Prophets

We recently finished an 18 week school of ministry course here at CC Svitlvodsk. The first 9 week "semester" was inductive Bible Study, which I taught and Old Testament Survey, which our pastor Ben taught. He taught from Genesis through Esther. The second 9 week semester was Old Testament Survey, which I picked up from Job and Apologetics, which Ben taught. For me personally it was a very challenging and wonderful opportunity. Challenging for a few different reasons. I've never taught such an intense course. It was also very challenging linguistically. It forced me to push myself in study and pushed my skills in russian. (thankfully my talented wife knows russian very well :) It was a wonderful blessing for me in the same was as it was challenging. O.T. survey was especially hard, but i was SO blessed by it. The Lord used it a lot in my life.
I especially enjoyed teaching the prophets. I know that some people can be discouraged or even bored by the O.T. prophets. I used to think the same thing. But as you go through all of them and look at them as a whole, you get a totally new outlook on them. The Lord begins showing you His faithfulness. I'm so thankful for how faithful our God is to His chosen nation. That He remains for them all of this time. That their eyes, as a nation, will be opened one day and, as it is written so many times throughout the prophets, "you will be My people and I will be your God." The Lord really pierced my heart with this. If He is so faithful for thousands of years to Israel, I can be assured that He will be faithful to me. Israel didn't deserve to be His chosen nation. They have even proven that many times throughout history. Yet God, for His name's sake, will not break His covenant with them. So too, I am not deserving of God grace and mercy, yet He chose me. This is very humbling, and very assuring. God will never break His covenant with those who have received His sacrifice.
The Lord also really opened my eyes to see His sovereignty on a whole new level. God's sovereignty is a hard thing to understand. At some points it can even be disturbing. I say that because we are humans, and sometimes we just can't understand why God does some things that He does. Take, for example, destroying whole nations. Even women and children. That's a hard thing to receive. Yet, without getting into a theology class, I can be assured that even this is in mercy and in love. Throughout the prophets we see God's sovereignty on many different levels. On a universal level, on a global level, on a national level and on a personal level. God does what He wants, when He wants and how he wants. One of the great testimonies of God's sovereignty is, of course, the book of Jonah. God works all things for His will. All things are in His hands.
Looking at the new testament, in which we live, Paul tells us this: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose." (Romans 8:28) God is at work in your life and in my life. He holds all things in His hands. It is a principle that we live by that the Lord uses everything in our lives (those who love Him, being christians) for good. Even the hard things. Even the things that we, not understanding, might think to be bad. For me, looking at the O.T. prophets has been testimony after testimony of God's sovereignty and faithfulness.