Hi friend! Welcome to episode 24 of Tending Your Soul Podcast! I’m Mariel and I’m excited to have you joining me today as we open a new season of the podcast in a new book of the Bible and seek to tend our soul by the Word of God.
In this tangled, unstable, post-pandemic world we are often left feeling weary and overwhelmed, desperate for something to tether our hearts to. I have found that when my soul feels tangled, I need to pause and tend my soul by God’s Word to tether myself afresh.
Just like the plants in a garden after a storm need to be tended to, so do our souls in this post storm season. You may even be still in the midst of a storm yourself. And I want to invite you to take the next couple minutes to pause and lean on the arms of God like my tomato plants in late summer, heavy with fruit, lean on their cages.
You are so welcome here, friend. We are going to take the next few episodes to tend our soul through the Creation account in Genesis 1. When I refer to tend, I’m talking about the tend method acronym that I developed and use to guide me through Scripture. It is a simple, slowed down approach to soaking in the Word in order to know God with greater intimacy. We aren’t aiming to “get through” a book or a passage, but rather slowing down to listen to the Spirit of God through the Word of God.
The T in TEND is for take time to pray. So join me at the Throne.
Father, I thank you that you hear my voice and you speak to me through your word. Would you make known to me your heart as I lean in to tend my soul by your truth? Amen.
Once we have taken a moment to pray, we come to E in TEND which is for Examine Scripture. To examine the Scripture I usually write down the verse or 2 that I will be tending through. Studies show we remember as much as 80% of what we write down, so why not take a moment to put pen to paper with the Word of God?
So let’s look at the verses we are examining today.
Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
As we examine these verses we want to pay attention to what is happening and enter in the scene. What does it look like, smell like, sound like? What action is happening and who is the subject here?
We see the spirit of God hovering or fluttering as some translations say, over the face of the waters. The chaos of darkness and void is beyond my comprehension. But I do notice that God is present. Scripture states this a given. “In the beginning God”…He was already there, in advance.
The name revealed here for God in the original Hebrew is Elohim. This is creator God. It is also a plural form of the word for deity. God is plural but with singular verbs. Why is that?
He is plural and singular. God is one but God is three in one. The trinity is present right there in the beginning.
Now let’s move to N in TEND which stands for notice the lesson. What lesson might be standing out here? Is there a sin to confess? Is there a promise to claim, or an action, command or example for us?
The lesson that stands out to me is how the chaos is not deterring God. He remains present and He remains active.
There might be a promise here for us in that even in our chaos, in our hard new beginnings, God is present. He is untainted and unaffected by our chaos. He remains near even when we are in the midst of hard new things.
So what are the implications of that? If God remains present even in the chaotic new beginnings then what implication does that have on my life? On your life? Where are you starting new and needing the nearness of God in this season?
The D in TEND is for do what it says, this is where we respond to the Word of God with action. The book of James warns us of being deceived if we fail to be doers of the Word and are hearers only.
So how will you and I respond to what the word is teaching us here?
What is your current beginning? Did you send kids to school this fall? Did you send a child to college? Or did you start a new job, new adventure, new calling, new place to serve?
I launched by oldest into the workforce as he graduated college last spring and is now in the new world of full time in the workforce starting his career. I launched my baby into college and that whole new adventure. God has called me to new beginnings with projects and means of serving that I have not previously done.
So for me, remembering that God is already there in the new places, is a gift. It is comforting and helps me remember that I am not alone and He has a plan. Even in the hard chaotic moments of this new season, God is with me.
And God is with you.
So what is your new beginning, friend? Where are you finding fresh starts in this season of your life and walk with Jesus?
Where do you feel chaotic or even empty these days? Oh friend, your God is so near. He already there in the beginnings.
Father, we thank you that you are a with us God. You set all things in motion but did not leave them to chance. You are present in the beginnings, in the middles and in the ends forever more. Refresh our weary souls with this truth today. In Jesus name. Amen.
I want to invite you to get your free guide to cultivating intimacy with Jesus at marieldavenport.com it’s a downloadable booklet to guide you with tips for quiet time, Scripture memory and my tend method.
I hope it will encourage you as you seek to keep tending your soul by the Word of God.
