Sunday Rewind 07.14.08

Our "Journey Thru Genesis" has arrived at the story of Rebekah's marriage to Isaac. It’s a story that seems odd to us because marriages are not arranged by our parents…and we certainly don’t marry our neice. But if we’ll look beyond the details of the story, we’ll see a key principle that speaks today: God cares for people in the ordinary events of life.

As much as we'd like every day to be special, the reality is that much of life is ordinary. And the ordinary can be numbing. It can make us begin to think we don't need God's presence. It can tempt us to believe God doesn't care about the ordinary events of life.

Then we come to Genesis 24, where we encounter a story of people doing very ordinary things. Abraham is just being a Dad. The servant is doing his job. Isaac and Rebekah get married. All very ordinary things. In the whole chapter, God doesn't speak at all. But His fingerprints are all over the story. It's a story that shows that God cares for people in the ordinary events of life.

So how do you go about seeing God in the ordinary? Simple...just open your eyes. God is always present...always caring. But often we are too preoccupied to notice. So, let's start looking for God in the ordinary events of life:

• in our work
• in our parenting
• in our relationships with friends
• in our entertainment
• in our joys...and sorrows
• in our silliness...and anger
• when we struggle to feel anything at all

And here’s the amazing part…seeing God in the ordinary makes all of life extraordinary. Even the ordinary events of life take on new meaning as you live each moment enjoying relationship with God.