As a number of us continue reading through the Bible in a year together in 2011, I am dropping a blog post in here every week to give you all a chance to share how God is speaking to you through the readings, or some of the challenges or questions you are encountering as you read. This gives us the unique opportunity to keep a record together of how God speaks through the year to all of us.
So, how is God speaking to you this fourth week in our journey through the Bible with the readings in Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Proverbs, and the Gospel of Matthew?
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Matthew Erickson 
What really struck me this week was reading the Bible’s account of the fall of Egypt at the same time as the events unfolding in that country right now. Really helped me see the Bible events as affecting real places and real people and made me want to pray more fervently for peace and for God’s will to be done. Thanks again for all the encouragement, Matt!
It’s an interesting connection, isn’t it, Mark? The tensions of the same place over many years.
Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?” Exodus 17:7 I have had my share of times when I’ve asked that same question, how about you?
Yes, definitely had my times of wondering if God is here with me or not. Sometimes it is the apparent silence that remind me He is there; a silence that cannot be conquered by the noise around me.
I am seeing that like Moses, we must continue to intercede for others in prayer. God shows all of us the mercies shown the Isralites. He has done great things for me, and yet I know, I am still a work in progress.
Thank you Pastor Matt, Annie
Annie, I appreciate your comments so much. I was just listening to a message online about the importance of prayer. God is so merciful to us, and we need to pray for His gracious and merciful work in the lives of others precisely because we are all works in progress. The story this week of Moses’ interceding during battle, with Aaron and Hur by his side to help him is always a wonderful picture for me about the needful intercession by leaders on behalf of God’s people.
I agree, there is often too much noise in my life. It is too easy to allow it to keep me from the ‘waiting quietly’ that brings hope, e.g., Lam 3:25-26
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
Three short comments:
Mark, we agree with your comments regarding Egypt; we join you in praying for the country and its people.
What a blessing to be simultaneously reading the OT and the NT—to see God unfolding his plan of salvation and then to see it being fulfilled as we read in Matthew of Christ’s first coming to earth.
Even though we are not reading to just check off each reading; it was still satisfying to mark off each day in January and know that we had completed our adventure for the first month of the year!