Bored...

The Life Journal Readings for today are Ezra 2, Ezra 3, and Luke 8

Scripture: Ezra 2:64-65 (NIV)
"The whole company numbered 42,360, besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; they also had 200 men and women singers."

Observation:
Ezra is describing those of the Israelite nation who have been called out of exile and have begun to make their way back to Jerusalem. 

Application:

"Bored..."

That's what I was thinking as I was reading the chapters from Ezra this morning.  I know...collective gasp...the preacher bored with reading scripture?  I'm just being honest.  Reading through lists like that bores me to tears.  Usually I find myself at the bottom of the list, having only scanned the page, and not really reading it at all. 

This morning, even though the gospel text was Luke 8, which is ripe with things to journal about, the epiphany I had when I found myself at the bottom of the list in Ezra caused me to catch my breath for a second. 

There they were, the descendents of Parosh, of Shephatiah, of Micmash, Jedediah, and a whole list of other folks...number after number of desdendents in list form, and I'm thinking to myself..."Is this really necessary?"   But then I realized that each of those numbers represented someone that God had done something huge for, and I had just totally blown that off.

So maybe I'll go back and read it again.  This time, instead of being bored by another list in scripture, I can spend some time giving thanks for the numbers of folks for whom their lives were completely changed by following God.

Prayer:
God of the details and of the big picture, help me to find the amazing in what I perceive as the mundane. Though my mind may look for the things you do on a grand scale, teach me to appreciate the way you move in every single life.  Amen.