God Embraces Brokenness

south ridge church

Nov 29

(Begin with 1-2 minutes of silence)

Genesis 38:6 In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar.

The story of Tamar is a difficult one to digest. On the one hand, the one reading the story may think to themselves, "Oh, that poor lady." On the other hand, the one reading the story has many emotions that stir up deep inside. Because even though you haven't experienced everything Tamar experienced, the hurt, pain, brokenness, and overall feeling of aloneness that Tamar must've felt is universal. We have all felt those difficult emotions.

So why did Matthew include Tamar as part of Jesus' genealogy? We may not know for certain, but it seems plausible that her story was another way for Jesus to say, "The brokenness in my family history cannot be denied, I don't want it to be ignored, and I don't need to numb it away or pretend it didn't happen. Because in the Kingdom I'm ushering in, everybody has experienced brokenness. In my family, we're no longer going to ignore it. We're going to come together and experience healing from it."

READING & PRAYERS:

GENESIS 38:1-11 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: Take a moment to think of a hurtful, painful, or moment of brokenness in your life history. Are you currently trying to deny, compare, ignore, or numb any of your past experiences? If so, why?

Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.

PRAYER: Today, take the opportunity to write out your own prayer to God.

(End with 1-2 minutes of silence)

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