Chronicles of Hope

As I am reading through the Bible with my small group, chronologically this time, we have come to the stories of David that are recorded in both Samuel and Chronicles. These books are normally separated by Kings in the Bible but in the chronological reading plan they are read together, story by story, with Psalms intermixed. It can at times be repetitious because Chronicles was written as a recounting of God's gracious care of His people beginning with Adam and Eve. It is often taken word for word from Samuel and Kings. So as we read of David's actions in Samuel, we read it again in Chronicles often on the same day.

Which got me wondering why God included in His Holy Scriptures a recounting of a story that is already included in the Old Testament. Why do they record these stories again? And then I saw Bob Goff's tweet, "Sometimes God lets us lose hope for a moment so we'll retrace our steps and remember every place we saw it last."

Chronicles was a remembering of all those times God had provided, all those times God had lead the way, all those times He had redeemed His people, again and again and again. Chronicles was an exercise in looking back at all those times of hope present in the lives of the Israelites.

I have found that I am often in need of a chronicle of God's work in my life. A reminder of God's provision and care when I am feeling stressed out by the unknown. A scavenger hunt of hope. So as I think about my list of gratitude, my one thousand gifts, as part of Ann Voskamp's Multitudes on Monday, I wanted to spend a day looking backward at those points in my life that I am ever so thankful for. Those points that shaped me and kept me close to the One who loves me so.

• My mom marrying my Dad and ending the cycle of abuse
• Mrs. Wybenga, my Sunday School teacher who showed me grace
• God's word before me, always available 
• Spring break college tour that introduced me to Biola
• Youth group, full of fun, intention and meaningful discussions
• Moments abroad that opened my world
• A holy place set apart for me to study, to become my own person, surrounded by people who loved the Lord and saw me as His child
• A sudden urge to spend a semester in Washington DC, where I met my beloved
• Overwhelming fatigue that forced me to change how I viewed myself
• Three boys that are teaching me how to be interconnected in a way that is uncomfortable for independent me
• An invitation to teach