, I have brothers and sisters today who are submersed with all kinds of need. Perhaps they can’t sleep soundly and have gone so far as to become ill from worry. May we take Your word to heart today that You have supplied all of our need before there ever was need, no matter what it is: physical, financial, relational, spiritual, emotional — You have provided for everything. May we take our rest and find our peace in this word. May we, in faith, praise You in advance for what You have already provided. Though we may not see the answer yet, we will reap the harvest in due time if we do not grow weary in doing good. Let us also recall that the joy of the LORD is our strength. Add to that, when we feel we may be weakening, let us draw encouragement from fellow believers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.