Blessed is the One

(Read Genesis 1)

We will be taking a 6-week break from the Book of Acts to spend some time learning more about people’s faith journeys.

It took 2 years in the making, but we finally got the entire family together for a week at the beach. Our son and his wife are actively engaged at a very large church in Raleigh. They asked if they could invite some good church friends to join us for a few days. After what felt like an eternity of exclusion due to the Pandemic, my wife and I welcomed them with open arms.

My son’s friends were awesome, outgoing, and deeply mature Christ followers. The mother (M) is a beautiful, brilliant, eager, mildly daring, teacher, and mom. The father (T), who I’m writing about this week, is a gentle, also brilliant, and eloquent physicist. He paused with nearly with every one of my questions so he could respond with the most accurate answer possible. Specifics matter to him.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Genesis 1:1-2

The Bible doesn’t have to or attempt to prove the existence of God. It just begins with Him. “In the beginning God…” The Bible assumes that people already know the obvious. T is a genius and an academic in Physics. “The expanse, the poetic description of everything in Genesis, has always struck a chord with the scientist in me,” he admitted. Then, he opened my eyes to something surprising. He said, “Scientists understand creation more than most.” He added, “Because of my background, there are secular humanist struggles inside of me.” I was caught off guard that someone who I knew was deeply serious about his relationship with Jesus Christ, would have any internal struggles with their faith. T continued his take on Genesis by explaining the hope he gets from it that overpowers his struggles. “It shows me that the Lord is on our side.”

In Genesis, everything starts with our intelligent designer who created it all by himself out of nothing. Creation ex nihilo. “All things were created by him; and without him was nothing made that was made.” We also come to learn in this passage that Jesus is identical to God. So, nothing was created apart from Jesus. We see a vast difference between things that were created and the One who always existed. Jesus was there from the beginning with God.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Genesis 1:3-5

T grew up in a Southern Baptist background and as long as he could remember, knew Jesus Christ. Church was a familiar event for him, though he confessed to not always loving it. His family was committed to the Christian way and was actively involved in mission work. T lived in several unusual places and countries. He was part of a variety of denominations, was saved, and Baptized as a 2-year-old. You might think someone with this background probably has a faith walk that is easy and predictable. Think again.

God creating light was the first step from chaos to order. God works much the same way in our lives. T explained, “I’m reminded that we are just bit parts in a bigger story.” The light described in Genesis is more than just a visual phenomenon, it’s the beginning of a transformation. Ultimately, God Himself will be the light. T admitted that he’s always trusted in Jesus, but early on, it was partially because he wanted to please others. “I wanted to do the right thing by my family,” he said.

Fast forward 20+ years. T got Baptized again in 2014. “People who experience Jesus their whole lives sometimes get enough Jesus to inoculate themselves.” People can get numb to His grace. T knew that he was covered by Christ’s grace but he didn’t feel the significance. He added, “I didn’t see my faith in it’s true context. It’s easy to trick yourself to think I don’t need more.”

He said that he was asking himself some pretty hard questions.
“Was I showing the actions of a believer?
Where were my fundamental evidences?
Was I seeing death of my old self?”

“It was weird to do it again,” T said of his second Baptism. “I have always been committed to Jesus, but I wanted to show my church family that I was committed to the Christian community. After this, it gave me a sense of belonging that I didn’t have before.”

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
Psalm 1:1-2

In Psalm 1, God is talking to Israel but His message can just as easily be applied to us. When we have needs, we have to be faithful, trusting, quiet. God is fully capable of doing it. “When I experience trouble, I know sin is at work. We don’t live in a perfect world, so I can’t be surprised that things are broken,” T exclaimed.

T and M went through a traumatic life-changing ordeal in the adoption process of their daughter. “With this journey, God showed that He orchestrated the whole way through it,” he said smiling. “At first, I didn’t feel it. I didn’t think I could ever love an adopted child as much as a biological one. As it turns out, T and M were personally selected by their future daughter’s grandparents. The Holy Spirit was working in the background. “I felt we had to do it,” T confessed. To me, it wasn’t a big revelation. I could see the pure, parental agape love streaming from his eyes as he told me the story. “Our families and her extended family were passionately excited for us!”

This story is full of doubt, fear, and unimaginable heartbreaks. They faced a ton of emotional and legal obstacles. When they assumed they were rounding the final corner to having this glorious baby girl in their family, the bottom dropped out. They had to drive several hours out of state for a consent hearing and at the last minute, the mother withdrew her consent. It was like Lucy removing the football when Charlie Brown was in mid-air only to have him land on his back sucking the wind out of him. It could have potentially been a deal-breaker. T said, “God kept us from being despondent, but it was a long car ride home spent crying, sighing, and silent.”

Somehow, they persevered. They grew stronger. “Our faith improved our outlook,” T said. They once again recognized that they were called to do this.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1:3

A tree near a river has a continual source of water. It won’t wither away, because it’s getting what it needs. “We knew we were doing the right thing, we just weren’t desperate. We were just trying to be obedient,” T said. I asked him how they could have approached this journey without faith? “It would have been brutal,” he answered. He added somberly, “We would have hung on every failure or given up.”

The Psalms give him hope, they remind him of his position in his relationship with Christ, they give him perspective. “I can handle catastrophes not trivial things.” Then, he said something so simple, so insightful, so perfect. “When things are harder, you have to depend more on Christ.” And they did.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5

Just like us, fruit also has a season. It’s tempting to get discouraged when the fruit is not immediately evident. As John Trapp pointed out, there are no barren trees in God’s orchard. They may have seasons of barrenness, but “they will reflourish with advantage.” They remained obedient and hopeful. Above all, T and M were faithful. “Our church community has been huge. It made a ton of difference in our lives.”

T mentioned he went through some bouts of depression in his life. He told me that he has ways of facing the challenges in life. “I work through it with prayer and God’s word. Right now I’m reading the Bible chronologically.” He stands in front of his dark valleys with Christ at his side. “As a missionary’s child, I got to see more of the real world. This helped provide perspective. Helped shape me. Living in exile is easier for me than some others, I avoid trappings and don’t overdue things.”

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they welcomed their wonderful girl into their loving family. Their daughter is happy, somewhat shy, and a bundle of blessings. Despite the setbacks, the threats from this broken world, despite the isolation of the pandemic, they kept their sights set on Christ to lead them through. “It’s been so good to be in a family routine,” he beamed. Light cut through their darkest of times and brought beautiful order out of chaos.

For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
(2 Corinthians 4:6)

Key Applications:

1. Never give up. No matter the enemy inside you or in front of you, remember who created the world. Remember who is in control. Look to God for light.
2. Read Psalm 1. Does it speak to you about faith? It doesn’t offer promises of easy street, but it does show the ever loving presence of the most loving Father we could ever imagine. Reach out to Him with your troubles.
3. Consider some hard times in your life. Did you get through them alone? We never have to face anything alone. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” Isaiah 41:10

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.