Late last night reading in the Old Testament book of Joshua, I was struck by God’s precision and intentionality when he laid out the boundary lines to divide his Promised Land. I smiled when I read verse 19:23 “the boundary ran…from the oak at Zaanannim”. Sounded to my ears like down-home directions given by someone who has lived someplace for many years. It’s almost like the “just turn left by the old red barn that was torn down 10 yrs ago” kind of directive that can only come from familiarity.
And God the Creator’s words to me are based on familiarity and bring intimacy to our relationship. But the depth of our relationship is much deeper on his side because he knew me before I knew him. He’s actually told me that he knew me before he laid out the foundations of the earth…such amazing unfathomable intentionality.
So I wonder…what would my daily world look like, if I practiced his directives intentionally?
I’m trying this one today…
Give all of your worries and cares to God,
for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7
Blessings of releasing
This is my favorite. I just read today, somewhere, “You have placed my boundaries in pleasant places.”
Have you ever noticed while driving through the countryside the way trees will make a border where a fence once ran, but has long since fallen? I wonder what type of border will have been formed when my life is over? Robert Frost said “fences make good neighbors.” May the fences of our lives be likewise.
What a beautiful question…I love the imagery. My mind sees the border as a stone fence. And each day we put one more stone in place. I’ve seen pictures of shepherd’s fields surrounded by stone fences with only one entrance…and the shepherd slept across the entrance to keep his sheep safe.