SUMMER OF PRAYER
JOURNAL | WEEK THREE
GETTING TO THE BLOOD OF IT
06.23.2022
There are so many 1 line quotes that when said they never leave you.
One time my daughter asked me this, "Mom, describe the Bible in one word?" After a minute, I didn't have an answer. She said, "Jesus." And I said, "Well, duh, of course. How did I miss that?"
So when I heard, "cut the Bible anywhere, and it bleeds," it was another "yes!" moment. How beautiful are those words? Basically open the Bible at any point (Old Testament, Gospel, New Testament), and you are going to run into Jesus who shed His Blood for us. The story of Jesus's crucifixion is such a hard story to read and hear, but it is completely necessary. It is the basis of our salvation.
When speaking to someone who is just starting to read the Bible, you are often meet with this question: "Where do I start reading the Bible?" or "How do I read the Bible?" I LOVE this question!! And I love the answer.I usually say to start in Matthew and read the Gospel so you can meet Jesus first. Because He is the cornerstone of all redemptive life, we should start with Him. Then I impress on them the importance of reading the entire Bible. I usually say complete the New Testament first so you can understand how the Father wants us to live and treat others. You can find the answers to life's problems in the New Testament even today. But I always tell them not to discount the Old Testament. You cannot understand the sacrificial gift of the blood of Jesus if you do not understand what the people of the Old Testament faced trying to make it the Father. No one could do it. No one could make it to Heaven with the sacrificial system of old.
The Old Testament moves you toward Jesus. It illustrates how much and why we truly need Jesus and His Blood. The Gospel shows you Jesus and describes the grand sacrifice that was made to save us and give us a way to the Father. The New Testament continuously points us back to the shedding of the blood of Jesus and the next coming of Jesus. You cannot leave any part of the Bible out. The Old Testament is just as important as the New Testament.
Reading the Bible is better than digging for gold! You know the gold is there. You are determined to find it. You want it! Well, honestly, you need it! It is priceless and will never be useless to you. The first time you read the Bible, you come face-to-face with a lot of things: truth, finding out untruths from your life, conviction, revelation, love, understanding, etc. But when you read it the second time and each time after that, you run into deeper and deeper treasure. The first time around it is like finding continuous nuggets of gold. You get to the good stuff, and you know you have found the good stuff. But each time you read it after the first time, you begin to find these bigger chunks of gold that are buried just a little deeper. You make connections you never made before. The Lord reveals things to you. "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: But the honor of kings is to search out a matter." (Proverbs 25:2) We are those kings spoken of in this proverb. The Father wants to share with us. But He wants us to want it. He wants us to seek it out. Our knowledge builds on our knowledge....or should I say Heavenly knowledge builds on Heavenly knowledge.
Once I was reading in Isaiah and something just jumped out and I was like "WAIT! OH MY!" Because I had been spending time with the Lord and spending time in His Word, the Lord revealed this to me. And it is absolutely my pleasure to share it!
I read this passage:
“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. Isaiah 1:18
White as snow and white as wool jumped off the page at me. I heard that before. I spoke that before. Where did that come from because I didn't believe I knew it from the OT (Old Testament) so I searched out the matter. And this is what I found:
"His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire." Revelation 1:14
So what exactly did the Lord just reveal to me ? The Lord was pointing to the sacrifice of Jesus in Isaiah. He was pointing to Jesus taking on our sins and creating a new cleansing system for our souls. Before Christ, our sin stained us and left us too polluted to enter into the Holiness of the Lord. But after Jesus, we are washed clean in the shed blood of the Lamb. We are made Holy through the sacrifice of Jesus. Our red staining sins become white and clean through Him and Him alone. The first time I read these passages, I made no connection whatsoever. But the second time around, wham! It hits like a ton of bricks. If you cut the Bible at Isaiah 1:18, it bleeds the blood of the Lamb.
As you are reading the Bible whether it is the first time or the eleventh time, ask yourself "where is the blood in this passage?" Can you find Jesus on every page? Every piece of the story of King David is necessary to get to Jesus. The prophets repeatedly point to Jesus. Don't get me started on Genesis! The letters of the New Testament all point back to and forward to Jesus. You can't separate the Bible from Jesus or the blood He shed for you and me.
Thank you Lord for the living Word. Thank you for wanting to share Your knowledge and treasures with us. You have already shared the life of your Son and yet you continuously pour out more and more gifts onto us. Help us to be like King Solomon who you lavished wisdom and discernment upon at his very request. You say you will give us the treasures of our heart, and I pray that our treasure always lies in you, your Word, and your promises to us, Father God. I pray that the desire to know your Word is never-ending. May we always chase after you. May we always chase your heavenly wisdom and knowledge. May we freely share what we learn and experience in order to inspire the next person to chase You as well. May our hearts remain humble in this pursuit, and may we always know that you chose us. We cannot earn this love you freely pour out, and You decide what secrets you share with whom. Thank you for sharing any of your secrets with us. Thank you for sharing your beautiful Son with us. Thank you for sharing with us the Holy Spirit, who teaches us truth.
We love you, and we bless you. In Jesus's name. Amen.
Sara B.