All cry out to us

   If you haven't read my Hillside Chorus post (6/6),  go back and read that first, because this is an addendum.  God is always providing addendums, isn't He...our whole life long? I've already gone back and added another Scripture since the initial post.
   Now I've been introduced, thanks to my sister Anne, to Chaim Bentorak, a Messianic Hebrew scholar, who attempts to open God's heart to us by delving into the expanded meanings of the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Sandwiched between the preface and the first chapter is a short poem which I found quite timely after my Hillside Chorus post:

Never take anything of God's Creation for granted:
From the highest mountain or the mightiest storm
To the smallest ant or even a blade of grass.
All cry out to us from the very heart of God.
--Chaim Bentorah, Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God

More from Chaim coming tomorrow....

[PS: If you find yourself missing posts, due to the vagaries of Facebook, as some have told me, you can either follow the blog via Google+ or add your email address in the widget on the upper right for notifications.]

Have we? Are we? Will we?

   "...we will tell to the generation[s] to come the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord and His might, and the wonderful works that He has performed....that they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but might keep His commandments..." (Psalm 78:4,7+)

Have we? Are we?  Will we?

Do our children, grandchildren, grand nieces and nephews know what we believe? Do they know our love for the Lord and how He has seen us through every moment of our lives, in all circumstances?  Do they know we believe He is our Creator and Sustainer? Have we told them specific stories of His Goodness and Faithfulness to us and to those we love?

There are so many ways to do this, including intentionally choosing special occasion gifts that foster their relationship with Him, in addition to, or instead of, the latest toy or electronic fad.

Sometimes grandparents are constrained by the requests of their grown children as to how much they can share outright. However, weaving God's love and existence, along with testimonies of His goodness in our own lives, into the very fabric of our conversations, is different than sitting them down and inviting them to confess Jesus as their Saviour at any given moment.

Most importantly, no one can dictate our prayer lives. The most powerful thing we can do for our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews is to pray for them with expectation and thankfulness
that God is taking action...not only in response to our prayers but in response to His own Will for
them. He wants them to know Him even more than we do. Pray confidently, thankfully, and powerfully with the faith that He is touching them through other people, through circumstances, and sometimes through very direct communication of His Presence, even if we rarely get to see them in person.  May those who form our family heritage one day run to us, whether on earth or in Heaven, and gratefully throw their arms around us for helping to lead them to The One Who loves them beyond imagining.
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Psalm 71:18 "Yes, even when I am old and gray-headed, O God, until I have declared Your mighty strength to [this] generation, and Your might and power to all that are to come." --Psalm 71:18

Psalm 79:8  "Then we your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will give you thanks forever; we will show forth and publish Your praise from generation to generation."

Psalm 89:1 "I will sing of the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your Faithfulness from generation to generation."

ROTFL

   There's something exciting about waiting to see what our Heavenly Father has in store for us, knowing not only that He always has good plans, but being tickled pink by His delightful sense of humor.  The older I get, the more I can hear His outright belly laughs. He's full of surprises and waits like a parent at Christmas to see us discover them.
   This is not always to say we aren't oblivious at times, that we sometimes don't even recognize His hand.  When it hits us, however, and we look up, we find Him looking down at us and laughing, like a practical jokester who watches from behind a bush to see his victim's reaction.  The difference is that we're always the victims of His beneficence.
   I love to hear Him laugh and wish I'd been attuned to His humor decades ago.  So much fun I have missed.  I knew His love long before I ever got His jokes. One thing that has helped me is keeping a daily journal in which I try to record His actual words to me.  Sometimes it's more of an apprehending of an idea, but either way I write it down.  Sometimes I have to try to draw a picture (stick figures not withstanding).
   When I first recorded His use of contemporary slang, I was sure I hadn't heard correctly and quickly erased it. However, I have come to understand that when we say he is able to speak any language, that includes even 'LOL'.  When I was trying to better understand the Trinity and He said 'group hug' at the end, I was almost ROTF*.
   If you know His love for you but have not yet discovered His funny side, ask Him to show you. Have a pen and journal in hand, and it will be the beginning of a new adventure in Divine Laughter.
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*For us ol' folk: 'Rolling on the Floor Laughing'

Hillside Chorus

   There is a song I love by Kirk Dearman called "All Creation Worships You."  As I sit on the deck in Vernonia facing an entire hillside of trees of various ilk, I watch them sway, each at their own speed and rhythm. Their leaves and branches move like a chorus in 10-part harmony. Periodically one level stops while another continues to dance and wave.  The treble trees flutter quickly, while the bass evergreens on the top of the ridge move slowly to and fro from side to side and up and down.
   I wonder sometimes if there is an angel conducting them, drawing out the occasional solo before the chorus joins in. The fading light splays itself across the upper layers of the ridge, in contrast to the darkening cypress surrounding the cabin like reassuring, stalwart sentries.
   I am reminded of the Narnian trees which Lucy encounters and which Aslan calls forth in time of need. Everything ADONAI brought into being declares His majesty and His glory.  He created it all with us in mind, wanting us to take delight in it. When was the last time we stopped to do so?

Psalm 19:1
Romans 1:20
[See also 6/13 post]

Vindicator

   Recently, I've had occasion to 'relearn'  a lesson God taught me long ago.  It seems that either right before or right after I share on a particular topic, God gives me the chance to live it. I don't think He wants me to go spouting my mouth off, regardless of the veracity of the teaching, without having walked out the principle in my own life.  Unfortunately, walking out these truths usually involves some struggle and internal pain.
   I'm all for those short walks, those quick lessons in truth.  I'm less enthusiastic about the longer ones requiring persistence and endurance, especially when they involve being unjustly maligned.  When I think about Christians around the world being imprisoned, tortured and murdered for their faith, it puts my concerns to shame...revealing my struggles as petty in contrast.  Yet I, and others I know, still must face our own levels of endurance and sacrifice, our own laying down of our lives in a different way.
   We must lay down our pride, our desire to be considered honorable and truthful, our need to be treated justly.  We say to ourselves, 'How could someone who has known me this long really believe this gossip, these blatantly false rumors, without pursuing the truth directly and forthrightly?' 
   Ah, but have we done so, also? As we examine our hearts and ask the Lord to alert us, do images come to mind of times we've mentally condemned even those closest to us without discovering and discerning the whole truth?  Could others also say, "How could she believe that about me?" 
  Even if we sincerely believe our conscience to be clean in this area of unjust treatment of others, are we allowing God to be our Vindicator, without desperately trying to clear ourselves, and in the process possibly gossiping about our condemner?  I have walked this road of self-justification before and found it to be a black hole that only pleases the Accuser of the Brethren.  It sucks us into a vortex of frustrating chaos.
  When God tells us He is our Vindicator, He is freeing us from having to defend ourselves, which we never can, anyway.  He reminds us that when we get our 'sticky fingers out of there,' He can go to work bringing the truth to light.  As long as we are playing Vindicator, Judge, and Jury He cannot do what is best for us...or for the one who has unjustly treated us....one who does not benefit from succeeding in this way, either.
   In the Psalms, (like 37+, Psalm 62...and so many others), David struggles with these same issues. Remember when he was running from Saul, who one minute wanted him to play worship music for him and the next was trying to kill him out of jealousy?  These psalms are still a balm to the soul of one unjustly treated.  Yet the major difference between these and the New Testament Scriptures is the recognition that 'we wrestle not with flesh and blood but principalities and powers in heavenly places.' 
   God wants us to forgive our accusers and see them freed from the mental prison in which they reside. He wants them transformed into the people He has created and planned them to be.  To be able to lay down your own desire for justification and put the situation completely in God's hands, allows Him to not only be your Vindicator but also to be your "enemy's".  For in the end, none of us is without the sin of gossip and unjust accusation.  None of us can vindicate ourselves from our own sin, or from the sins of those around us.
   Ask for His help to lay it all down, trusting that He is able, willing, and desirous of bringing the truth to light.  Some vindication has come for me swiftly.  Some has taken a very long time.  And some I have never seen manifested with my own eyes. Yet I know that my Heavenly Father knows the truth, and His opinion of me is the most important.  Yes, it is satisfying and healing to see the truth come to light (if I'm on the right side of it).  However, anything I offer up to Him I know will be used for good.  He's just that way, isn't He?  And if I can please Him with my small sacrifices of struggling obedience and cause Him to smile, then no matter what the world thinks of me....ah, it's worth it all.

Psalm 62^[a]

¹ Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him.
² Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

³ How long will you assault me?
    Would all of you throw me down—
    this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
⁴ Surely they intend to topple me
    from my lofty place;
    they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
    but in their hearts they curse.^[b]

⁵ Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
⁶ Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God^[c];
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
⁸ Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.

⁹ Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
    the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
    together they are only a breath.
¹⁰ Do not trust in extortion
    or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
    do not set your heart on them.

¹¹ One thing God has spoken,
    two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
¹²     and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
    according to what they have done.”

Psalm 17:2

Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Psalm 24:5

They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Psalm 35:27

May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Psalm 37:6

He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Isaiah 54:17

no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Isaiah 50:8

My vindicator is close by; let whoever dares to accuse me appear with me in court! Let whoever has a case against me step forward!

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Psalm 4:2

O God, my vindicator! Answer me when I call! When I was distressed, you set me free; now have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Proverbs 22:8

He who sows injustice reaps trouble, and the rod of his angry outburst will fail.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Psalm 63:11

But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in him,
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Morning Whispers

Dear Adonai,
   There's something about a fresh, clean journal. 😌 Like the fresh new day, the fresh new start You give us when we ask. We're able to breathe deeply once again, in the innocence of the morning, and sense the softness of Your caress on our brow, soothing the rough, hurt places...putting night anxieties to rest. How lovely Your touch, how soft the whisper of Your tender Love. Let nothing ever take the place of this intimacy with You in the newness of the morning..

Advocate

   Evidently I need to hear this message repeated in various ways, so there may be others who need to hear it, too.
   This morning I was feeling anxious about not getting something right which has the potential to make a significant difference in people's lives.  I realized I was concerned I would disappoint the Lord, that He would always love me but might end up rolling His eyes a bit at my inability to 'get it right.'

His answer:
   "I will indeed guide you. Don't you realize you are trying to do My will? Why would I not help you? I'm not playing 'cat and mouse,' waiting to see if you figure it out. Praying My will be done, yes.  Worrying, no.
   You're always thinking you've disappointed Me somehow. That I love you in spite of it. But I am your Cheerleader. I run out and pick you up when you fall, not berate you for falling or shake my head with sighs at your dismal performance. I'm running along the sidelines like a coach, inspiring you to greater strength and distance, delighted at your efforts. See Me there and grin from ear to ear, knowing I'm your greatest Advocate."

   May you turn your head and see Him there running alongside in your own life and know that He is so very pleased with you.

Let Them Catch You

     During my morning prayer time, I often receive an image of water.  Sometimes it is a lazy river, sometimes a bubbling brook, sometimes a creek with a fast-moving current, sometimes a stream with eddies swirling round and round within. They are always versions of His grace into which He invites me:  sometimes to rest, sometimes to see the beauty of His creation, sometimes to be carried without burdens through various responsibilities.  But recently He encouraged me to just jump in and splash around, to play with abandon as a little child would, to laugh and giggle and toss the water into the air, to feel the soft sun upon my back and twirl around in delight.

     As often happens, I picture my own grown children, when they were small, and how much fun they had playing in water...whether the ocean, a pool, or a puddle. One of their favorite activities was to find a stream which ran from the woods or other source into a lake or into the ocean. They would play for hours tromping about in it, building a dam, or floating leaves or sticks downstream.  Whenever we came upon a bridge over a river or stream, we would stop and gather just the right stick or other floating object for Pooh Sticks.

     Participating with them was fun, but my true enjoyment came from watching theirs. God tells me He feels the same way, only to a greater degree, of course. He enjoys watching His children play. He experiences great satisfaction when we splash, float, or swirl in the Water of His grace.  Sometimes the eddies, where we don't seem to be advancing quickly enough toward the solutions to our problems, cause us to finally look up and see the sunlight dappling the branches overhead, hear the sounds of His little creatures calling from the banks, or feel the soft air caressing our skin. We see, if we look even higher, His loving countenance smiling down upon us.

     "Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,  and I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] n the house and in the presence of the Lord" [Psalm 23: 6]
The question is, "Will we let them catch up with us?"

Impossible Love

   Yesterday, some of my students were being loud and obnoxious. One of them turned to me and said, "You know you love us, Mrs. Wales."  I laughed and said, "Yes, I actually do." Another girl said, "She has to love us..." and then turned to me and said, "You have to love us, don't you?"

"Actually, no, no I don't."

   But then...hmmm....as a Christ-Follower, yes, yes I do.  Certainly not with my own stock of love resources.  In fact, there are a few students whom I only want to see the backs of as they're exiting the room. I cringe when they walk through the door. The spiritually discerning hairs on the back of my neck rise when they enter.  I long for their departure. Yet Abba loves them, which means that if I love Him, I must love them also. It seems impossible when my stomach roils at their very presence...or at what has taken up residence within them or rides on their shoulder. Seeing past to the little child within them takes supernatural eyes.  The ability to believe who they can be takes enormous faith.

   Beth Moore, in her book Believing God, said "When we lose our faith to love, we lose the energy to love. Then we lose our hope." It struck me this morning that I had lost hope of being able to love some of these children (as you may have lost hope in being able to love some adults in your life).
We don't realize that we have reverted to relying on our own ability to love the unloveable, instead of relying on the God of the Impossible, the Source of all love.

   "If you truly become a person who makes a lifestyle of believing God, you will become bolder in your love for others and what you are willing to believe God for in their lives."  --Beth Moore

   May it be to us as you have said, dear Abba. May your love flow through us like molten lava, even to the hair-raising ones. May your love set them free to be transformed into the image You already see in Your mind's eye. And as an extra-special gift, may we from time to time Be given the privilege of seeing the manifestation of that transformation, as we put our hope in You.

"Everyone speaks well of Demetrius, and so does the truth itself." --3 John: 12
How different these two things can be.

Shalom, your Governor

"I will make Shalom your governor and righteousness your taskmaster. Violence will no longer be heard in your land, desolation or destruction within your borders; instead, you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise."  --Isaiah 60: 17b-18

I love reading the Bible in the Complete Jewish Bible translation (David Stern). Scriptures I've read countless times come alive in a new way (as they do also, in a different way, in The Message version). The fresh wind of the Spirit flows from the pen of this Messianic Jew steeped in both Hebrew and ancient Jewish culture.  The intimacy of the Hebrew woven into the English stirs something deep in my spirit.

As I was reading this Scripture from Isaiah recently, I wanted to claim it for today, but it seemed so impossible for our nation.
 "Am I not the God of the impossible?"
 "Lord, I know our nation was once dedicated to You, despite the existence of unbelievers in the land. But we have strayed so far. Would this just be our personal Promised Land within Your Kingdom...or for our nation as a whole?  Is it truly possible for this Scripture to once again be fulfilled in our place
and time?
"Was that a rhetorical question?"
"LOL. Ah...yes, evidently."
"Then pray accordingly and take the authority I have given you, believing and not doubting.  You pray 'Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done.' Do you believe it can be so? If not, why are you saying it?"
"Ummmm..."
"And by the way, why do you pray, 'Lead us not into temptation.'? I never lead anyone into temptation. I lead them out. Do you really believe that is the correct translation of My words?  I don't care how many centuries it's been quoted as such. Or, 'Lord, hear our prayer.' Of course I hear your prayer. Pray according to My will in the name of My Son, knowing that I always hear and I always respond. Pray that you are able to receive My answer, receive what I have for you, whether or not it is exactly what you are requesting from Me.  I always know and send what is best for you, but you do not always receive it. I do not tell you this to be harsh but because I want you in a position to pray for, receive and be grateful for every thought and action toward you. As a Good Father, I hate to see you miss the blessing and think it is because I didn't care or choose to send it.

See your nation, see individuals, as set free and following Me, despite how they currently appear. Envision them as I see them, and watch what I will do. You will stand amazed, even though it's exactly what you had set your heart to believe..."

"I believe, Lord. Help me in my unbelief."

Cedars

     "Even in old age they will be vigorous, still full of sap, still bearing fruit, proclaiming that ADONAI is upright, my Rock, in whom there is no wrong."   --Psalm 92:15-16

     Some mornings (and evenings) it's harder to believe this. Some days I find myself falling over backwards when I sit on the floor to put my shoes on. What happened to all that core strength? Or when I drag myself to bed at 8:30 'to read' and fall asleep after one page. Sixties are the new forties, right?

     In this case, God does not want me to 'go with the flow'...to just give in to the 'I'm getting old' syndrome....to constantly describe myself as tired or forgetful or confused or befuddled. In ADONAI I am strong; I am quick of mind, energetic, and full of life (sap?).  I am a cedar of Lebanon in Him. I have the strength of my youth; or, better yet, His. I am bearing fruit every day, as I proclaim His Truth, His Goodness, His Faithfulness. His Life blood runs deep in the marrow of my bones.

     Friends of my ilk, let us not settle for our recliners [well, except when it's our 'prayer chair']. Let us rather fight the good fight, claiming His vigor of body and soundness of mind every single day. Let us work to take care of His temple so that He can do all He desires through us. Let us speak forth who we are in Him, rather than consigning ourselves to the sidelines, where the Enemy wishes us to remain.