God and Man
Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth; and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. Then the
LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Gen 2:5-7).
Why didn\’t the Lord just speak man into being, like He did other parts of the creation? Instead He formed man, and fashioned him like an artist with his pottery. He then breathed His own life into man. The word that is translated “breath” in this text is the Hebrew word neshamah (nesh-aw-maw\’), which could have been translated “divine inspiration,” or “intellect.” Man was to be made in the image of God, not just in appearance, but with some of His own ability to reason and perceive. Man was to be unique in the creation.
Man was fashioned from the earth, and the earth was to be his realm, but he was also born with a heart to reach for the God who created Him. God is Spirit, and man was created to have a special fellowship with God who is Spirit. Because of this, there is a spiritual void in every human being that can only be truly fulfilled when in fellowship with God.
Man is natural, and born from the earth, but he was given his spark of life from God who is supernatural. Because of this, there is a yearning for the supernatural in man. If this spiritual hunger, and attraction for the supernatural, is not filled with a relationship to God, man has proven repeatedly that he will fill the void with the basest forms of spiritism and the demonic supernatural. As the saying goes, “If you deny a man food he will gobble poison.” Man must have God.
- Pray that peace will prevail in African nations.
- Pray for the Body of Christ to be strengthened in each of the nations and to reawaken the zeal for evangelism as inspired by the Holy Spirit.
- Pray that youth who remain largely un-disciples in the nations will begin to seek for deeper relationship with the Lord. Pray for many youths in Africa who die daily in the attempt of seeking greener pastures.
- Pray that a Holy Spirit revival will be stirred up among young people as Psalm 8:1-2 comes to pass.