“In the beginning…And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Gen. 1:5). Not all can agree with Gen. 1:1.”In the beginning God create the heavens and the earth.” However, I believe, most agree that darkness comes before the dawn. It is written: ‘God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Gen 1:5).
‘Evening and the morning’ were the ‘first day’. God understands and He even told us Himself, in just the 5th verse of the whole of the Bible that ‘darkness comes before the dawn.’In God’s time keeping, There is evening, then there is morning! Darkness before the light. Night then the Day.
Every expectant mama understands these things.Think of the ‘little one’s’ in the womb, how dark and quiet it is…and then there is the ‘dawn’ of birth! The birthday! ‘So the evening and the morning were the first day!’ Yes, we understand this perfectly. And from that day, we learn quickly but we start with ‘darkness’ in understanding and we grow and learn and ‘light’ of knowledge is continually ours as we become increasingly educated.
But spiritually – are we still in the dark? Is it still night? Maybe there was no need for the light, you could see spiritually perfectly well in the dark. It was on a Friday, 4 years ago, and I was sitting in an infusion chair receiving some ‘Red Devil’ as my nurse called it, (Adriamiacyn and Taxol, to be exact, [with perhaps a spelling error]). So needless to say, physically, I wasn’t feeling so well. However, Stephanie came to join me that day as I had 5 lovely hours to sit and be loaded up with this ‘stuff’, (I will say not to offend the medical community, but we all know good and well, this ‘stuff’ is ‘death’ to hopefully some cancer cells, but also ALOT of good as well!)
I was there on a Friday by accident. I usually came in on Thursday to get my chemo. But there was need for me to come instead on the Friday, and Stephanie made effort to help me on Fridays. Well, Stephanie has a passion and it is God’s Word! And we were talking about something really exciting about God’s ‘covenant’ with us and that we are His Bride, and He is so faithful to love and to cherish us and there is no parting in death. And He faithfully ‘cut’ His covenant with us with much suffering and pain, just like we wear rings around our fingers as a symbol of our ‘marriage covenants’, etc. And quite honestly, we were both as happy and excited as can be in our conversation as we were rejoicing in the LORD and talking of how great our God is. (So, you are wondering, “hmmm, did Toni get off track here? Why this story?”)
I will tell you ‘why’. Because across from me was seated a woman, maybe in her early 40’s, connected to ‘poisons’ as well. Her name was Lauren. She had battled colon cancer courageously and was a school teacher during her 3 year battle, but THIS DAY was her first day to receive chemo because of metastatic cancer. You see, the cancer had now spread into the liver. This was a whole new fight. Her doctor informed her that the chances of celebrating multiple birthdays was small.
Stephanie and I didn’t know any of this when Lauren had been listening to us talk about the Lord. So she broke in and said, “I need what you have. I have put this off and now it’s time. I need to know God.” She went on to tell us how she was from a Catholic background and faithfully showed up to church on the Holy-days, but, she said, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get where you are.”
“So the evening and the morning were the first day.”
Did we tell her she had to ‘go to church?’ No! When you are getting strong chemo, sometimes it’s hard to walk into a crowded church for fear of sickness while the immune system is being compromised. (But going to church is a place to be encouraged in His word and meet others who can pray with you, and best of all to ‘worship Him’) But for Lauren to ‘know God’, we just told her, “He’s right here, with you now.” “He can hear your voice, He knows your thoughts. Talk to Him right where you are, in a still and quiet place in your heart. Pour out your heart to Him.”
But then she spoke of some things she did ‘wrong’. Yes, we feel it deep inside. Each of us, we carry such a heavy burden of ‘sin’ and carry it and carry it, day in and day out. (We are all sinners! Every single one of us!) But God is faithful, these are the words that we shared with Lauren, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9). God forgives our sin when we pray and ask Him to.
Lauren wasn’t ready for ANY of this, until that ‘very dark’ news. But she was open and ready NOW! God knows how long your ‘Night’ will be, He is the “Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. ” (Rev.22:13). “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” (Rev. 22:16).
We told Lauren that God was only a prayer away. That the debt she owed for all the wrongs she ever did were paid in full by Jesus. And on that day, Lauren learned that Jesus loved her – the way she was, that He was with her – NOW and for all eternity. We told her to call on His name and pray. And dust off that Bible that she said she owned – and read the Psalms to learn how to cry out to God and the Book of John to get to know Jesus.
Lauren talked of limited time and how she just wanted her family to know how much she loved them! We never saw Lauren again. Stephanie and I pray, not knowing if she is still here physically on earth, but I believe in my heart, that she came to ‘know’ Jesus. This was a ‘new morning’ for her, she discovered the ‘Bright and Morning Star!’ Someday, we will meet again!
I can honestly say today, that I am so thankful to have been in that infusion chair on that special Friday with my friend Stephanie to have opportunity to be a part of Lauren’s ‘morning!’ Perhaps, physically, Lauren’s verdict was still on the dark side, but none of that matters anymore when spiritually you have awakened to the dawn. ‘And evening and morning were the FIRST DAY of the rest of her eternal life!
“And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”(Revelation 22:17).
Receive the Lord Jesus in your life by simply talking to Him.Give Him your sin, He is the Only One who wants it and can wash it away in the power of His Blood on the cross. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.”(2 Cor. 5:17). “
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).
It’s a whole new ‘birth’ day! …And the evening and the morning were the FIRST DAY!
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