A Fresh Start

"Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: Have many children, grow in number and fill the earth..." (Gen. 9:1-NCV).

cf. Gen 1:28

Notice that the language is almost the same. After God judged the earth through the flood, he offers Noah and his family a fresh start. They have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to do what our first parents failed to do. Now read the story of Abram and the blessing which follows his encounter with God. Then read, through the rest of Genesis the stories of Jacob and his children. What we see, time and time again, is the failure of God's children to live rightly. It can seem as if all is lost. But, then, God, in his grace, brings healing, hope, and a new beginning. God changes Jacob's name, a slave becomes a prince, and what has been intended for evil, God has intended for good (Gen 50:20). Life begins anew, as through God's grace failures begin to live holy lives that are pleasing to God and that bring blessing to the lives of others.

Have you, like me, ever experienced God's marvelous grace in such a way, as to be given a second chance? Has the tide turned for you once again? Have you rounded the Cape? Are the winds changing? Is the water warming to the touch? I have written, in the last six months, lots about failure. But, there has always been the glint of hope in the making: a new job, unexpected prosperity, a lifting of my grandfather's bann, a family reunion, a new voice in the church, healing and forgiveness, restoration; and the best is yet to come. This is a new day! It is a new beginning! For me, and for you. Grace, forgiveness, restoration, a new beginning, and the blessing which will surely follow.

What an awesome God we serve!
What an awesome God we serve!
Angels bow before him,
heaven and earth adore him.
What an awesome God we serve!