Dear Northside
Recognise any of these names? Iddo. Junia. Sheerah. Asenath. Jochebed. Priscilla. Zipporah. Aquila. Archippus. Apphia. Onesimus. Nympha. Epaphras.
Names from the Bible, sometimes with a sentence of explanation, and sometimes these names fly solo. Names containing mostly unknown stories and glories, these secondary and tertiary characters in God’s epic love.
Did Asenath, daughter of the pagan priest of On and wife of Jacob’s son Joseph, have any inkling of her status as the mother of the two half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and the outsized part they would play in God’s story? Did she know that Ephraim and Manasseh would replace Reuben as the firstborn of the nation? Did she know that Jewish children would be blessed with the words “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh” (Genesis 48:20) still today? Did she understand her rare position as an outsider grafted into the family tree of God’s people?
Which prophecies caused Iddo’s hands to shake as he recorded God’s words and warnings during the reign of Solomon and Jeroboam? Where are his words now?
What kind of city builder was Sheerah? Did she draw up ancient architectural plans?
What kingdom exploits did Nympha participate in?
God knows every unknown.
Unknown. I don’t like this word, how about you?
Imagine you as a young girl, presented with a beautifully wrapped present from your heavenly Father. But you won’t unwrap it because what is inside is unknown, maybe it contains snakes. But it doesn’t. It contains untold blessings. You stand frozen, looking at it, refusing to unwrap it. Unwrap the present. Scripture declares,
The blessing of the Lord enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it. — Proverbs 10:22 BSB
Stop thinking that if you can’t see it, it must be all bad. What if you can’t see it, and it’s all good?”
You don’t have to know everything, because God does.
Think about walking across a really high bridge. You get to the edge of the bridge, take the first step, and then accidentally looked down. You pull back to the platform of safety, terrified.
Ahead of you are others walking calmly across the bridge. After glancing at the safety wires going up to the neck of the bridge you start again; just don’t look down. Looked at the destination all the way across.
The key to the whole experience is found in looking up, not down to the gorge below. The key is setting your mind on higher things. I could not help but think of Jesus, who set His heart and mind on the joy set before Him as He endured the unendurable.
God knows every unknown. Your unknown. My unknown. He is hidden in plain sight right now, right in the hardest circumstances. You’re hidden in Him but not from Him! Jesus sees you and He is with you.
We will see you in a week’s time. Do not forget the Carboot Sale and the OGM.
God bless, Pastor Gary