My God is a dressmaker.

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)

Those words were like rain pouring down on me. And in awe, I soaked myself again in the greatness of God's love. The picture behind those words was like... frozen in my neural pathway. Haha! I could hardly explain the joy I felt when I realized that at that moment God's actions spoke louder than words. With just a simple sentence, He encrypted His message of love.

It appeared to me that not so long after the fall, God already told the story of salvation. The time of which His Son be made a sacrifice to many was a glimpse of what happened in Genesis 3:21 --- the Lord made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

If we examine the events in the verse, we would know that for God to dress Adam and Eve He had to make a clothing, described as garments of skin. This could mean that for God to make garments of skin, He had to slay an animal. A creature had to sacrifice its innocent blood. It died for the couple to live. Then God became a dressmaker. And He clothed them. He did not throw the dress at them. He clothed them Himself.

Just like what happened on the cross. Jesus shed innocent blood to clothe us with righteousness.

Let us consider also that the clothing was God's idea, not ours. Remember that Adam and Eve did nothing. They even did not ask God to dress them. They did not deserve any kindness. But it was God's mercy and grace that saved them from their nakedness. And God gave them clothing for free. God's compassion did not even allow His children to leave the garden naked.

So are we. We sinned. We were naked. Yet Christ became sin and endured the shame of being naked on that tree so we can be clothed with His righteousness. So we can be clothed with Himself. "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Galatians 3:27)

To end this, I say to you "be confident" for God's love always comes through for rescue --- to protect us from the chains of sin, to free us from the coldness of death. For nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Jesus prayed.

Mark 6:46

... he went up on a mountainside to pray.

I really like this logic:

Jesus prayed.

We are molded into a character like his.

Therefore, we pray because Jesus prayed.

The verse gave me an impression that prayer has been the most significant routine in the life of Jesus. He went to serene places to spend time with the Father and even woke up early in the morning to have a quiet time. I wonder if you also noticed this --- before Jesus does something extraordinary, He prays. :)

You might ask why Jesus had to pray when He is thus far the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus, Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness (Philippians 2:6-7). Jesus humbled himself! He knew what it was like to be human because He became one of us. He knew that without the guidance of the Spirit, He could be tempted; without the Father's strength He might not be able to do the will of the Father. Jesus is the paragon of humility. He sought the Father's voice and was satisfied by His presence.

Above is the first (of my three primary reasons) and the most brilliant reason I could think of why I pray and put high regard in it: because Jesus prayed. If there is someone whose character is worth following, it is Jesus. I believe that for my life to be pleasing and honoring to God, it should be patterned to His standard which is seen perfectly in Jesus. In prayer, God is known. And Jesus models to me how to know more about God -- pray.

Second, I believe that prayer is more than a communication. It transcends the need to communicate. It is a fuel and a reflex in my relationship with God. This is not just an ordinary kind of communication. This is the kind with a commitment. This is the kind that does not need diplomacy but honesty. This is spoken by the heart -- a heart that is linked to His -- with transparency.

Third, prayer brings me into a right position before God. More than spending time with God, it is entering into His presence to commune with Him, humbling oneself before His holiness and fixing my eyes on His glory, not mine. It is when I choose to submit and listen to Him that I can only hear him clearly. And prayer changes me. It helps me see things in a perspective that is seen only through the eyes of God. Thus, prayer is a bridge to eternity.