A Favourite Devotional Experience
Christopher and Jeanne Agenbag have been working in God’s vineyard for many years, feeding on the faithfulness of God in each season. While they have served Him in several countries, Africa has been their heartbeat. Together, they raised six children and are privileged to have eight grandchildren. Over the years, Jeanne’s role has been chiefly at home – to create a safe space for her family and friends. Jeanne’s favourite book is the Bible and today she shares with us a special memory of a morning devotional she had some years ago.
A FAVOURITE DEVOTIONAL EXPERIENCE
Anyone who has cared for a baby knows its dependence makes it uniquely vulnerable. The arrival of a new family member includes varied added responsibilities and breath-taking privileges.
Our oldest daughter was seventeen when her youngest brother was born. The family realized and prepared for changes in our rhythm and dynamics. I, too, needed God’s guidance, and the morning after Andre’s birth, l turned to the day’s reading with an expectant heart.
My preference was to follow a routine and discipline of a set schedule. This way, l would move through passages l might otherwise skip. Exodus 28 had not yet been a favourite, but this morning l was mesmerized. I felt as if I had discovered a hidden treasure.
The clothes and duties of the priests are described in the finest detail. Their outfit included two sets of stones engraved with the twelve names of Israel’s tribes. The priests had to enter into God’s presence to remind Him of the 12 names on their shoulders as well as on the stones of their breastplate.
This beautiful covenant and partnership with God and His people touched me deeply. I was still marvelling at the safe arrival of our little boy and asking for confirmation of the names chosen for him. We had given each of our children a double barrel name, and adding the new one would bring the total to twelve.
I was brought up in a family with several generations of missionaries who cherished the covenant blessings God offers. As a mother of six, l knew much of my time would be spent merely caring for daily needs. This passage in Exodus, however, stirred fresh hope and direction.
I could carry our children’s names on my shoulders and heart to remind our Father of each of them.
On my husband’s visit that morning, l could hardly wait to share my discovery. His reaction remains one of my sweetest gifts. The following morning, he placed a silver bracelet in my hands … engraved with the names of our children. I felt as if God gently folded a priestly robe over my shoulders.
I remain in awe of God’s Word as a record of history, bread for today, and hope for tomorrow. His living Word and love for His own, expressed even in an unusual portion, turned this chapter into a cherished personal message.
*****
Dear Friends, may Jeanne’s memory of her time alone with God (sometimes called TAG time) on a very special day in their family’s lives inspire us to keep our spiritual disciplines and trust God for similar life-changing personal encounters. it is when we turn to God in tender moments, hard-fought victories, as well as the mundane and humdrum that we become like Jeremiah’s tree. Planted at the stream, it does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves are always green, and it has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
