Jewish Mother

Tamar, Judah's daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all. – 1 Chronicles 2:4

What captures my attention about this section of the Bible isn’t what you might think. The first read through this verse strikes us odd, these thousands of years later. Early in humans’ history as told by the Bible, it was not at all uncommon for brothers to marry sisters and for grandfathers to also be your uncles, etc. That’s not actually what amazes me about this verse. It’s not even the fact that Judah had five sons (daughters were not typically recorded); large families were not at all uncommon either. What strikes me the most about this section of scripture is how the ancient Jew cared so much about their families that they bothered to write down their names. It’s sad, but I don’t know the names of my great grandparents, let alone generations earlier than that. Heck, I can hardly keep all my cousins straight (just kidding…are any of my cousins reading this?).

Our families are the most basic representation of a local church that we have. Our families demonstrate many higher truths about discipleship, selflessness, service, discipline and unconditional love. Let’s practice loving (not to mention remembering) our families today.

Far and Away

Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. – Mark 2:19-20

We all go through seasons in our walks where we feel closer to God than other times. These seasons can range from days to decades. In some seasons, the presence of the Holy Spirit is tactile; in others, we feel so alone, we wonder if God has left us.

I find it interesting that Jesus is saying that the activities of our faith changes with his proximity. Fasting is a solitary practice, one marked with a constant state of starvation and unquenched thirst. I find it appropriate that Jesus says that fasting takes place while He’s apart from us; yet, when He is close, our activities are quite opposite.

Each season of our walk is important. Don’t be discouraged if your desire for more Him seems unheeded. The bridegroom just may not be with you – He may be using someone else right now, but he will return for you. In the meantime, take advantage of the quiet.

Father, sometimes I feel far from You. It seems like You’ve left me. I want to be close to You, yet You seem so distant. Lord, I trust You. I know that You are close and You are in control. Help me to be faithful in these quiet times. Prepare me for when Your presence will abound again. You are King. Amen.