Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Bible Bites: From Beginning to End, God is with Us

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Do you like appetizers? My husband and I do! Some evenings, instead of a nice meal with meat and veggies, we will throw together some of our favorite appetizers. Small bites that are so scrumptious, they satisfy our hunger.

Scripture has appetizers, too! It’s those small connections you see that make you go “Ahhh, that’s beautiful. I’ve never noticed that before.”

I call these scriptural appetizers Bible Bites. Here’s one I saw recently that I’d like to share with you.

While I was reading and studying Leviticus (yes, I did. I read Leviticus. It was not part of a One Year Bible Reading Plan. I CHOSE to read and study it! Call me crazy!) I saw two verses that seemed familiar to me.  

“Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.” Leviticus 26:11-12, NASB

I know this verse, but it certainly wasn’t from reading Leviticus so often! Where have I seen it before?

After some digging and searching, I found it. And it’s from an equally challenging chapter of scripture: Revelation.

  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them” Revelation 21:3, NASB

What a beautiful picture it painted:

God is with us from beginning to end. From the garden to the grave and beyond. He always walks with us. We are His people, and He is our God.

Isn’t that glorious? Such a small bite of scripture, but oh, so satisfying! A little nugget of truth to carry with us and chew (meditate) on throughout the day.

Taste and see that the LORD is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 CSB

Grace be with you,

A Rock & A Hard Place

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Have you ever heard the phrase “caught between a rock and a hard place?” It was a common saying growing up, and my parents used it many times. 

It means a person is cornered between two extreme situations, neither is better, and any choice will be terrible. It’s a difficult, uncomfortable situation. 

How about “hard as a rock”? I think of this phrase when I sleep on an uncomfortable mattress. Lumpy and rocky. 

Rocks are usually associated with negative things or hard times in our lives.

“Thinks are rocky right now. I’m sure they’ll be better soon.”

Imagine my surprise when I read Psalm 71, and the psalmist asked God to be his rock of habitation! That doesn’t sound like a place I’d want to be!

“Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come” Psalm 71:3

Rock of Habitation

A habitation is a dwelling place. Wouldn’t a rock be a rough and uncomfortable place to stay? Not when we dig a little deeper into scripture. A habitation is also a hidden den, a place of refuge. A  rock or stone provides impenetrable shelter, a safe place, and a refuge from danger. A bunker, if you will. 

We have that shelter and safety today. His name is Jesus. He is our cornerstone (Eph. 2:20), the rock-solid foundation on which we build our lives. 

The Old Testament points us to Jesus when it tells us God is our rock of strength (Ps. 31:2). Deuteronomy tells us God is a dwelling place, and we can find shelter under His everlasting arms. Jesus wants to shelter us under His arms as well! 

“How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” Matthew 23:27 

When we make Jesus our rock of habitation, those old sayings take on new meaning, don’t they? Jesus is my rock and my hard place (shelter, protection). The covering of His arms is hard as a rock (strong, strong, strong!).

Let Jesus be your Rock!

 

 

Do you have a longing in your heart that needs to be filled? Are you hurting or grieving? Click here to get your copy of Longing to Belong. It will bring hope to your longing heart!