“Knock and the door shall be opened unto you.” How many times have we recited or sung this quote from Jesus? Yet have we ever really thought about where that door leads? Salvation? Heaven? Certainly....Absolutely. But is there something more? Was Jesus talking about walking through Himself as the entrance to Heaven? Certainly. Yet does that Open Door offer even more than eternal life insurance? Certainly His ultimate gift born of agonizing sacrifice is something to be intensely grateful for every day of our existence here. Yet is there even more in His invitation? To what is He inviting us?
As He often does, God keeps giving me images of parenting and grandparenting to help me understand who He is and what He desires. This morning, after continuing my reading in Tozer’s The Pursuit of God, I was struck by his reference to time and space in our relationship with the Trinity of God. We only pursue God in response to His pursuit of us. When we respond to that pursuit, we find Him right there with us, as near as our breath. He has been waiting there all along, hoping we’ll ‘knock’ so He can fling wide the door of His heart to us. Right now, in the present moment, His immanence scoops us into His waiting arms.
When I visit my new granddaughter, I try to wait patiently in the wings, hoping for the opportunity to scoop her into my arms and hold her against my heart. I know there are many wanting time with her, desiring her attention. So I wait, aching to hold her close, to comfort her when she cries, to make her smile, to help her fall asleep when she’s taken in so much ‘input’ that she has trouble finding that place of peace. When she hears her father’s voice, she immediately stills and listens for him. It is sometimes he alone who can comfort her.
I have come to understand, though I know that understanding is only partial, how much God longs for us to turn our face to Him, to realize how near He is, how He waits there longing for us to choose to respond to His overtures of love. How He longs for us to hear His voice whispering our name and fling ourselves into His arms.
I remember one evening Emma fell asleep over my heart as I rocked her. I could have happily held her all night long, my heart nearly bursting its confines, like the Grinch of the Christmas tale. And I remember rocking her mother and her two brothers and feeling the same way. I didn’t love one child more than the others; I loved each one as if he or she was an only child. With each one, it was as if my heart would explode with love (and that love has never diminished). Our tender-hearted Father loves us more than this. There is so much more beyond the door than we can imagine...not just in Heaven, but right now. Don’t leave Him waiting with unrequited love. Pursue Him and you will find that you don’t have to take a single step; you will bump right into Him.
***************
"You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek..." [Psalm 27:8]
"Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened." [Matthew 7:7-8]
"...always He is trying to get our attention, to reveal Himself to us, to communicate with us. We have within us the ability to know Him if we will but respond to His overtures."
"It is not a sovereign and irresistible force which comes upon us as a seizure from above. It is a gift of God, indeed, but one which must be recognized and cultivated as any other gift..."
[Tozer, The Pursuit of God]
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Friday, December 8, 2017
Don’t Shoot the Messenger
This week my Vipre security software on my phone came up with a malware warning, but it was for Google Play, which operates all the Android apps. What do I do with that, I thought. Vipre proceeded in an endless loop of not being able to clean by uninstalling (of course) and I could not get it out of the loop to do another scan. Vipre has a reputation for trustworthiness. I finally just turned off my phone until I could figure out what to do (to the distress of my family who couldn’t get hold of me). The people at the AT&T store couldn’t really help me except to advise removing Vipre, which I did. My phone then seemed happy again.
Immediately God showed me the analogy to our current culture...and all the way back to Israel’s history with the prophets. When your prophetic watchmen begin to annoy you with their warnings, you find a way to either ignore them or get rid of them. That way you can have a false sense of security that all is well and you don’t have to change anything in your life. All the while, something insidious is eating away at your foundation. You go blithely on your merry way like Scarlet O’Hara, setting aside dealing with any serious issues for ‘another day.’ Isaiah 28:15 says, “...for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood have we taken refuge.”
Sometimes we choose false prophets because we like what they have to say. Your computer sometimes pops up a virus warning, via some unheard of security application, advising you to take instant action to solve the virus problem they say you have. However, what they're really trying to do is download spyware on your computer. The very program that is offering to solve your problem is trying to rob you. So with the false prophets, who are really self-serving wolves in sheep's clothing. Isaiah 28: 16-17, however, leads us back to the Cornerstone and the Plumbline for all truth. We musn't be deceived by gladly receiving something 'our itchy ears want to hear.' [2 Timothy 4:3]
If you find yourself spending less ‘real’ time in quiet with the Father, search your heart to see if
you’re ignoring Him because you’re afraid of what He might have to say to you. If we turn off or delete the prophetic because it makes us uncomfortable, we’re still walking down the same dangerous road, whether we admit it to ourselves or not. Been there, done that. In the end, we always need to come back, knowing every course correction He gives us is out of love. He’s not trying to spoil our fun, He’s trying to keep us from spoiling our lives, the lives of those we love, and, ultimately, our entire nation and world. I guess the phrase, “Don’t shoot the messenger” is applicable here. If the messenger is a trustworthy, untainted one, he’ll always alert us to danger and point us back to the Cornerstone. Our spiritual antennae should start beeping when we realize we have appeased our consciences by removing the source of the warning from our visual screens, instead of addressing its content.
*********************
2 Timothy 4:3
Isaiah 30:10
They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’ and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.’
Immediately God showed me the analogy to our current culture...and all the way back to Israel’s history with the prophets. When your prophetic watchmen begin to annoy you with their warnings, you find a way to either ignore them or get rid of them. That way you can have a false sense of security that all is well and you don’t have to change anything in your life. All the while, something insidious is eating away at your foundation. You go blithely on your merry way like Scarlet O’Hara, setting aside dealing with any serious issues for ‘another day.’ Isaiah 28:15 says, “...for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood have we taken refuge.”
Sometimes we choose false prophets because we like what they have to say. Your computer sometimes pops up a virus warning, via some unheard of security application, advising you to take instant action to solve the virus problem they say you have. However, what they're really trying to do is download spyware on your computer. The very program that is offering to solve your problem is trying to rob you. So with the false prophets, who are really self-serving wolves in sheep's clothing. Isaiah 28: 16-17, however, leads us back to the Cornerstone and the Plumbline for all truth. We musn't be deceived by gladly receiving something 'our itchy ears want to hear.' [2 Timothy 4:3]
If you find yourself spending less ‘real’ time in quiet with the Father, search your heart to see if
you’re ignoring Him because you’re afraid of what He might have to say to you. If we turn off or delete the prophetic because it makes us uncomfortable, we’re still walking down the same dangerous road, whether we admit it to ourselves or not. Been there, done that. In the end, we always need to come back, knowing every course correction He gives us is out of love. He’s not trying to spoil our fun, He’s trying to keep us from spoiling our lives, the lives of those we love, and, ultimately, our entire nation and world. I guess the phrase, “Don’t shoot the messenger” is applicable here. If the messenger is a trustworthy, untainted one, he’ll always alert us to danger and point us back to the Cornerstone. Our spiritual antennae should start beeping when we realize we have appeased our consciences by removing the source of the warning from our visual screens, instead of addressing its content.
*********************
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time is coming when people will not have patience for sound teaching, but will cater to their passions and gather around themselves teachers who say whatever their ears itch to hear.
They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’ and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.’
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Lessons from Emma
Just after returning from helping to care for my newborn granddaughter, I sat in my prayer chair once again and saw before me her tiny trusting face, looking intently into my eyes as if to say, “I am entrusting myself to you without fear, for I know you hold me securely and you love me. I am content to go wherever you take me.” She later fell asleep, resting against my heart and I thought mine might break with love for her.
God reminded me upon my return that this is how He loves us: “Emma doesn’t work for her food or work to be loved. She doesn’t strive to be successful. She is loved. She is...and she is loved....You are to be like her, looking into My eyes, knowing I have you secure in My Arms. Trust Me to have chosen—and to choose—what is best...Remaining humble will help keep you tethered to My Peace.”
This is how He cares for us. This is how He longs for us to trust Him...abandoned entirely and absolutely to His tender, loving care. I would never have allowed little Emma to fall from my arms, even if I had to allow myself to be broken to prevent it. (Isaiah 53:5)
We trust man and distrust God. How ironic. We look to other humans for our fulfillment, our help, our contentment, yet we say, “Why did God let this happen? Why did He do this to me? He must not love me. I must not be important to Him. He doesn’t care about me. He cares about others, but not me. He is unjust and unequal in His treatment of us. Or He is not powerful or wise enough to intervene.
How we malign Him, if we think He doesn’t love us as I love baby Emma...and so very much more. How interesting that Emma's middle name is Grace. God doesn’t require us to comprehend, only to trust. Emma cannot see clearly beyond the borders of her mother’s face. The rest of the world exists like an Impressionist painting. Her mother and father are her world...their voices known from the womb. May it be so with us. May our Father be our world, our reality...and the world dim and hazy beyond His face, as we hear His voice singing over us.
God reminded me upon my return that this is how He loves us: “Emma doesn’t work for her food or work to be loved. She doesn’t strive to be successful. She is loved. She is...and she is loved....You are to be like her, looking into My eyes, knowing I have you secure in My Arms. Trust Me to have chosen—and to choose—what is best...Remaining humble will help keep you tethered to My Peace.”
This is how He cares for us. This is how He longs for us to trust Him...abandoned entirely and absolutely to His tender, loving care. I would never have allowed little Emma to fall from my arms, even if I had to allow myself to be broken to prevent it. (Isaiah 53:5)
We trust man and distrust God. How ironic. We look to other humans for our fulfillment, our help, our contentment, yet we say, “Why did God let this happen? Why did He do this to me? He must not love me. I must not be important to Him. He doesn’t care about me. He cares about others, but not me. He is unjust and unequal in His treatment of us. Or He is not powerful or wise enough to intervene.
How we malign Him, if we think He doesn’t love us as I love baby Emma...and so very much more. How interesting that Emma's middle name is Grace. God doesn’t require us to comprehend, only to trust. Emma cannot see clearly beyond the borders of her mother’s face. The rest of the world exists like an Impressionist painting. Her mother and father are her world...their voices known from the womb. May it be so with us. May our Father be our world, our reality...and the world dim and hazy beyond His face, as we hear His voice singing over us.
“And a little child shall lead them...” (Isaiah 11:6)
“Unless you become like one of these, you shall not enter the kingdom...” (Matthew 18:3)
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Seeds
I always receive so much by listening to Andrew Wommack (Gospel Truth, Nov. 9). He always challenges me out of any complacency I consider accepting. He also makes me laugh. This week he was discussing the concept of the Seed. Since I am also awaiting with great anticipation the ‘outside’ arrival of my granddaughter (she actually arrived 9 months ago), it seemed especially poignant to consider the beauty and strength God creates from a seed.
Interestingly enough, my daily Bible reading simultaneously landed upon Jesus’ reference to the mustard seed and all the potential the Father placed within it, though it is so tiny as to be almost unnoticeable. I remember decades ago reading a wonderful book called Poustinia, from which I retained a strong visual image of an extremely large tree, solid and firmly rooted, with birds and other animals resting in its branches and humans doing likewise underneath. Catherine Dougherty challenged us to become such trees, having developed fruitfully throughout our lives in both the stillness and friendship of God’s presence.
Some of us lament our age; others rejoice in it. I believe we should always choose the latter, whether we are in the first few decades or the final quarter. Young, middle-aged, or seniors, we can aspire to be such trees. We seniors should exult in what God has wrought in us through the decades. We should offer respite to others of any age. Let's give that solace, peace and hope which result from keeping company, through trials and triumphs, with the One who created us...the One who has gradually taught us wisdom and humility through the years.
The seeds He gave man at the Creation held within them the life of future plants similar to themselves, yet never exactly the same; He is such an artistic Creator. The unique secrets and potential he encased within all of us only develop into the beauty He planned, when we allow Him to tend, guide, and prune us along the way.
We don’t have to understand and foresee it all; we just have to trust Him that He will cause everything to flower in its time, if we cooperate with Him. Things which seem impossible, inconceivable, and even ludicrous, become reality when we trust in Him with a pure heart and allow Him to transform us and others near us in the garden. One plant sends seeds drifting onto others and onto ready soil, where it springs up to in turn bear fruit, bringing life and health with it.
Unfortunately, seeds not planted by God can also follow the same pattern, bringing forth evil, which we thoughtlessly spew forth in the form of criticism, judgment, and negativity. Bitterness is a tare with deep roots.
Let's be awe-inspiring mustard trees, pointing upward. Let's invite others to rest under your branches, no matter how old you are. Ask God to help you rid the ground beneath you of any tares which might lead others astray. Don't let them be confused by the uncomfortable, lumpy ground beneath them. Don’t let them come for rest and find discord. Be the kind of tree whose branches remind them of the Everlasting Arms. And while you’re planted there, grab his hands and pull those arms about yourself, too. You’ll make Him smile.
******************************************
Interestingly enough, my daily Bible reading simultaneously landed upon Jesus’ reference to the mustard seed and all the potential the Father placed within it, though it is so tiny as to be almost unnoticeable. I remember decades ago reading a wonderful book called Poustinia, from which I retained a strong visual image of an extremely large tree, solid and firmly rooted, with birds and other animals resting in its branches and humans doing likewise underneath. Catherine Dougherty challenged us to become such trees, having developed fruitfully throughout our lives in both the stillness and friendship of God’s presence.
Some of us lament our age; others rejoice in it. I believe we should always choose the latter, whether we are in the first few decades or the final quarter. Young, middle-aged, or seniors, we can aspire to be such trees. We seniors should exult in what God has wrought in us through the decades. We should offer respite to others of any age. Let's give that solace, peace and hope which result from keeping company, through trials and triumphs, with the One who created us...the One who has gradually taught us wisdom and humility through the years.
The seeds He gave man at the Creation held within them the life of future plants similar to themselves, yet never exactly the same; He is such an artistic Creator. The unique secrets and potential he encased within all of us only develop into the beauty He planned, when we allow Him to tend, guide, and prune us along the way.
We don’t have to understand and foresee it all; we just have to trust Him that He will cause everything to flower in its time, if we cooperate with Him. Things which seem impossible, inconceivable, and even ludicrous, become reality when we trust in Him with a pure heart and allow Him to transform us and others near us in the garden. One plant sends seeds drifting onto others and onto ready soil, where it springs up to in turn bear fruit, bringing life and health with it.
Unfortunately, seeds not planted by God can also follow the same pattern, bringing forth evil, which we thoughtlessly spew forth in the form of criticism, judgment, and negativity. Bitterness is a tare with deep roots.
Let's be awe-inspiring mustard trees, pointing upward. Let's invite others to rest under your branches, no matter how old you are. Ask God to help you rid the ground beneath you of any tares which might lead others astray. Don't let them be confused by the uncomfortable, lumpy ground beneath them. Don’t let them come for rest and find discord. Be the kind of tree whose branches remind them of the Everlasting Arms. And while you’re planted there, grab his hands and pull those arms about yourself, too. You’ll make Him smile.
******************************************
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32.
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. -1 Peter 1:23 (unlike verse 24)
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Home
This morning as I write from my tiny place in this tiny town, I know I have settled into Home. He has blessed us with multiple places to live, according to our needs, as He is wont to do. With each successive fit of worrying, He has patiently reminded me that He has always cared for me, for us, and always will. And where He is, is always home.
Staying with kind and generous friends for the better part of a year has been a great blessing, where I was offered lovely and hospitable homes, as a guest.. There He was, in the midst of them. Now He has helped me nest into this home, seemingly of my own. Yet, I realize, I am still a guest. A guest of My Father. It is nice to have a corner on this coast to call our own, but truly nothing is our own. Everything comes from His generous hand and belongs to Him. He lets us enjoy it; He wants us to enjoy it; but it isn’t ours.
What makes this home is that He has offered it to us out of His goodness and that He dwells here with us. He makes the humble places...and people...beautiful. He invites us in to rest. He offers His hospitality to the weary traveler, saying, “Stop awhile and enter into the habitat of My heart. You’ll find rest here, and if you choose to stay, a Home for eternity.”
Staying with kind and generous friends for the better part of a year has been a great blessing, where I was offered lovely and hospitable homes, as a guest.. There He was, in the midst of them. Now He has helped me nest into this home, seemingly of my own. Yet, I realize, I am still a guest. A guest of My Father. It is nice to have a corner on this coast to call our own, but truly nothing is our own. Everything comes from His generous hand and belongs to Him. He lets us enjoy it; He wants us to enjoy it; but it isn’t ours.
What makes this home is that He has offered it to us out of His goodness and that He dwells here with us. He makes the humble places...and people...beautiful. He invites us in to rest. He offers His hospitality to the weary traveler, saying, “Stop awhile and enter into the habitat of My heart. You’ll find rest here, and if you choose to stay, a Home for eternity.”
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Turtledoves
I've recently discovered reruns of Touched by an Angel on our cable network. At the end of each episode, a dove usually comes to represent God's presence in the resolution of the conflict. Did you ever wonder why the dove is used to symbolize the Holy Spirit? Of course we know that at Jesus' baptism "the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove...."*. That alone is reason enough. However, I've come to understand how much more symbolism is packed into that image. (Plumbing the depths of God's imagery in Scripture is definitely a lifetime process.)
I was unaware that in the time of Abraham a contract was ratified between two people when they walked together over the blood between the halves of the animal sacrifice. 10 witnesses stood on either side to serve as 'enforcers' of the agreement in the future, should either side renege. However, when God made the covenant with Abraham, only He passed between the halves of the sacrifice. He already knew we wouldn't keep our side of the covenant and that He Himself, through His Son, would have to pay our penalty for us.
The dove** was not divided, however, as were the other animals. It remained whole. Chaim explains that the word for dove or pigeon (tsiphar) in the Hebrew carries a second meaning of a humble or soft voice bringing the presence of the Holy Spirit. The second word used for bird in this passage is gozel, which can mean 'to pass over.' Hmmmm, where have I heard that passover thing mentioned before in Scripture? Ah yes, the angel of death passed over the Hebrews when they put the blood on their doorposts in Egypt. Yeshua, Himself, was the Lamb at the Great Passover. Wow, the whole Trinity of God was represented in the Covenant ADONAI made with Abraham. (Why am I surprised?)
Another meaning for the word tavar, whose first meaning is turtledove, is to search out one's heart to discover the truth, which, indeed, is a function of The Holy Spirit according to Scripture. The wonderful thing is that ADONAI knows it all, every beautiful and ugly detail within our hearts, and yet has provided Himself to stand in the gap between who we are and who we should be. He made the Walk through the sacrifice, and He is the Sacrifice. He presents us with one of two interlinking turtledove ornaments as a remembrance and presses the other close to His heart. May we do the same.
*Luke 3:22
**Chaim explains why the singular, versus the plural, of the word(s) for bird might be more correctly used, in his Study 68 of Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God. The chapter includes other insights as well.
I was unaware that in the time of Abraham a contract was ratified between two people when they walked together over the blood between the halves of the animal sacrifice. 10 witnesses stood on either side to serve as 'enforcers' of the agreement in the future, should either side renege. However, when God made the covenant with Abraham, only He passed between the halves of the sacrifice. He already knew we wouldn't keep our side of the covenant and that He Himself, through His Son, would have to pay our penalty for us.
The dove** was not divided, however, as were the other animals. It remained whole. Chaim explains that the word for dove or pigeon (tsiphar) in the Hebrew carries a second meaning of a humble or soft voice bringing the presence of the Holy Spirit. The second word used for bird in this passage is gozel, which can mean 'to pass over.' Hmmmm, where have I heard that passover thing mentioned before in Scripture? Ah yes, the angel of death passed over the Hebrews when they put the blood on their doorposts in Egypt. Yeshua, Himself, was the Lamb at the Great Passover. Wow, the whole Trinity of God was represented in the Covenant ADONAI made with Abraham. (Why am I surprised?)
Another meaning for the word tavar, whose first meaning is turtledove, is to search out one's heart to discover the truth, which, indeed, is a function of The Holy Spirit according to Scripture. The wonderful thing is that ADONAI knows it all, every beautiful and ugly detail within our hearts, and yet has provided Himself to stand in the gap between who we are and who we should be. He made the Walk through the sacrifice, and He is the Sacrifice. He presents us with one of two interlinking turtledove ornaments as a remembrance and presses the other close to His heart. May we do the same.
*Luke 3:22
**Chaim explains why the singular, versus the plural, of the word(s) for bird might be more correctly used, in his Study 68 of Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God. The chapter includes other insights as well.
Monday, September 11, 2017
Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good
Loving rereading my favorite modern author Jan Karon's Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good* in anticipation of her newest book coming out next week. Here's a sampling:
"I ask you to give Timothy your words, and to anoint all that he says and does to draw Sammy into the circle of your astonishing grace. May it be a tender time, somehow transforming in ways we can't know." [p. 226]
"At the altar of defeat, he laid the stick of grace. Then he turned and went home to the yellow house where he had been given everything and more, none of it especially deserved." [p. 228]
"He wept face forward, then, into the gale of those aghast at what was happening, wept for the wounds of any clergy gone out into a darkness of self-loathing and beguilement; for the loss and sorrow of those who could not believe, or who had once believed but lost all sense of shield and buckler and any notion of God's radical tenderness, for the ceaseless besettings of the flesh, for the worthless idols of his own and of others; for those sidetracked, stumped, frozen, flung away, for those both false and true, the just and the unjust, the quick and the dead....
He wept for himself, for the pain of long years and the exquisite satisfactions of the faith, for the holiness of the mundane, for the thrashing exhaustions and the endless dyings and resurrectings that malign the soul incarnate...."
"...And the people wept with him, most of them. Some turned away, and a few got up and left in a hurry, fearful of the swift and astounding movement of the Holy Spirit among them..." [p. 252]
*from her Mitford series, beginning with At Home in Mitford
"I ask you to give Timothy your words, and to anoint all that he says and does to draw Sammy into the circle of your astonishing grace. May it be a tender time, somehow transforming in ways we can't know." [p. 226]
"At the altar of defeat, he laid the stick of grace. Then he turned and went home to the yellow house where he had been given everything and more, none of it especially deserved." [p. 228]
"He wept face forward, then, into the gale of those aghast at what was happening, wept for the wounds of any clergy gone out into a darkness of self-loathing and beguilement; for the loss and sorrow of those who could not believe, or who had once believed but lost all sense of shield and buckler and any notion of God's radical tenderness, for the ceaseless besettings of the flesh, for the worthless idols of his own and of others; for those sidetracked, stumped, frozen, flung away, for those both false and true, the just and the unjust, the quick and the dead....
He wept for himself, for the pain of long years and the exquisite satisfactions of the faith, for the holiness of the mundane, for the thrashing exhaustions and the endless dyings and resurrectings that malign the soul incarnate...."
"...And the people wept with him, most of them. Some turned away, and a few got up and left in a hurry, fearful of the swift and astounding movement of the Holy Spirit among them..." [p. 252]
*from her Mitford series, beginning with At Home in Mitford
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Frog in the pool
Some might think I'm a little daft, but this morning I went for a swim in the housing development pool. Right now there is only a gentle rain falling, and the pool water is still warm from the summer's heat. No one else was swimming (of course), so I enjoyed the peace of the moment, with the trees gently swaying (calm before the storm). It turned out to be a great place to talk some things over with the Love and Lord of my life.
Along with the leaves blown into the pool, there was also a small frog, swimming and floating, swimming and floating around the perimeter. I wanted to rescue him, but the question arose in my mind, 'Was he better off in the pool than on land tonight?' What if, in trying to rescue him, I was actually sending him to his doom? Maybe the instinct God put in him sent him to the pool for safety. Perhaps the seeming water danger was not as bad as the greater danger on land? Yet he was working so hard, I couldn't imagine him doing that all day and all night without drowning. Finally, I went to get my flip flop to lift him out, only to completely lose sight of him in the pool. Perhaps he went into one of the drain vents as I went on my rescue mission.
Does God ever refrain from rescuing us from the smaller danger because He knows a much greater danger is at hand should He save us from the first? The worst an earthly danger can do is kill the body. An eternity without God is a much bigger danger than a 5+ hurricane. If we don't even recognize the eternal danger of refusing His salvation, what good will it do to save our homes and possessions for the moment? It could actually be, like my frog rescue, a harmful decision.
Only He knows what's best for frogs in a storm, but I know for sure that nothing is more important than gratefully gripping His outstretched carpenter's hand and being pulled to safety for all time.
Along with the leaves blown into the pool, there was also a small frog, swimming and floating, swimming and floating around the perimeter. I wanted to rescue him, but the question arose in my mind, 'Was he better off in the pool than on land tonight?' What if, in trying to rescue him, I was actually sending him to his doom? Maybe the instinct God put in him sent him to the pool for safety. Perhaps the seeming water danger was not as bad as the greater danger on land? Yet he was working so hard, I couldn't imagine him doing that all day and all night without drowning. Finally, I went to get my flip flop to lift him out, only to completely lose sight of him in the pool. Perhaps he went into one of the drain vents as I went on my rescue mission.
Does God ever refrain from rescuing us from the smaller danger because He knows a much greater danger is at hand should He save us from the first? The worst an earthly danger can do is kill the body. An eternity without God is a much bigger danger than a 5+ hurricane. If we don't even recognize the eternal danger of refusing His salvation, what good will it do to save our homes and possessions for the moment? It could actually be, like my frog rescue, a harmful decision.
Only He knows what's best for frogs in a storm, but I know for sure that nothing is more important than gratefully gripping His outstretched carpenter's hand and being pulled to safety for all time.
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Shelter
I have found it interesting to examine my own behavior in the midst of Hurricane Irma's threat to
the Tampa area. I came over early, ironically, to get away from the threat to the east coast. I wanted to be sure, also, to be here for my daughter's baby shower and my son's wedding. Scripture has some interesting comments about man's plans, which I have tried to keep in my heart anytime people ask me about mine for the future. Recently I have commented that 'my cup runneth over,' with happy fall events.
I can still say that, no matter what happens over the course of the weekend, my cup runs over with my Heavenly Father's goodness to me and to my family. He truly is a Good, Good Father.... Knowing His goodness is not dependent on circumstances going my way....although I most certainly pray for the protection of my family and the homes and provision He has provided to us. I am, indeed, praying for His miraculous intervention, something I have seen over and over since I've been in Florida dealing with hurricanes. Meteorologists have repeatedly had no explanation for the way hurricanes have stopped in their tracks or moved in a completely unexpected direction.
Yet how quickly many forget His intervention and begin thinking their lives are under their own control. How quickly we can forget the level of His grace involved in our very existence as we get
absorbed in our day to day activities and personal priorities.
I have been a surprise to myself in a different way, however. Instead of my usual first-thing-in-the-morning prayer time, seeking Him early and eagerly, I have sought the distractions of busy activity and mind-numbing entertainment instead of running to meet Him in my prayer chair. I would have thought it would be the opposite. But I find myself fighting my way to prayer in this time of severe crisis, struggling to bypass old television shows, jigsaw puzzles, baking, cleaning, organizing, and, worst of all, endless weather reports. The Source of every bit of protection, power, and loving care is
patiently waiting to talk with me and give me the reassurance I crave. Why am I sitting on the floor playing with toys, instead?
Proverbs 8:17 says that He will love those who seek Him early and that they will find Him. Chaim Bentorah delves into the Hebrew here and summarizes it as those who seek Him eagerly and as their first priority will discover His Presence, hidden knowledge, and understanding. It's rather like the person who arrives early to dinner and is able to talk privately and informally with the host (or the King, in the case of an ancient parable).
Why wouldn't we desire to put on our sneakers and eagerly run out to meet Him in the dawn of the morning? Even if morning isn't the best time for us to be alone with Him, due to the current season of our lives, do we wish it were? Do we open our eyes declaring our love for Him, whether we must hit the ground running or not? Do we hungrily seek a time that is ours alone, anticipating it and preserving it against the tyranny of the urgent, as my mother used to say? His secret place is waiting, and its shelter is unsurpassed. There the winds quiet and the storm cannot be felt. Shalom waits there. His Name is ADONAI.
*********************
Psalm 91
the Tampa area. I came over early, ironically, to get away from the threat to the east coast. I wanted to be sure, also, to be here for my daughter's baby shower and my son's wedding. Scripture has some interesting comments about man's plans, which I have tried to keep in my heart anytime people ask me about mine for the future. Recently I have commented that 'my cup runneth over,' with happy fall events.
I can still say that, no matter what happens over the course of the weekend, my cup runs over with my Heavenly Father's goodness to me and to my family. He truly is a Good, Good Father.... Knowing His goodness is not dependent on circumstances going my way....although I most certainly pray for the protection of my family and the homes and provision He has provided to us. I am, indeed, praying for His miraculous intervention, something I have seen over and over since I've been in Florida dealing with hurricanes. Meteorologists have repeatedly had no explanation for the way hurricanes have stopped in their tracks or moved in a completely unexpected direction.
Yet how quickly many forget His intervention and begin thinking their lives are under their own control. How quickly we can forget the level of His grace involved in our very existence as we get
absorbed in our day to day activities and personal priorities.
I have been a surprise to myself in a different way, however. Instead of my usual first-thing-in-the-morning prayer time, seeking Him early and eagerly, I have sought the distractions of busy activity and mind-numbing entertainment instead of running to meet Him in my prayer chair. I would have thought it would be the opposite. But I find myself fighting my way to prayer in this time of severe crisis, struggling to bypass old television shows, jigsaw puzzles, baking, cleaning, organizing, and, worst of all, endless weather reports. The Source of every bit of protection, power, and loving care is
patiently waiting to talk with me and give me the reassurance I crave. Why am I sitting on the floor playing with toys, instead?
Proverbs 8:17 says that He will love those who seek Him early and that they will find Him. Chaim Bentorah delves into the Hebrew here and summarizes it as those who seek Him eagerly and as their first priority will discover His Presence, hidden knowledge, and understanding. It's rather like the person who arrives early to dinner and is able to talk privately and informally with the host (or the King, in the case of an ancient parable).
Why wouldn't we desire to put on our sneakers and eagerly run out to meet Him in the dawn of the morning? Even if morning isn't the best time for us to be alone with Him, due to the current season of our lives, do we wish it were? Do we open our eyes declaring our love for Him, whether we must hit the ground running or not? Do we hungrily seek a time that is ours alone, anticipating it and preserving it against the tyranny of the urgent, as my mother used to say? His secret place is waiting, and its shelter is unsurpassed. There the winds quiet and the storm cannot be felt. Shalom waits there. His Name is ADONAI.
*********************
Psalm 91
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Does God have tattoos?
I don't know why I am often amazed at the way God uses phrases, images, and even slang, from our current culture when He speaks to us. Why wouldn't He use our current world and circumstances to illustrate His point? Any good teacher does so. Still, it always takes me by surprise (and usually makes me laugh).
I've been reading two such examples in the oft-referred-to Hebrew Word Study book I continue to relish. I'll select just one for today to keep this post succinct, as I try to do in this blog so you can be assured you will be able to read the post as soon as you see it (and not wait until the later which never comes). 😉
I've always loved Adonai's assurance that our names are written/engraved on His hand once we accept His invitation of adoption. What I didn't know was that many ancient cultures believed that one's 'heart' was centered in the palm. Assyrian mothers often had their sons' names tattooed on their palms when their sons grew up and went into the army, to represent their continued love and care for them and the connection that would always remain. This tattoo on the hand kept their sons close to 'their heart.'
The extended meaning of the word for forget ('I will not forget you') in Isaiah 49, says Chaim, is I will not leave or neglect you. Unfortunately, many with whom I've spoken cannot say that about their earthly parents, some of whom not only neglected them but caused them harm, physically or emotionally.
Whether or not you had parents who loved, cared for, and nurtured you when you were growing up, Your Heavenly Father promises always to do so. Your name is tattooed in His palm through much pain and sacrifice. You are never distant from His mind. In fact, He is aware of Your every move and thought and circumstance. He longs for you to be just as aware of His and of His tender heart towards you.
When my children were small and I had to be away from them, it was like there was a band stretching from my heart to theirs. I could feel the pull, the tug on my heart every moment until I returned to them (or they to me). They were on my heart and mind. It isn't all that much different now that they're grown and live their own lives in God's care away from me. Our Heavenly Father still sees our name written in His palm no matter how old we are....raising our own little ones or dealing with the aches and pains of old age.
Don't every forget how treasured you are, should you never have experienced it from a single other human being or even been betrayed by those who should have loved you the most. You can't even number the tender thoughts of love He has toward you. Love Him back with as much whole-hearted abandonment as you're able, and you will find He is the embodiment of the perfect Parent of which you've always dreamed.
******************************************
Isaiah 49:15-16 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
Psalm 139: 1-18
Adonai, you have probed me, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I stand up,
you discern my inclinations from afar,
3 you scrutinize my daily activities.
You are so familiar with all my ways
4 that before I speak even a word, Adonai,
you know all about it already.
5 You have hemmed me in both behind and in front
and laid your hand on me.
6 Such wonderful knowledge is beyond me,
far too high for me to reach.
I've been reading two such examples in the oft-referred-to Hebrew Word Study book I continue to relish. I'll select just one for today to keep this post succinct, as I try to do in this blog so you can be assured you will be able to read the post as soon as you see it (and not wait until the later which never comes). 😉
I've always loved Adonai's assurance that our names are written/engraved on His hand once we accept His invitation of adoption. What I didn't know was that many ancient cultures believed that one's 'heart' was centered in the palm. Assyrian mothers often had their sons' names tattooed on their palms when their sons grew up and went into the army, to represent their continued love and care for them and the connection that would always remain. This tattoo on the hand kept their sons close to 'their heart.'
The extended meaning of the word for forget ('I will not forget you') in Isaiah 49, says Chaim, is I will not leave or neglect you. Unfortunately, many with whom I've spoken cannot say that about their earthly parents, some of whom not only neglected them but caused them harm, physically or emotionally.
Whether or not you had parents who loved, cared for, and nurtured you when you were growing up, Your Heavenly Father promises always to do so. Your name is tattooed in His palm through much pain and sacrifice. You are never distant from His mind. In fact, He is aware of Your every move and thought and circumstance. He longs for you to be just as aware of His and of His tender heart towards you.
When my children were small and I had to be away from them, it was like there was a band stretching from my heart to theirs. I could feel the pull, the tug on my heart every moment until I returned to them (or they to me). They were on my heart and mind. It isn't all that much different now that they're grown and live their own lives in God's care away from me. Our Heavenly Father still sees our name written in His palm no matter how old we are....raising our own little ones or dealing with the aches and pains of old age.
Don't every forget how treasured you are, should you never have experienced it from a single other human being or even been betrayed by those who should have loved you the most. You can't even number the tender thoughts of love He has toward you. Love Him back with as much whole-hearted abandonment as you're able, and you will find He is the embodiment of the perfect Parent of which you've always dreamed.
******************************************
Isaiah 49:15-16 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
15 Can a woman forget her child at the breast,
not show pity on the child from her womb?
Even if these were to forget,
I would not forget you.
16 I have engraved you on the palms of my hands,
your walls are always before me.”
not show pity on the child from her womb?
Even if these were to forget,
I would not forget you.
16 I have engraved you on the palms of my hands,
your walls are always before me.”
Adonai, you have probed me, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I stand up,
you discern my inclinations from afar,
3 you scrutinize my daily activities.
You are so familiar with all my ways
4 that before I speak even a word, Adonai,
you know all about it already.
5 You have hemmed me in both behind and in front
and laid your hand on me.
6 Such wonderful knowledge is beyond me,
far too high for me to reach.
7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I lie down in Sh’ol, you are there.
9 If I fly away with the wings of the dawn
and land beyond the sea,
10 even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Let darkness surround me,
let the light around me be night,”
12 even darkness like this
is not too dark for you;
rather, night is as clear as day,
darkness and light are the same.
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I lie down in Sh’ol, you are there.
9 If I fly away with the wings of the dawn
and land beyond the sea,
10 even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Let darkness surround me,
let the light around me be night,”
12 even darkness like this
is not too dark for you;
rather, night is as clear as day,
darkness and light are the same.
13 For you fashioned my inmost being,
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I thank you because I am awesomely made,
wonderfully; your works are wonders —
I know this very well.
15 My bones were not hidden from you
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes could see me as an embryo,
but in your book all my days were already written;
my days had been shaped
before any of them existed.
17 God, how I prize your thoughts!
How many of them there are!
18 If I count them, there are more than grains of sand;
if I finish the count, I am still with you.
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I thank you because I am awesomely made,
wonderfully; your works are wonders —
I know this very well.
15 My bones were not hidden from you
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes could see me as an embryo,
but in your book all my days were already written;
my days had been shaped
before any of them existed.
17 God, how I prize your thoughts!
How many of them there are!
18 If I count them, there are more than grains of sand;
if I finish the count, I am still with you.
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Sleepwalking
I remember a day, years ago, when I stood at the window of the middle school in which I taught, communing with the One Who loves me best, before the onslaught of the day.. Certainly not an unusual morning in that respect. What was unusual, however, was that even as I began to carry out my various job responsibilities, I felt like I was walking a couple feet above the ground. It was as if I moved in a dream. His Presence, His reality was still so strong that although I completed all my tasks and even had conversations with people, I was dwelling in a different realm. I don't remember how long it was before I came back to earth, so to speak.
I was reminded of this experience recently. The Lord told me I was 'sleepwalking' in Him, and that this was possible on a regular basis. It was a form of finding and entering His Rest. Often I start out the morning feeling connected to Him, but then, as my day progresses, I get caught up in carrying out my responsibilities and lose touch with Him. I forget He's as near as my breath. I forget to ask Him for wisdom in dealing with an ill-behaved but needy middle schooler or an oblivious teacher. I forget to take His hand and ask Him to help me see behind the outward behavior to the soul inside. I allow anger, frustration, and discouragement to reign over me instead of His Holy Spirit.
Paradoxically, I want to learn how to draw close to people and yet see them from a distance...from above the earth. I want to experience sleepwalking in Him once again. To love unreservedly yet from the place of His rest; where my mind, will, and emotions are not tossed to and fro with every wind of someone else's behavior or the whims of our current culture.
I want to be tucked deep into His heart while withholding nothing which He calls me to offer to others. To enter fully into the life He's given me, yet never let circumstances rule over me and slam me about, as I react to one thing and then spin about to confront the next. I want to walk above, efficacious in my work because I'm always connected to the Source of all fruitfulness.
Chaim describes something similar in a scene of painting with one hand while the other arm is wrapped around the Lord. Yeshua, too, holds a paintbrush in his opposite hand, while holding him with the other. "Let's do this together," He says. Why do I keep forgetting and running off from His embrace?
Help me, Lord, to remain in Your reality and Your Rest while working diligently and with excellence...working not for men but for You. And not only for You but with You and in You. Keep me sleepwalking in Your Presence.
*****************
Colossians 3:23: "And whatever you do, do it heartily and unto the Lord and not unto men..."
*Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God, Study 43
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Wrestling Match
Always intrigued by Jacob's wrestling match with 'the angel,' I was interested in Chaim Bentorah's deeper investigation into the Hebrew terminology for this account*. I had always felt that Jacob was really wrestling with himself over his own character and future. Or, even more so, with God's will for his life over his own.
These wrestling matches do, indeed, leave you scarred. But so did Jesus' Gethsemane battle. And His was cosmic, its outcome affecting all of us now and for eternity. Ours, too, obviously on a much smaller scale, can affect the lives of many, including our own family. Decades ago I faced my own individual whirlwind with deep implications for my family's very existence, not to mention the impact on future relationships of all kinds. At the time, I knew I was in the midst of a huge personal decision about which way my life would go, but I had no idea how far-reaching its implications.
Beth Moore challenges us to see battle scars of various kinds as marks of our love for God, rather as objects of self-pity in which we wallow. Even now, as we wrestle on a day-to-day basis with our Lord's command to forgive, or with letting go of offenses, or with choosing His will over our own in any form, the scars of these wrestling matches, whether small skirmishes or all-out war, are invisible signs of our deep love and commitment to Him and His ways. They may be invisible to others, but they are not to Him. He touches their puckered skin with tender awareness of what it took for us to choose life, which is ultimately what we're doing when we choose His will over our own.
That's what Jesus did, and the life he wrought for us is beyond reckoning. In the smallest corners of our world, let's pray for God's grace to be like Him....
****************************
Genesis 32
1 Thessalonians 1:5-7
Hebrews 6:11-13
*Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God; Study 22
These wrestling matches do, indeed, leave you scarred. But so did Jesus' Gethsemane battle. And His was cosmic, its outcome affecting all of us now and for eternity. Ours, too, obviously on a much smaller scale, can affect the lives of many, including our own family. Decades ago I faced my own individual whirlwind with deep implications for my family's very existence, not to mention the impact on future relationships of all kinds. At the time, I knew I was in the midst of a huge personal decision about which way my life would go, but I had no idea how far-reaching its implications.
Beth Moore challenges us to see battle scars of various kinds as marks of our love for God, rather as objects of self-pity in which we wallow. Even now, as we wrestle on a day-to-day basis with our Lord's command to forgive, or with letting go of offenses, or with choosing His will over our own in any form, the scars of these wrestling matches, whether small skirmishes or all-out war, are invisible signs of our deep love and commitment to Him and His ways. They may be invisible to others, but they are not to Him. He touches their puckered skin with tender awareness of what it took for us to choose life, which is ultimately what we're doing when we choose His will over our own.
That's what Jesus did, and the life he wrought for us is beyond reckoning. In the smallest corners of our world, let's pray for God's grace to be like Him....
****************************
Genesis 32
1 Thessalonians 1:5-7
Hebrews 6:11-13
*Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God; Study 22
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Come As Far as You Can
Do you ever feel full of unrest? You're not even sure why, but you cannot find a place of peace. A psychologist once diagnosed my mom with 'free-floating anxiety,' the kind not related to any particular concern or worry. Sometimes I struggle with that, the nameless face of anxiousness.
I know sometimes it is related to moving from one location, situation, time zone/period, or season of life to another. However, that is not always so. There are times when my usual comfort in the presence of God eludes me for no apparent reason. I know He has not moved away; it is I who have somehow unintentionally distanced myself from Him. I have allowed something or someone to build a wall. That instant closeness in my prayer time seems to have evaporated, and I wonder where I took a wrong turn. I find myself pursuing every distraction, to avoid actually sitting down and seeking His Word and His face. Yet I know from experience that that is exactly where deep peace and rest will be found. How ironic.
Chaim Bentorah, in delving into the Hebrew word Yadiyad, translated Beloved, explains that the double yad presents the image of 'hand in hand.' In fact, he says, "many ancients believed the heart was in the palm of the right hand, so when people joined their right hands together, it was a symbol of sharing each other's hearts." He also tells a story from the Talmud "about a king who had a disagreement with his son. As a result of this falling out, the son left home to live in another kingdom. After some time, the father sent a messenger to his son, asking him to come home. The son replied, 'It is too far for me to come.' So the father sent a messenger back with this response: 'Then come as far as you can, and I will meet you.' "*
Sometimes it's not a matter of a deliberate departure related to a disagreement, but rather a case of taking a walk, with your mind occupied elsewhere, not paying attention to where you are going.. You turn around, looking for the way home, and see you have wandered quite far away. You can barely see the castle in the distance, and your father's face is a little hazy in your mind. You can't summon the strength or the means to make it home. Just remember, you are your Father's Yadidah, His Beloved. Come as far as you can towards Him, and He will come to meet you. His heart's desire is to walk hand in hand (heart to heart) with you. He will grip your small hand with His strong one and lead you home.
******************************************************
*Chaim Bentorah: Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God
I know sometimes it is related to moving from one location, situation, time zone/period, or season of life to another. However, that is not always so. There are times when my usual comfort in the presence of God eludes me for no apparent reason. I know He has not moved away; it is I who have somehow unintentionally distanced myself from Him. I have allowed something or someone to build a wall. That instant closeness in my prayer time seems to have evaporated, and I wonder where I took a wrong turn. I find myself pursuing every distraction, to avoid actually sitting down and seeking His Word and His face. Yet I know from experience that that is exactly where deep peace and rest will be found. How ironic.
Chaim Bentorah, in delving into the Hebrew word Yadiyad, translated Beloved, explains that the double yad presents the image of 'hand in hand.' In fact, he says, "many ancients believed the heart was in the palm of the right hand, so when people joined their right hands together, it was a symbol of sharing each other's hearts." He also tells a story from the Talmud "about a king who had a disagreement with his son. As a result of this falling out, the son left home to live in another kingdom. After some time, the father sent a messenger to his son, asking him to come home. The son replied, 'It is too far for me to come.' So the father sent a messenger back with this response: 'Then come as far as you can, and I will meet you.' "*
Sometimes it's not a matter of a deliberate departure related to a disagreement, but rather a case of taking a walk, with your mind occupied elsewhere, not paying attention to where you are going.. You turn around, looking for the way home, and see you have wandered quite far away. You can barely see the castle in the distance, and your father's face is a little hazy in your mind. You can't summon the strength or the means to make it home. Just remember, you are your Father's Yadidah, His Beloved. Come as far as you can towards Him, and He will come to meet you. His heart's desire is to walk hand in hand (heart to heart) with you. He will grip your small hand with His strong one and lead you home.
******************************************************
*Chaim Bentorah: Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God
Friday, July 21, 2017
Eleventh Hour
Remember in 1 Kings 17, where the widow and her son are starving, with only a tiny amount of grain left with which to make a final bit of bread, and Elijah asks her for food? She says she is just about to take two sticks, make their last meal, and die? I've always assumed she was building a fire with the sticks to bake the bread. But how could you make a fire with two sticks?
Chaim Bentorah, delving deeper into the wording of the Scripture, explains that in the northern kingdom, where they couldn't worship at the temple, they took two sticks, tied a cloth between them, and placed shewbread inside. The husband and wife (or in this case the mother and son, since the father had died) would each hold one stick and together present the bread before God, similar to what the priests would do with the shewbread in the temple. It was an offering of thanksgiving and worship.
This woman was offering to God all she had left and asking Him for provision, since without food, she and her son (like many others in this famine-stricken land) would surely die. Chaim says that the word translated die could better be translated 'receive' to not die. She hadn't even had the chance to carry out her plan, before God sent Elijah in answer to her prayer. He always knows what's in our hearts, doesn't He? But why would He wait until the 'eleventh hour' to send her help? Has that been the case for you, sometimes? Do you ever feel as if you're left hanging with a prayer on your lips and nothing but the breeze around you in answer?
Chaim comments on this: "Sometimes it seems that God waits until the eleventh hour--until you've exhausted all your resources, trying everything you could in the natural. And then one day, when your furniture has been loaded onto the truck to be repossessed, God says to the truck driver, 'Okay, you can put it back.' I mean, that's hard on your heart. But I will tell you one thing: you will know it was God who delivered you and not your own cleverness. " *
Then there are those times when you watch the truck drive away, saying "God, what just happened? Why didn't you deliver us?" And He says, "Ah, the story isn't over....Stay tuned. Sometimes he wants us to learn from Him how better to steward the resources with which He's blessed us. Sometimes He wants to rebuild our lives from the bottom up. Sometimes He wants to provide us with something better than we lost.
No matter what, He says, "Keep on trusting Me, despite what you see in front of your eyes. There's always more. More to be learned. More wisdom to be gained. More to be given. More fruit to be brought forth. I Am the Restorer, the Rebuilder, the Resurrector.
Whether He saves us in the morning, at noon, at the eleventh hour, in the middle of the night, or in the unseen future, He promises to never leave or forsake us. Take joy in that promise born of His love for you.
*Chaim Bentorah, Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God, p. 135
Chaim Bentorah, delving deeper into the wording of the Scripture, explains that in the northern kingdom, where they couldn't worship at the temple, they took two sticks, tied a cloth between them, and placed shewbread inside. The husband and wife (or in this case the mother and son, since the father had died) would each hold one stick and together present the bread before God, similar to what the priests would do with the shewbread in the temple. It was an offering of thanksgiving and worship.
This woman was offering to God all she had left and asking Him for provision, since without food, she and her son (like many others in this famine-stricken land) would surely die. Chaim says that the word translated die could better be translated 'receive' to not die. She hadn't even had the chance to carry out her plan, before God sent Elijah in answer to her prayer. He always knows what's in our hearts, doesn't He? But why would He wait until the 'eleventh hour' to send her help? Has that been the case for you, sometimes? Do you ever feel as if you're left hanging with a prayer on your lips and nothing but the breeze around you in answer?
Chaim comments on this: "Sometimes it seems that God waits until the eleventh hour--until you've exhausted all your resources, trying everything you could in the natural. And then one day, when your furniture has been loaded onto the truck to be repossessed, God says to the truck driver, 'Okay, you can put it back.' I mean, that's hard on your heart. But I will tell you one thing: you will know it was God who delivered you and not your own cleverness. " *
Then there are those times when you watch the truck drive away, saying "God, what just happened? Why didn't you deliver us?" And He says, "Ah, the story isn't over....Stay tuned. Sometimes he wants us to learn from Him how better to steward the resources with which He's blessed us. Sometimes He wants to rebuild our lives from the bottom up. Sometimes He wants to provide us with something better than we lost.
No matter what, He says, "Keep on trusting Me, despite what you see in front of your eyes. There's always more. More to be learned. More wisdom to be gained. More to be given. More fruit to be brought forth. I Am the Restorer, the Rebuilder, the Resurrector.
Whether He saves us in the morning, at noon, at the eleventh hour, in the middle of the night, or in the unseen future, He promises to never leave or forsake us. Take joy in that promise born of His love for you.
*Chaim Bentorah, Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God, p. 135
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Night Hours
I drape myself over the railing, basking in the combination of warm and cool which feather my skin. I am like the pansies currently thriving in baskets here on my deck. 'They do not toil or spin,' but their Creator takes tender care of them, as He does me.
In the night hours, worries and anxieties sometimes assail me, and that neverland between sleep and consciousness leaves me vulnerable to concerns which seem relatively insignificant in the day. I wish that I could turn a switch off as I say 'goodnight' to my mind and sleep the slumber of the lilies of the field. I know the Father desires it, just as I always want my own children to sleep in peace, safety, and contentment.
Knowing Scriptures by heart helps stem the tide of worries that can wash over my mind in waves. But my thoughts will often slip into the watery depths, taken by other currents or stuck in eddies which go round and round. I have to swim against the mental tide to return to the peace of His Word once again.
I know this happens to others, too, because they have shared similar experiences with me. How blessed we are to know that we are never alone in the night or the day. How my heart breaks for those who don't yet know the Author of Peace, the One Who says He will never leave or forsake us and that no one can snatch us from His hand, once we have chosen to entrust our lives to Him.
Sleep in peace, dear friends. May you rest in His love both in the day and in the wee night hours.
*************
"I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
--Psalm 4:9
In the night hours, worries and anxieties sometimes assail me, and that neverland between sleep and consciousness leaves me vulnerable to concerns which seem relatively insignificant in the day. I wish that I could turn a switch off as I say 'goodnight' to my mind and sleep the slumber of the lilies of the field. I know the Father desires it, just as I always want my own children to sleep in peace, safety, and contentment.
Knowing Scriptures by heart helps stem the tide of worries that can wash over my mind in waves. But my thoughts will often slip into the watery depths, taken by other currents or stuck in eddies which go round and round. I have to swim against the mental tide to return to the peace of His Word once again.
I know this happens to others, too, because they have shared similar experiences with me. How blessed we are to know that we are never alone in the night or the day. How my heart breaks for those who don't yet know the Author of Peace, the One Who says He will never leave or forsake us and that no one can snatch us from His hand, once we have chosen to entrust our lives to Him.
Sleep in peace, dear friends. May you rest in His love both in the day and in the wee night hours.
*************
"I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
--Psalm 4:9
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Two Dogs
Not long after I wrote the last post, Heart and Soul, I read Chaim's retelling of the story of a Native American who became a Christian and was then asked what it was like. "He answered, 'It is like having two dogs inside of me fighting, one good and one evil.' When asked which one would win, the old man said, 'Whichever I feed the most.'
Just like Elijah [in his fear of Jezebel] and that old Native American man, we have two 'dogs' fighting inside of us--a dog of fear and a dog of faith. For awhile, we let the 'arm of flesh' feed us and take care of us. But when that arm of flesh fails us, and we must turn to God to feed us, our faith falters because for too long we have been feeding the the dog of fear rather than the dog of faith."*
I believe the same analogy applies in another sense. Are we feeding, within us and others, the dog of today's culture, gradually becoming accustomed to its values and using the terminologies that reflect them? Do we talk about "karma," which is absolutely antithetical to the heart of Christianity? Do we refer to how 'lucky' we were in a particular situation? Do we tell someone for whom we should be praying that we will 'think positive thoughts' of them (which will provide them no help whatsoever)? Do we say we'll 'cross our fingers' or 'knock on wood' (a practice which dates back to idolatry of Gaia, whom many New Agers still believe dwells within the trees)? Do we place our hope in lotteries and other forms of gambling, rather than entrusting our provision to God? Have we become so accustomed to sexual immorality that we just accept it as part of our TV and movie entertainment? Do we listen to secular music (new or old) containing crude, foul, or even idolatrous lyrics because we like 'the beat' or enjoy the nostalgia of remembering the time from which they came?
If so, our frogish souls are in very hot water, and we don't even realize the temperature is increasing. (Sorry for the abrupt change in species.) If we are adapting to our culture, rather than influencing it toward God's Truth, then we are definitely feeding the wrong dog, who will eventually consume us from the inside out.
I say this to myself, as well, as I wrestle daily with how I will spend my time. I enjoy a good mystery, trying to figure out 'who done it,' like my mother before me. In her time, however, they would usually only intimate or imply a death, by showing just the feet on the floor, and then spend the show trying to solve the puzzle of the perpetrator. How much sexual immorality, violence, and perversion have I become accustomed to by watching today's mystery stories? How have I gradually become inured to them? Am I listening to the voice of God who reminds me where the power button is on my remote?
Let us not rationalize any more how often we feed the wrong dog, but rather ask God, Who understands every temptation we face, to help us withstand them. Let's ask His help in remaining sensitive to the direction of His Holy Spirit...in shaping our thoughts, in discerning His Truth, and in determining, day by day, what types of entertainment are acceptable to Him. Which things has He given us to enjoy and which are like eating from that other tree in the garden, which He forbids us to eat because He knows it will destroy us?
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1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
*Chaim Bentorah, Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God; p. 81-82
Just like Elijah [in his fear of Jezebel] and that old Native American man, we have two 'dogs' fighting inside of us--a dog of fear and a dog of faith. For awhile, we let the 'arm of flesh' feed us and take care of us. But when that arm of flesh fails us, and we must turn to God to feed us, our faith falters because for too long we have been feeding the the dog of fear rather than the dog of faith."*
I believe the same analogy applies in another sense. Are we feeding, within us and others, the dog of today's culture, gradually becoming accustomed to its values and using the terminologies that reflect them? Do we talk about "karma," which is absolutely antithetical to the heart of Christianity? Do we refer to how 'lucky' we were in a particular situation? Do we tell someone for whom we should be praying that we will 'think positive thoughts' of them (which will provide them no help whatsoever)? Do we say we'll 'cross our fingers' or 'knock on wood' (a practice which dates back to idolatry of Gaia, whom many New Agers still believe dwells within the trees)? Do we place our hope in lotteries and other forms of gambling, rather than entrusting our provision to God? Have we become so accustomed to sexual immorality that we just accept it as part of our TV and movie entertainment? Do we listen to secular music (new or old) containing crude, foul, or even idolatrous lyrics because we like 'the beat' or enjoy the nostalgia of remembering the time from which they came?
If so, our frogish souls are in very hot water, and we don't even realize the temperature is increasing. (Sorry for the abrupt change in species.) If we are adapting to our culture, rather than influencing it toward God's Truth, then we are definitely feeding the wrong dog, who will eventually consume us from the inside out.
I say this to myself, as well, as I wrestle daily with how I will spend my time. I enjoy a good mystery, trying to figure out 'who done it,' like my mother before me. In her time, however, they would usually only intimate or imply a death, by showing just the feet on the floor, and then spend the show trying to solve the puzzle of the perpetrator. How much sexual immorality, violence, and perversion have I become accustomed to by watching today's mystery stories? How have I gradually become inured to them? Am I listening to the voice of God who reminds me where the power button is on my remote?
Let us not rationalize any more how often we feed the wrong dog, but rather ask God, Who understands every temptation we face, to help us withstand them. Let's ask His help in remaining sensitive to the direction of His Holy Spirit...in shaping our thoughts, in discerning His Truth, and in determining, day by day, what types of entertainment are acceptable to Him. Which things has He given us to enjoy and which are like eating from that other tree in the garden, which He forbids us to eat because He knows it will destroy us?
****************************************
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Genesis 3:1-6:
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
**************************************************Chaim Bentorah, Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God; p. 81-82
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Heart and Soul
Remember that song Heart and Soul we played on the piano (at least with one finger) even when we really didn't know how to play (in addition to Chopsticks, that is)? Bum bum bum, budumbudumbudum... Hmmm, wish I could hum it for you.
"Jesus said unto him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind....' ". (Matthew 22:37).
"By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth..." (Song of Solomon 3:1)
So what's the difference between loving with your whole heart and loving with your soul? The soul, though difficult to define, is by many considered to consist of our mind, will, and emotions. The western world refers to the heart as the center of one's being, but the Hebrews refer to one's 'gut' or intestinal area as the center. We sometimes talk about 'a gut reaction.' Or, we might say,"What do you feel about this decision 'in your gut?'
Now, my heart might say and feel, 'I love You, Lord!' However, my 'gut' might be afraid to stand up for Him against persecution. My heart might say, 'You're the most important thing in the world to me,' but my soul might say, 'Let's spend the evening watching mindless, or even immoral television..' My heart might humbly say, 'You're the source of every good thing in my life,' but my soul might say, 'How much success and notoriety can I achieve from pursuing this venture?'
So the more I think about the delineation Jesus made between what has been translated 'heart' and 'soul,' the more I begin to get a glimmer of the difference. My willful soul wants to do what it wants to do. It fears the opinion of man, is selfish in how it wants to spend its time, can be prideful and critical of others, and is easily hurt and offended. I think it's time to spend some time in Galatians (and, more importantly, with Him), if I want to love the Lord God with all my soul. I want my soul transformed and directed by His Holy Spirit. I don't want to give Him my heart one minute and then pursue my own willful way the next, finding rationalizations to excuse myself for it.
There's an older praise song many of us sing: "I Give You My Heart...I Give You my soul...I live for You alone...have Your way in me..." I sing it with gusto, and I want it to be so. But while I'm singing it, if I'm honest with myself, I'm aware that it's not really true. He reads and knows me, however (the good, the bad, and the ugly). He knows my soul is still 'under construction.' There is no condemnation from Him, only from the Enemy of my soul. Yet I want to please Him, to make Him happy, to be soul clay, soft enough to mold into a beautiful work of art, no matter how wrinkled the body in which my soul resides. Let it be so, Lover of my soul. Let it be so.
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Galatians 1: 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Galatians 5:17-26
17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit,you are not under the law.
"Jesus said unto him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind....' ". (Matthew 22:37).
"By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth..." (Song of Solomon 3:1)
So what's the difference between loving with your whole heart and loving with your soul? The soul, though difficult to define, is by many considered to consist of our mind, will, and emotions. The western world refers to the heart as the center of one's being, but the Hebrews refer to one's 'gut' or intestinal area as the center. We sometimes talk about 'a gut reaction.' Or, we might say,"What do you feel about this decision 'in your gut?'
Now, my heart might say and feel, 'I love You, Lord!' However, my 'gut' might be afraid to stand up for Him against persecution. My heart might say, 'You're the most important thing in the world to me,' but my soul might say, 'Let's spend the evening watching mindless, or even immoral television..' My heart might humbly say, 'You're the source of every good thing in my life,' but my soul might say, 'How much success and notoriety can I achieve from pursuing this venture?'
So the more I think about the delineation Jesus made between what has been translated 'heart' and 'soul,' the more I begin to get a glimmer of the difference. My willful soul wants to do what it wants to do. It fears the opinion of man, is selfish in how it wants to spend its time, can be prideful and critical of others, and is easily hurt and offended. I think it's time to spend some time in Galatians (and, more importantly, with Him), if I want to love the Lord God with all my soul. I want my soul transformed and directed by His Holy Spirit. I don't want to give Him my heart one minute and then pursue my own willful way the next, finding rationalizations to excuse myself for it.
There's an older praise song many of us sing: "I Give You My Heart...I Give You my soul...I live for You alone...have Your way in me..." I sing it with gusto, and I want it to be so. But while I'm singing it, if I'm honest with myself, I'm aware that it's not really true. He reads and knows me, however (the good, the bad, and the ugly). He knows my soul is still 'under construction.' There is no condemnation from Him, only from the Enemy of my soul. Yet I want to please Him, to make Him happy, to be soul clay, soft enough to mold into a beautiful work of art, no matter how wrinkled the body in which my soul resides. Let it be so, Lover of my soul. Let it be so.
**************************************************
Galatians 1: 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Galatians 5:17-26
17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit,you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited,provoking and envying each other.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Want to Go Swimming?
Friends have sometimes asked me 'where I go' when I'm worshiping God. They can tell I'm 'not really there' anymore. It's why I have difficulty worshiping with my eyes open. It's so much easier for me to connect with ADONAI that way. I know fellow worshipers who close their eyes and stop singing during the musical part of worship so they can just get lost in God's presence. Trying to sing sometimes actually distracts them.
Since I was small, God has given me the gift of remembering both music and lyrics (unfortunately I also remember nearly all the commercial jingles, too). So I usually don't have to stop singing when I close my eyes. It's a blessing to be able to leave earth (or at least stand on my tiptoes) during this time.
Lately my mission in churches has been to give people an opportunity to be silent in the midst of quiet music that fosters intimacy with God. To be drawn to and into His Presence. There are usually very few, if any, moments like this in most church services. Personally, I would rather spend the majority of my time there, alongside other worshipers in the Body, yet communing very personally with the One Who loves me--and all of us--best. God 'dwells in the praises of His people,' so worshiping corporately in this way offers us a much more powerful experience of His Person than even our daily, private devotional time usually provides.
Chaim Bentorah, in his analysis of the word for worship in Hebrew--shachah--says that though it is appropriately translated 'to bow down,' if you look at the Hebrew letters which comprise it, you discover that it includes something rather like 'swimming' in God. "Any time God has your full attention, He can surround you with His Presence and love, just as water surrounds you when you are swimming." If you add the last component letter, you add the 'breath of God'. "Hence, worship is any act that joins man with God into a completeness surrounded by the presence of the Spirit of God." This is also why, Scripture says, God is jealous for us. He does not want anyone or anything else to supplant Him in this intimate worship relationship, one of dedicated and all-encompassing Racham**.
I like the idea of swimming. Not the strenuous kind, in which I have to to struggle. But rather the floating kind. Or doing the backstroke, looking up at the clouds, which are also swimming in that deep blue sky above me. Where my peripheral vision can no longer see the land. Or diving underwater and jetting through beneath the surface, exhilarated by the rush of water flowing past me.
Parents teach their children to swim in different ways. I'm thankful mine didn't just dump me in, using the sink or swim method. In fact, my dad was sometimes a lifeguard between academic school years. He taught me to float by holding me up with his hand underneath my back, until I was able to float on my own. Hmmmm... interesting thought, when I consider friends' concerns that they don't know how to swim (in worship, that is). I realize now that abandoning myself to Him without fear, trusting that His hand was underneath my back, was how I learned.
*Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God
**See post entitled Ravished
Since I was small, God has given me the gift of remembering both music and lyrics (unfortunately I also remember nearly all the commercial jingles, too). So I usually don't have to stop singing when I close my eyes. It's a blessing to be able to leave earth (or at least stand on my tiptoes) during this time.
Lately my mission in churches has been to give people an opportunity to be silent in the midst of quiet music that fosters intimacy with God. To be drawn to and into His Presence. There are usually very few, if any, moments like this in most church services. Personally, I would rather spend the majority of my time there, alongside other worshipers in the Body, yet communing very personally with the One Who loves me--and all of us--best. God 'dwells in the praises of His people,' so worshiping corporately in this way offers us a much more powerful experience of His Person than even our daily, private devotional time usually provides.
Chaim Bentorah, in his analysis of the word for worship in Hebrew--shachah--says that though it is appropriately translated 'to bow down,' if you look at the Hebrew letters which comprise it, you discover that it includes something rather like 'swimming' in God. "Any time God has your full attention, He can surround you with His Presence and love, just as water surrounds you when you are swimming." If you add the last component letter, you add the 'breath of God'. "Hence, worship is any act that joins man with God into a completeness surrounded by the presence of the Spirit of God." This is also why, Scripture says, God is jealous for us. He does not want anyone or anything else to supplant Him in this intimate worship relationship, one of dedicated and all-encompassing Racham**.
I like the idea of swimming. Not the strenuous kind, in which I have to to struggle. But rather the floating kind. Or doing the backstroke, looking up at the clouds, which are also swimming in that deep blue sky above me. Where my peripheral vision can no longer see the land. Or diving underwater and jetting through beneath the surface, exhilarated by the rush of water flowing past me.
Parents teach their children to swim in different ways. I'm thankful mine didn't just dump me in, using the sink or swim method. In fact, my dad was sometimes a lifeguard between academic school years. He taught me to float by holding me up with his hand underneath my back, until I was able to float on my own. Hmmmm... interesting thought, when I consider friends' concerns that they don't know how to swim (in worship, that is). I realize now that abandoning myself to Him without fear, trusting that His hand was underneath my back, was how I learned.
*Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God
**See post entitled Ravished
Monday, June 26, 2017
So much more...
Recently, I asked a neighbor in Florida how things were going for him. He answered that everything was good, or 'as good,' he guessed, 'as it probably ever gets'. I can't remember his exact wording, but behind his answer I sensed a wistfulness, a heart hunger that there must be something more. I wish now I had let him know I'd be happy to talk with him about what more there is....so much more. Or, rather, Who there is Who is the source of much more.
Years ago, Catherine Marshall, wife of the famous Scottish minister, Peter Marshall, wrote a book with just that title: Something More. In the years since I first read that book, I have discovered that there's even more than she described. [Another day, another post.]
I remember having my neighbor's exact thought decades ago when I was about twenty. Everything was going well from the world's perspective: I was excelling in college, I had scholarships and a good work study position, I had a boyfriend whom I thought I would one day marry (silly me). Yet I remember standing outside in the parking lot, staring up at the trees and sky around me and saying to myself, There must be something more. Why do I feel as if there's an unfulfilled longing in my heart that can't seem to be satisfied? What else is there? I didn't even know what else to wish for. And wish is what it would have been, because I didn't yet know the Giver of every good and perfect gift...or at least I had forgotten all about Him.
As a young child I carried this hunger within me. I used to visit the small chapel (always open) beneath the large church we attended. There in the quiet I sensed His Presence. I can't say I heard His 'still, small voice,' per se. But I knew it was God Who was there with me, and I longed for Him. I just didn't know Him personally, didn't know Him as my Heavenly Father. I loved the Shepherd in the stained glass windows in the church above me, the one who held the children in His lap. But I didn't really know Him. I had no idea who the Holy Spirit was, the one they called the Holy Ghost in those days, but never really explained or talked about. I loved the Psalms, the beautiful poetry of them, and without even trying, learned many by heart. They filled me with joy. O come, let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is the Lord our God and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand....O that today you would hearken to His voice...
If only I had been close to Him during my teen and college years, the way my children were. I might not have wandered so far away. I remember even then looking up to the sky, looking for more, for deeper things. But though I didn't know Him, He knew me. He whispered to me in that parking lot years later: Something more....Yes. Something more. And after much heartbreak (which He knew was coming and which he used for good in my life to draw me to Him): Come home. Come home to Me. My arms are wide open. I am more than you even know to ask for or imagine.
I wanted to tell my neighbor, "Something more. Oh yes. So much more." But I just stood there and let the kairos moment pass me by. After he left, words began to form in my mind. And then I thought, "Rats, I missed it. The perfect opening!" I pray I get another opportunity and that the Lord fills my mouth with just the right words to tell him there is so very much more.
****************************************************
Years ago, Catherine Marshall, wife of the famous Scottish minister, Peter Marshall, wrote a book with just that title: Something More. In the years since I first read that book, I have discovered that there's even more than she described. [Another day, another post.]
I remember having my neighbor's exact thought decades ago when I was about twenty. Everything was going well from the world's perspective: I was excelling in college, I had scholarships and a good work study position, I had a boyfriend whom I thought I would one day marry (silly me). Yet I remember standing outside in the parking lot, staring up at the trees and sky around me and saying to myself, There must be something more. Why do I feel as if there's an unfulfilled longing in my heart that can't seem to be satisfied? What else is there? I didn't even know what else to wish for. And wish is what it would have been, because I didn't yet know the Giver of every good and perfect gift...or at least I had forgotten all about Him.
As a young child I carried this hunger within me. I used to visit the small chapel (always open) beneath the large church we attended. There in the quiet I sensed His Presence. I can't say I heard His 'still, small voice,' per se. But I knew it was God Who was there with me, and I longed for Him. I just didn't know Him personally, didn't know Him as my Heavenly Father. I loved the Shepherd in the stained glass windows in the church above me, the one who held the children in His lap. But I didn't really know Him. I had no idea who the Holy Spirit was, the one they called the Holy Ghost in those days, but never really explained or talked about. I loved the Psalms, the beautiful poetry of them, and without even trying, learned many by heart. They filled me with joy. O come, let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is the Lord our God and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand....O that today you would hearken to His voice...
If only I had been close to Him during my teen and college years, the way my children were. I might not have wandered so far away. I remember even then looking up to the sky, looking for more, for deeper things. But though I didn't know Him, He knew me. He whispered to me in that parking lot years later: Something more....Yes. Something more. And after much heartbreak (which He knew was coming and which he used for good in my life to draw me to Him): Come home. Come home to Me. My arms are wide open. I am more than you even know to ask for or imagine.
I wanted to tell my neighbor, "Something more. Oh yes. So much more." But I just stood there and let the kairos moment pass me by. After he left, words began to form in my mind. And then I thought, "Rats, I missed it. The perfect opening!" I pray I get another opportunity and that the Lord fills my mouth with just the right words to tell him there is so very much more.
****************************************************
15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
--1 Peter 3:15
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
What Love is this?
I know my small band of faithful readers are bright and inquisitive and hungry for more of God, so I am choosing to spend some 'setup' time in Greek and Hebrew, trusting you won't be bored.
Most of us are familiar with the three Greek words translated into English as love: Agape (unconditional love), Phileo (brotherly love/friendship); and Eros (romantic love between a man and a woman, from which we get the word erotic). However, Chaim Bentorah, in his chapter on love (Study 4), tells us that there are four words in Hebrew, and they are not necessarily parallel: 'ahav (love); racham (usually translated tender mercies); dodi (beloved, as in spousal love); and ra'ah (brotherly love or friendship).
Moving between the Greek and the Hebrew can be a challenge, he says, because while most translators use agape for 'ahav; ra'ah for phileo, and dodi for eros, ra'ah has many other meanings, including shepherd and consuming passion, as well as evil (having a consuming passion for something other than God).
When you mix in the Aramaic, which Jesus and his early disciples are believed to have spoken most of the time, there is the word chav, which is most often translated 'ahav in the Hebrew, or agape in the Greek. Interestingly enough there is also an Aramaic word, racham, which is identical to the Hebrew word racham.. And now you will find me finally getting to the point, the buried treasure in this particular study.
Sometimes we really believe, in our heart of hearts, that God loves some people more than others. In fact, in John's gospel, he repeatedly refers to himself as 'the disciple whom Jesus loved.' This often makes us laugh a little to ourselves, doesn't it? According to our Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaicscholar, however, a better translation would literally be 'the disciple whom Jesus loved following' And thus expressed in English it would be: 'the disciple whom Jesus loved who followed Him.'
I hope you will end up purchasing your own copy of this book (and also see other recent posts) to read for yourself his short but powerful explanation. Summarizing, however: the term racham implies a response from the one who is loved. It is 'a completed love.' To love and be loved in return. Adonai loves us with agape or 'ahav. He loves us whether we respond to that love or not. Whether we acknowledge Him or not. Whether we appreciate His loving-kindness or not. Whether we even recognize His existence. But ah, when we love Him back...when we gratefully return His love. When we are not only His Beloved, but He is ours. When we love Him no matter what comes, whether we always understand His ways or not (agape/'ahav). When we consider Him our Best Friend and Brother (Phileo/ra'ah). When we love Him passionately in return (eros/dodi). Then there is racham.
"It is not that God loves one person more than another. He loves all equally. It is just that few people will love Him in return and complete His love, bring Him the joy of His love, awaken Him in that love, and cause Him to sing with joy in that love*. In my exploration of God's heart, I believe the most defining element I have discovered is not only a passion in God's heart to love, chav, but also a longing to be loved in return, racham. You and I--humble, little frail human beings--have the ability to bring joy to the heart of the God of the universe simply by saying to Him, wholeheartedly, 'I love you.....Do you want to bring to the all-mighty, all-powerful God a feeling of joy and make His day? Tell Him you love Him."***
***Chaim Bentorah; Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God; p. 39
*[Zephaniah 3:17b:
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Most of us are familiar with the three Greek words translated into English as love: Agape (unconditional love), Phileo (brotherly love/friendship); and Eros (romantic love between a man and a woman, from which we get the word erotic). However, Chaim Bentorah, in his chapter on love (Study 4), tells us that there are four words in Hebrew, and they are not necessarily parallel: 'ahav (love); racham (usually translated tender mercies); dodi (beloved, as in spousal love); and ra'ah (brotherly love or friendship).
Moving between the Greek and the Hebrew can be a challenge, he says, because while most translators use agape for 'ahav; ra'ah for phileo, and dodi for eros, ra'ah has many other meanings, including shepherd and consuming passion, as well as evil (having a consuming passion for something other than God).
When you mix in the Aramaic, which Jesus and his early disciples are believed to have spoken most of the time, there is the word chav, which is most often translated 'ahav in the Hebrew, or agape in the Greek. Interestingly enough there is also an Aramaic word, racham, which is identical to the Hebrew word racham.. And now you will find me finally getting to the point, the buried treasure in this particular study.
Sometimes we really believe, in our heart of hearts, that God loves some people more than others. In fact, in John's gospel, he repeatedly refers to himself as 'the disciple whom Jesus loved.' This often makes us laugh a little to ourselves, doesn't it? According to our Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaicscholar, however, a better translation would literally be 'the disciple whom Jesus loved following' And thus expressed in English it would be: 'the disciple whom Jesus loved who followed Him.'
I hope you will end up purchasing your own copy of this book (and also see other recent posts) to read for yourself his short but powerful explanation. Summarizing, however: the term racham implies a response from the one who is loved. It is 'a completed love.' To love and be loved in return. Adonai loves us with agape or 'ahav. He loves us whether we respond to that love or not. Whether we acknowledge Him or not. Whether we appreciate His loving-kindness or not. Whether we even recognize His existence. But ah, when we love Him back...when we gratefully return His love. When we are not only His Beloved, but He is ours. When we love Him no matter what comes, whether we always understand His ways or not (agape/'ahav). When we consider Him our Best Friend and Brother (Phileo/ra'ah). When we love Him passionately in return (eros/dodi). Then there is racham.
"It is not that God loves one person more than another. He loves all equally. It is just that few people will love Him in return and complete His love, bring Him the joy of His love, awaken Him in that love, and cause Him to sing with joy in that love*. In my exploration of God's heart, I believe the most defining element I have discovered is not only a passion in God's heart to love, chav, but also a longing to be loved in return, racham. You and I--humble, little frail human beings--have the ability to bring joy to the heart of the God of the universe simply by saying to Him, wholeheartedly, 'I love you.....Do you want to bring to the all-mighty, all-powerful God a feeling of joy and make His day? Tell Him you love Him."***
***Chaim Bentorah; Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God; p. 39
*[Zephaniah 3:17b:
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
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