Day 96-100: 1 Chronicles 25:1-2 Chronicles 16:14

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot! I made it to day 100. I cannot believe that I have come to this day. This journey I embarked on is a nine month journey. Using a 30-day month as a template, that is about 270 days total Bible reading time. So, I'm 100/270 in, which is 37.037037...% Over a third done! It's still daunting having just under two-thirds of Scripture to read through, but if God has carried me this far, there is no reason to doubt Him now.

It has been an interesting couple of days. I feel like I have done nothing. I have spent the time job hunting, trying to see what I can do with my education, training, and experience. For two days, I came up empty handing sending my resumes and cover letters to all sorts of random places. I felt like I had no focus. Also, I felt like God and I were not doing well. I think the worry was clouding God from me. It is hard to describe, but in the same way that Asa from today's reading chose to not seek out the counsel of God and failed, I felt very much like I was failing. God was not with me. More precisely, I was not with God. I was separated from Him.

So, last night, I decided that I would spend today trying to regain that connection with my Lord. Now,  I can truly say that I feel like He sees me again. That cloud has been rolled back. Thank you, Lord!

1309 pages to go!

Day 95: 1 Chronicles 18:1-24:31

Today was all about preparation. This section of Scripture was all about how David prepared the Israelites to build the temple of the LORD. More specifically, he prepared things for Solomon his son, to take over when Solomon assumed kingship. Solomon was to build the temple because David had too much blood on his hands, the LORD said. The LORD was going to bless Solomon's reign with peace.

So, David brought in about 3450 metric tons of gold, 34500 metric tons of silver, and too much bronze to weigh, as well as prized Lebanese cedar to build the temple. He also took a census of the people so that he could designate priestly duties to the men of Levi, and set up officials to help Solomon in the administration of the worship of the LORD.

That got me thinking. What sort of legacy am I going to leave my children and their families? David did just about everything he could. First, he walked with God, prayed to God, sought the counsel of God, talked to God, got angry with God, and had a relationship with God. Secondly, he came to God and begged forgiveness when he knew he was in the wrong with the LORD. He made sure that he and his house was always in right standing with the LORD. Thirdly, he passed this on to his children, and they were blessed. He never ceased chasing God, and God loved him for it.

I hope and pray that I will be that kind of man, that kind of follower, that kind of husband, that kind of father. One who never grows faint of seeking and immersing myself in the immanent presence of God. Thank the LORD that Christ came, died in my place, rose again and offers me complete access to God through the grace of Christ.

Thank you, Lord.

Only 1333 pages to go!

Day 94: 1 Chronicles 12:1-17:27

Today was the story of how Israel got back on track. It starts off with them not following God and ends with a huge celebration and the bringing home of the Ark of the Covenant. It is the literal and symbolic transfer of the presence of God back into the heart of Israel. it says that God was enthroned between the cherubim on the ark (1 Chr. 13:7).

At first they try to bring the ark back by waging war against Kiriath Jearim. Then they put it on an ox cart and haul it toward the city. Well, at one point that ox cart tipped or something, and the ark started to tip maybe to the point of falling over. A man named Uzzah reached out to grab it before it fell. It says that the LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and the LORD struck Uzzah dead. At first this seemed really drastic and unnecessary. I have not decided if I still think it was. But I think the LORD was making a point very clear. He is holy. Holiness cannot stand impurity. I mean, this is the presence of the LORD we are talking about. This is not a small deal. This was God's manifest immanence among the people. Also, note that they were not carrying the ark, the glory of the LORD, properly. Recall that the Ark was to be carried on poles of acaciah wood by the priests. Here, they loaded the Ark on an ox cart. Like Brian Hardin from the Daily Audio Bible said in his commentary on this passage: we as Christians carry the glory of the LORD with us everyday thanks to the grace of God through the love of Christ. How are we carrying that glory? On an ox cart of our own ways? Or according to the ways that God wants us to, that honour him and develop our character like the acacia poles? The ox cart or poles? How will I carry God's glory?

Finally, later in the reading, they bring back the ark on the poles like they were supposed to, and God makes a covenant with David of prosperity and blessing of his descendants because David turned to the LORD. David sings a song recorded in the psalm in the passage. I love these lines, "Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always." (1 Chr. 16:11) "Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm." (1 Chr. 16:22) "Tremble before him, all the earth!" (1 Chr. 16:30).

In chapter 17, there is a really cool line in David's prayer after God blessed him. He says, "Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?" (1 Chr. 17:16) It reminds me of one of my favourite worship songs, where the chorus goes, "Because I'll never hold a picture of the whole horizon in my view, because I'll never rip the night in two, it makes me wonder, 'Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? And great are You!'"

1341 pages to go!

Day 93: 1 Chronicles 8:1-11:47

This will be another very short post, as I am tired and need sleep.

Got the reading for today done. Again it was mostly lists of lineages of hard-to-pronounce names. Not all that exciting for a person who has a hard time keeping track of simple things like grocery lists.

1348 pages to go!

Day 92: 1 Chronicles 5:1-7:40

At first, I thought to myself, "Awesome! Only three chapters." Then I started reading. Today was a large list of many hard to pronounce names. I understand that such genealogies serve their purpose, but it is not exactly light reading.

I'm hoping that readings like this will be one of those "boy, I'm glad I read that earlier" type readings, because I really got nothing of substance. Maybe later, when I'm reading a passage about a particular time in the Israelites' history, I'll be able to think about how it fits into the context of their genealogy.


It feels good to be back on track with readings. I missed it. I know that they are a lot of work, and that I have to make sure to take time out of my day to do them, but I always feel like God and I have reconnected after. I feel like I was able to stop, take time to reflect on him, and pray. It has done wonders in my spiritual and personal life.

Adam Smith talked about the invisible hand that moves and drives the "modern" capitalist economy. Well, in these readings, I can see the invivsible hand of God moving and driving through the history of Israel, bringing about the events and people that paved the way to Christ. I can also reflect and see the way He has moved in my life and brought to the place I am today: a strong, godly, gorgeous fiance, a woman of noble character; a strong family filled with the word and love of God; good godly friends; and my own personal relationship with Christ. For all of these things, I am humbled and give thanks.

1354 pages to go!

Days 88-89: 2 Kings 21:1-1 Chronicles 4:43

O.K. I will admit it. I am having a hard time keeping up with my Bible readings as of late. It does not help that these readings are very stale. Essentially I have been reading lists of ancient Near East names that are hard to pronounce. Just saying the names is distracting. By the end of a family genealogy, I have to stop, go back and figure out what the point of the list was.

I did come across the prayer of Jabez today. It has great significance for me. In around grade 11, a teacher of mine told us about the prayer and started reading a book about it in class. I thought that I had nothing to lose and I could see what it did in my life. I prayed the prayer everyday and I found myself noticing blessings coming into my life. It may be that I expected blessings and therefore noticed them when they came even when small. It was a daily reminder, a windlass that fixed my course on gratitude not complacency. It is not a vending machine prayer, or at least not ought to be one that fosters a consumerist attitude towards God. Rather it is a prayer that fosters daily turning to God, recognizing that everything I have and am comes from Him

Well, here is the Prayer of Jabez:

Jabez called on the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. (1 Chr. 4:9-10)

Interesting anecdote: it was after praying this prayer for about a month or two, I started going out with the girl who would eventually become my fiance now. I thank the Lord everyday for her.

Well, I'm tired, and I think I will be heading to get some sleep soon.

1359 pages to go!

Days 73-87: 2 Samuel 13:1-2 Kings 20:21

Wow...

I was so far behind. I finally caught up today.

There has been a very significant event in my life and the life of some very dear friends of mine. I don't know how many people actually read this blog, but even if one of you do, please pray for my friend. He has become very sick. I read today how God prolonged Hezekiah's life after he fell ill. He prayed, "'Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devtion and have done what is good in your eyes.' And Hezekiah wept bitterly." (2 Kings 20:3). I feel like we have lived through the "wept bitterly" part, and now are just relying on God to do as He sees fit. But I still lift my friend up, asking God to move in him, to bestow a miracle.

Lord, I believe. Help me in my unbelief.

1385 pages to go.