Before I went to the service I prayed to God asking Him to help me to focus on Him tonight during the service and to reflect on what He did and what He does for me now. I read that verse [Genesis 1:1] and I just felt the presence of God with me. It was such an awesome feeling and I knew that I would have a great night worshiping God. A little down the "path" and there was the verse Genesis 1:27 - "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Right below the verse was a little table with a crate of sand and a note that read "Run your fingers through the sand and reflect on how God made you." How amazing is it that God created us from the dust of the earth?!
The path went on and there was a door and door frame with blood on the door frame and the remembrance of the shed blood on the door and the Angel of Death passing over those doors that had blood on them. Pieces of cardboard with all the names of Jesus written on them were scattered over the one wall. Songs [At the Cross, When the roll is called up Yonder, The Old Rugged Cross] were hung up and accessible to read over the verses.
All of these verses and pictures and displays really helped me focus on God and gave me such a real image of the Bible and all that it contains - to a certain extent of course. The last part of the "path" included the following verses. Just read these verses and and realize that God's love for us is so real, so amazing, so true, so remarkable. We, all humans, are so wicked, yet God was merciful to us sinners and laid down His life for us.
Isaiah 53
1. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 2. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a
root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we
shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we
esteemed him not. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hat laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8. He was taken from prison and from judgement: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
I am so amazed by God right now. More about tonight to come later. . . .
