Andale! Andale! Arriba! Arriba!

O the B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me! I stand alone on the word of God.

The B-I-B-L-E
O the B-I-B-L-E, I'll take it along with me, I'll read and pray and learn God's way.
The B-I-B-L-E

Sometimes I feel like telling God to Andale! Andale! Arriba! Arriba!  It's scriptural you know?

This week your Kingdom Bloggers will be talking about their favorite book of the Bible and an opportunity to apply it to their life.

I am very partial to the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible.  I love the narratives.  I love the glimpses of God as He forms humans as potter does clay.  I love the picture that He sews clothes for Adam and Eve before they leave the garden.  Reminds me of times I’ve been so mad at my children for something and then turn around and make their favorite cookies or something.  I love the story of creation.  My husband was reading it recently and his comment was that the story of creation is “wondrous.”  It is.

My favorite book of the Bible is Genesis.  It is the book I most love to teach.  As my Hebrew and Hebrew Bible professor used to say, “if you don’t understand Genesis, you don’t understand the Bible.”  I wish you could hear him teach Genesis – you’d love it too.

But an application is harder with the Book of Genesis.  I think that would take a book rather than a blog to explain.  As I thought about this some more, I thought about the book of Psalms.  There have been several times in my life where I have been in great despair.  During many of those times I would turn to Psalms.  I love how the Psalmists start off with their lament but usually, before the Psalm is done, they are praising God again.
 

During these times, I often turned to Psalm 70.  I would read it out loud each morning and again at night.  It became my lament and prayer. 


It reads:

Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, LORD, to help me

May those who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion;

may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.

May those who say to me "Aha! Aha!" turn back because of their shame.

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say,

"The Lord is great!"

But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer;

Lord do not delay.

I love that "Aha! Aha!" part.  I also love how The Message translates that last verse:

But I've lost it, I'm wasted!

God, quickly! quickly!

Quick to my side, quick to my rescue!

God don't lose a minute.

I have told God Andale! Andale! Arriba! Arriba!  How about you?

It's okay to do that.  The Bible even says it. What are you wishing God would hurry up and do?