July 31

“The same God who gave them victory over seemingly invincible enemies, who provided for them when their own resources were insufficient, and who guided them in their decisions, is prepared to work as powerfully in your life today.”  H. Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, 7/31

Blackaby is speaking of the men and women of faith in the Bible.  I think because we read their stories over and over we forget they were real people.  Just because they lived at a different time doesn’t make them fictional.  I’ve been working on my family history for several years now.  I’ve taken my grandfather’s diaries from 1905 to 1916 and made an outline of his disjointed entries.  What has resulted is a picture of a young man that I never knew.  I only have memories of my grandfather’s last six years of life when he was in his 70’s and that was from a child’s perspective.  He was made “more real” to me as I plotted out the events of his life in relation to one another and within the time period and setting.  Because he was my ancestor--the father of my own father--his life was connected to mine.  I got a better understanding of why my father may have been the way he was and therefore the effect it had on my life.  I think we must do this with the “characters” in the Bible.  They were real people who laid the groundwork for our own faith.  They are our spiritual ancestors who can help shape our lives by their example.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”  2 Corinthians 12:9a