I am so excited!  I am leaving on a trip to Israel next week.  It is something that I have really wanted to do for a long time, but the logistics (finances, mostly) seemed to make it an impossible dream.  I recognize that many Christians long deeply to travel to the Promised Land; however, it just really seemed impossible for me.  As much as I would love to see the ancient sites and walk on the paths and through the cities where Jesus walked, I recognize that my faith is not dependent on making this trip. 

However, thanks to the generosity of my kids, that dream is going to come true!

I’ve been writing my prayer journals for some time now and decided awhile back that it was time to read and pray through the first five books of the Bible.  Genesis gives the background and sets the stage for all of history.  Accepting the biblical account of the dawn of time is critical for accepting the God-breathed authenticity of the rest scripture.  Recognizing the everlasting covenant God made with Abraham reminds me of a high mountain stream that begins as trickle, and a man of faith, that flowing through time, creates a power and a chosen lineage to bring forth a Savior.

So I look forward to my trip to the land where the promise began to unfold, to walk on the stage where the greatest drama in history played out, and to stand in the places where our God who became man stood.

But that drama had a beginning point many years before—and this is my prayer, based on the first chapter of Genesis:

Father God, you are sovereign and you are the Creator of all that exists.  I am in awe of your imagination which brought forth such beauty, intricacy, and every minute detail—seen and unseen—in your universe.  In you, O Lord, all things hold together, and it is in you, my God, that I choose to live.

Yet I am prone to wander, to feed my soul with what does not satisfy.  Forgive me, I pray.  Let your Holy Spirit hover over my life to guide me and indwell my spirit, to recreate in me the image and likeness of your son, Jesus Christ.

You created light and saw that it was good—You are light—the light of the world—and you are good, O God!  Separate the light from the darkness in my thoughts and my attitudes, I pray; strengthen and encourage me to live in the light of your presence, shunning the darkness of this world.

Lord, I believe the Bible is true; I accept these scriptures as your inerrant, infallible Word, spoken by the Holy Spirit to your chosen messengers “…for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17)

I believe in the literal seven-day creation because if I doubt the beginning of the story, there is little else in this book I can believe.  The greatest revelation of your character shown in these verses is that you are good, all that you do is good, and it is your design that good should multiply.

Father, what an honor you bestowed on mankind to be created in your image!  However, very little of that goodness exists in the world today; very little of the dominion and authority you granted at creation continues on earth—yet your Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of all those who have received Jesus to be their Lord and Savior.  Wake up your church, O God!  Ignite passion in the hearts of your people to pursue you, to reflect your light and your image to this dark and dying world.

I pray these things in Jesus’ name, amen.