In the Spring of 2006 my husband and I decided to have our will drawn up but we did't finish. Then it was the Spring of 2007, then 2008. then 2009, 2010,2011,2012. Yesterday we went to the lawyer and finished having our will made. It only took about a hour. Why, why was that so hard?
The lawyer is about the same age we are and as we talked he kept coming back to the fact that when the will would be implemented we would be gone and our stuff would still be here. He also kept reminding us that not only would the stuff still be here but we would not have a lot of "say" when our voice was silenced. We left the lawyer's office having accomplished our goal but in deep reflective quiet.
When someone wanted to follow Jesus he said, "Foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head." Then, when Jesus was teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven he said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also."(Matthew 6:19-21) But what happens to your treasure when your heart stops?
My experience at the lawyer's office also reminded me of Psalm 84:4,5 "Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their heart on pilgrimage to Zion. As they through the Valley of Baca (weeping) it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect after the rains! They will continue to grow stronger, and each will appear before God in Jerusalem." (paraphrase) So what do I want to leave as a legacy for my loved ones? I want to leave behind a redeemed life, a life where the places of weeping were transformed to places of refreshment for those who follow me on this journey home.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
We Were Sojourners Together
Her husband wrote,
“I remember when you and Debbie parted. She said, 'I didn't want to die before
telling you how much I love you.' And she really did!" I remember saying goodbye to Debbie. For a moment
the hustle and bustle ceased and was replaced by eternal quiet.
My ever present "to do"list faded. The car door was opened and she
was preparing to leave when she said, "I didn't want to die before telling
you how much I love you." We embraced and I stood watching until I could
no longer see her.
"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!" (Psalm 119:18, 19) Sojourner? Yes, but not alone. Debbie and I met in our early twenties. The pilgrim's path we were walking together was sometimes obscure. Sometimes we stumbled over unexpected obstacles. We needed to remind each other of the truth. Life took us in different directions but we always shared the same destination. We were sojourners together.
"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!" (Psalm 119:18, 19) Sojourner? Yes, but not alone. Debbie and I met in our early twenties. The pilgrim's path we were walking together was sometimes obscure. Sometimes we stumbled over unexpected obstacles. We needed to remind each other of the truth. Life took us in different directions but we always shared the same destination. We were sojourners together.
“He has made
everything beautiful in its own time. Also he has put eternity into man’s
heart.”(Ecclesiastes 3:11) Debbie loved maps. She liked being able to see how
everything fit together. I was never good at reading maps but she taught me.
When I stand on a mountain and I can see the scope and sequence of the land below
me I smile and think of Debbie and her maps. I also think of the eternal perspective
that God has given me.
The nature of a
sojourn or a pilgrimage is that it is temporary. This journey doesn’t last
forever in the end we come to our destination. I remember the day I got the
phone call to tell me Debbie had reached her destination. Her words of love
lingered in mind. For a moment I saw life from a higher vantage point a place
where hustle and bustle ceases and is replaced by eternal peace.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
When All You Can See is a Dim Relection
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been known." (1 Corinthians 13:12) I have watched my friend this week trying to understand painful confusing events that have taken place in her life. Her understanding is dark and obscure now because somethings will only make since in the light of Heaven when all the clouds and darkness that hide God's face are removed. Today she is walking by faith, anchored by hope and trusting in the love of God.
I have watched my friend longing for the time when she will have complete understanding of all that God is doing and this partial understanding will be a thing of the past. As I have walked with my friend during this time I have been reminded of Daniel. Daniel was a man to whom God had given prophetic powers, through God he understood mysteries and had great knowledge. But Daniel lived during a time when nations where shifting like tectonic plates. "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three week."(Daniel 10:2)
Daniel had set his heart to understand and to humble himself before God. God responded by sending him an angel with the message that Daniel was greatly loved. This messenger from God spoke of what was even then taking place in the realms of the spiritual world. God showed Himself to Daniel as the Sovereign Lord, God who has a detailed plan for the ages. Even then Daniel did not fully understand what had been shown him because he was looking, "in a mirror dimly." He didn't completely understand but he put his trust and confidence in the God who greatly loved him and he lived out the rest of his days in faith believing that God was in control.
I watch as my friend humbles herself before God longing to understand. I stand beside her with the message that she is not forgotten and that she is greatly loved by God. I remind her of what she already knows. "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against authorities, against cosmic power over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."(Ephesians 6:12) I pray that the eyes of her heart will be enlightened and that she will know the hope to which she has been called. I pray God will open her eyes and give her the ability to see beyond the suffering of today so that with the eyes of her heart she will see the riches of God's glorious inheritance. "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power." (Ephesians 1:18) I pray for my friend that though she doesn't completely understand what God is doing she will choose to put her trust and confidence in the God who greatly loves her and that she will choose to live her life believing that God is in control and has chosen her to be part of His story.
I have watched my friend longing for the time when she will have complete understanding of all that God is doing and this partial understanding will be a thing of the past. As I have walked with my friend during this time I have been reminded of Daniel. Daniel was a man to whom God had given prophetic powers, through God he understood mysteries and had great knowledge. But Daniel lived during a time when nations where shifting like tectonic plates. "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three week."(Daniel 10:2)
Daniel had set his heart to understand and to humble himself before God. God responded by sending him an angel with the message that Daniel was greatly loved. This messenger from God spoke of what was even then taking place in the realms of the spiritual world. God showed Himself to Daniel as the Sovereign Lord, God who has a detailed plan for the ages. Even then Daniel did not fully understand what had been shown him because he was looking, "in a mirror dimly." He didn't completely understand but he put his trust and confidence in the God who greatly loved him and he lived out the rest of his days in faith believing that God was in control.
I watch as my friend humbles herself before God longing to understand. I stand beside her with the message that she is not forgotten and that she is greatly loved by God. I remind her of what she already knows. "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against authorities, against cosmic power over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."(Ephesians 6:12) I pray that the eyes of her heart will be enlightened and that she will know the hope to which she has been called. I pray God will open her eyes and give her the ability to see beyond the suffering of today so that with the eyes of her heart she will see the riches of God's glorious inheritance. "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power." (Ephesians 1:18) I pray for my friend that though she doesn't completely understand what God is doing she will choose to put her trust and confidence in the God who greatly loves her and that she will choose to live her life believing that God is in control and has chosen her to be part of His story.
Friday, June 21, 2013
To Walk on the Path of Peace You Need Clean Feet
I spent most of my Summer days as a child barefooted. When the time came to go to bed my feet held the evidence of every where I'd been. I often heard, "Do NOT get in bed until you wash your feet!" You just can't help getting your feet dirty if you walk around in the dirt barefooted.
"The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean." (John 13:10) This is what Jesus told Peter when He washed his feet. Because Peter had believed Jesus and trusted that He was the Messiah Peter was clean. But Jesus showed by His illustration of washing His disciples feet that just as your feet get dirty by walking on dusty roads (even when the rest of you is clean) that though we have salvation through our belief in Jesus still our spiritual feet get dirty in a sinful world. This is a story full of humility. First we see Jesus putting on the garb of a servant and getting eye level with His disciples feet. Next the disciples are humbled as they experience Jesus washing their dirty feet.
Often during the day I am too busy to stop and consider any dirt my spiritual feet may have picked up along the way. However, when I go to bed my subconscious mind begins to untangle the events of the day and I awake to the uncomfortable truth that I need help. I humble myself and admit my sin. When my spiritual feet are clean I experience what "putting on the shoes that are the gospel of peace" means.
Jesus didn't just wash His disciples feet He told them to wash one another's feet. When I joined my church they told me, "We are a family but sooner or latter someone is going to hurt your feelings. It just happens when you live together in community." It takes humility to admit someone has hurt us but it also takes humility to hear that we have hurt someone else. But it's only when we wash one another's feet and allow others to wash our feet that we can stand in the shoes of peace.
Lord Jesus, help me to humble myself today by accepting the truth that I need to both give and receive forgiveness in order to walk in peace with you and with others.
"The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean." (John 13:10) This is what Jesus told Peter when He washed his feet. Because Peter had believed Jesus and trusted that He was the Messiah Peter was clean. But Jesus showed by His illustration of washing His disciples feet that just as your feet get dirty by walking on dusty roads (even when the rest of you is clean) that though we have salvation through our belief in Jesus still our spiritual feet get dirty in a sinful world. This is a story full of humility. First we see Jesus putting on the garb of a servant and getting eye level with His disciples feet. Next the disciples are humbled as they experience Jesus washing their dirty feet.
Often during the day I am too busy to stop and consider any dirt my spiritual feet may have picked up along the way. However, when I go to bed my subconscious mind begins to untangle the events of the day and I awake to the uncomfortable truth that I need help. I humble myself and admit my sin. When my spiritual feet are clean I experience what "putting on the shoes that are the gospel of peace" means.
Jesus didn't just wash His disciples feet He told them to wash one another's feet. When I joined my church they told me, "We are a family but sooner or latter someone is going to hurt your feelings. It just happens when you live together in community." It takes humility to admit someone has hurt us but it also takes humility to hear that we have hurt someone else. But it's only when we wash one another's feet and allow others to wash our feet that we can stand in the shoes of peace.
Lord Jesus, help me to humble myself today by accepting the truth that I need to both give and receive forgiveness in order to walk in peace with you and with others.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Are You Going Insane?
"So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard." (1 Samuel 21:13) David was under terrible pressure he was running for his life. I know that there are things I've done when I've been under pressure that I would not want to be recorded. What I find interesting is that not only do we have a record of when David, "let the spittle run down his beard," but he wrote a Psalm that referenced this time in his life.
"I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed." (Psalm 34:4,5) In the introduction David points to the time when Abimelech drove him out because he was acting insane. I appreciate stories like this in the Bible because although I would like to go through life always responding correctly to every situation the truth is I don't. David wasn't ashamed because God delivered him from shame.
If God had only used perfect people who only responded in perfect ways to the pressures of life I would have given up long ago! But instead I read David's invitation, "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" (Psalm 34:8) David's first response to the threats he encountered was to act like a madman but then he used his own failure to point to God's faithfulness.
When David was driven out for acting crazy he departed to a cave. "And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became captain over them." (1 Samuel 22:2) These were the men he was captain over I also think these were the men he addressed in the Psalm he wrote during this time when he said, "My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!" (Psalm 34:2,3)
Lord Jesus, when I think about the people You surrounded Yourself with when You were here on earth I see those who were in distress, in debt and bitter in soul. Thank You for showing me in Your word what it looks like to take refuge in You. Thank You that you accept me just the way I am. Please help me to magnify You and exalt Your name together with David.
"I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed." (Psalm 34:4,5) In the introduction David points to the time when Abimelech drove him out because he was acting insane. I appreciate stories like this in the Bible because although I would like to go through life always responding correctly to every situation the truth is I don't. David wasn't ashamed because God delivered him from shame.
If God had only used perfect people who only responded in perfect ways to the pressures of life I would have given up long ago! But instead I read David's invitation, "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" (Psalm 34:8) David's first response to the threats he encountered was to act like a madman but then he used his own failure to point to God's faithfulness.
When David was driven out for acting crazy he departed to a cave. "And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became captain over them." (1 Samuel 22:2) These were the men he was captain over I also think these were the men he addressed in the Psalm he wrote during this time when he said, "My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!" (Psalm 34:2,3)
Lord Jesus, when I think about the people You surrounded Yourself with when You were here on earth I see those who were in distress, in debt and bitter in soul. Thank You for showing me in Your word what it looks like to take refuge in You. Thank You that you accept me just the way I am. Please help me to magnify You and exalt Your name together with David.
Monday, June 17, 2013
The Mystery of Myrrh
Somethings intrigue me by the way they work. I looked up Myrrh and found that it's aroma is considered purifying, restorative, and uplifting. It's considered a helpful aid to meditation because it has one of the highest levels of sesquiterpenes. I learned from my research that sesquiterpenes are a class of compounds that have a direct effect on the hypothalamus, pituitary, and amygdala, the seat of our emotions. What intrigues me is how is harvested.
Myrrh is a small thorny tree. The myrrh only releases its perfume when it's hurt. When the tree is gashed it produces walnut-sized "tears" that harden and are harvested for the musky oil they contain. Myrrh was one of the gifts that the Magi brought at Jesus' birth. Myrrh was offered to Jesus when He was on the cross. Myrrh was also part of the Jesus' burial.
Thinking about myrrh I am reminded of Isaiah 53. "For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him no beauty that we should desire him...But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed." I see in Jesus the mystery of myrrh, something precious from something that was despised and rejected.
I see this same mystery repeated in lives of those who have experienced the redeeming love of Jesus. This past weekend I talked to several friends who have been wounded in life. The grief they shared with me could have easily produced a sicking stench but instead what I experienced was the fragrance of the knowledge of God. My friends had chosen to offer their suffering to God as a sacrifice and the result was that something painful had produced something precious.
Lord Jesus, I want my life to be fragrant with the mystery of myrrh. Please let me follow you and spread through my life the fragrance of the knowledge of God.
Myrrh is a small thorny tree. The myrrh only releases its perfume when it's hurt. When the tree is gashed it produces walnut-sized "tears" that harden and are harvested for the musky oil they contain. Myrrh was one of the gifts that the Magi brought at Jesus' birth. Myrrh was offered to Jesus when He was on the cross. Myrrh was also part of the Jesus' burial.
Thinking about myrrh I am reminded of Isaiah 53. "For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him no beauty that we should desire him...But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed." I see in Jesus the mystery of myrrh, something precious from something that was despised and rejected.
I see this same mystery repeated in lives of those who have experienced the redeeming love of Jesus. This past weekend I talked to several friends who have been wounded in life. The grief they shared with me could have easily produced a sicking stench but instead what I experienced was the fragrance of the knowledge of God. My friends had chosen to offer their suffering to God as a sacrifice and the result was that something painful had produced something precious.
Lord Jesus, I want my life to be fragrant with the mystery of myrrh. Please let me follow you and spread through my life the fragrance of the knowledge of God.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
The Helper
My friend was overwhelmed by her situation. I could hear a sense of hopelessness in her voice. As I prayed for her I remember the blessing in Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." "So that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" this hope, this holy confidence isn't something I have to work up on my own it's a gift.
I like my friend have often been confronted with situations that take my breath away and make me want to retreat from life. Jesus understood and before He left He gave His disciples and us a gift. "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth...I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."(John 14:15-18) The realities of life sometimes crush me but the Spirit of truth speaks to me of a confident expectation of good because I am loved by the God of hope.
This hope that comes to me by the power of the Holy Spirit is not escapism. Instead I find that when I open my eyes to the truth being revealed to me by the Spirit of God I also receive strength and courage to go forward and not shrink back in fear. God not only gives me hope but He also fills my heart with an unexplainable sense of joy and peace. I think part of the reason I experience this joy and peace is because no matter where I am or what I'm facing Jesus promised me the "Helper" would be with me forever.
The "Helper," the "Spirit of truth" reminds me in the midst of my earthy struggles that, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will."(Ephesians 1:11) Before Jesus left He said He was going away to prepare a place for us. But for now while we wait for His return we have the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance giving hope, joy and peace.
I like my friend have often been confronted with situations that take my breath away and make me want to retreat from life. Jesus understood and before He left He gave His disciples and us a gift. "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth...I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."(John 14:15-18) The realities of life sometimes crush me but the Spirit of truth speaks to me of a confident expectation of good because I am loved by the God of hope.
This hope that comes to me by the power of the Holy Spirit is not escapism. Instead I find that when I open my eyes to the truth being revealed to me by the Spirit of God I also receive strength and courage to go forward and not shrink back in fear. God not only gives me hope but He also fills my heart with an unexplainable sense of joy and peace. I think part of the reason I experience this joy and peace is because no matter where I am or what I'm facing Jesus promised me the "Helper" would be with me forever.
The "Helper," the "Spirit of truth" reminds me in the midst of my earthy struggles that, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will."(Ephesians 1:11) Before Jesus left He said He was going away to prepare a place for us. But for now while we wait for His return we have the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance giving hope, joy and peace.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Beyond What Mortal Eyes Can See
My Dad asked me to sign the books he'd bought. I decided to use a verse out of Romans that says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him." As I wrote this verse out over and over the truth of what it was saying began to sink into my heart. Romans also says that we hope for things that we can't see yet, things yet to be. Again in Romans 8:18 it says, "For I consider that sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be reveals to us." It is such a blessing when the God of hope invites us in the middle of our suffering to trust in Him and then because we have chosen to be sure of what we hope for and confident about what we can't see He fills us with "all joy and peace."
I have seen how God transformed the difficult times of King David's life into Palms of joy and peace. David looked beyond what his mortal eyes could see and with eyes of hope this is what he saw when his enemies perused him and he called out to the LORD for help. "He parted the heavens and came down, a dark cloud beneath His feet. He rode on a cherub and flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. He made darkness a canopy around Him, a gathering of water and thick clouds. From the radiance of His presence, flaming coal were ignited. The LORD thundered from heaven; the Most High projected His voice."(2 Samuel 22:7-16) David was strong and courageous and also experienced joy and peace because he had chosen to anchor his life in the Most High God and trust in his promises.
The blessing in Romans that talks about the God of hope giving us joy and peace as we trust in Him also says, "so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." I have to pause here and let this sink in. It is not by my own determination that I take hold of hope and choose to live my life accordingly. No, it is because of the power of the Holy Spirit. As I read through the life of David I see the evidence of God first anointing and then sustaining David with hope through the trails of his life.
"LORD, You are my lamp; the LORD illuminates my darkness." (2 Samuel 22:29) I think this is what hope did in David's life. He had been anointed to be the King and yet he was being hunted down by Saul. David was betrayed and outnumbered by his enemies but because he trusted in God's promises that he didn't see and yet believed the LORD illuminated his darkness. This is how I want to live my life too.
Lord, thank You for being the light that illuminates my darkness as I put my trust in You. Thank You for the joy and peace I find as I hope in Your promises. I pray also that by the power of Your Holy Spirit I may abound in hope!
I have seen how God transformed the difficult times of King David's life into Palms of joy and peace. David looked beyond what his mortal eyes could see and with eyes of hope this is what he saw when his enemies perused him and he called out to the LORD for help. "He parted the heavens and came down, a dark cloud beneath His feet. He rode on a cherub and flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. He made darkness a canopy around Him, a gathering of water and thick clouds. From the radiance of His presence, flaming coal were ignited. The LORD thundered from heaven; the Most High projected His voice."(2 Samuel 22:7-16) David was strong and courageous and also experienced joy and peace because he had chosen to anchor his life in the Most High God and trust in his promises.
The blessing in Romans that talks about the God of hope giving us joy and peace as we trust in Him also says, "so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." I have to pause here and let this sink in. It is not by my own determination that I take hold of hope and choose to live my life accordingly. No, it is because of the power of the Holy Spirit. As I read through the life of David I see the evidence of God first anointing and then sustaining David with hope through the trails of his life.
"LORD, You are my lamp; the LORD illuminates my darkness." (2 Samuel 22:29) I think this is what hope did in David's life. He had been anointed to be the King and yet he was being hunted down by Saul. David was betrayed and outnumbered by his enemies but because he trusted in God's promises that he didn't see and yet believed the LORD illuminated his darkness. This is how I want to live my life too.
Lord, thank You for being the light that illuminates my darkness as I put my trust in You. Thank You for the joy and peace I find as I hope in Your promises. I pray also that by the power of Your Holy Spirit I may abound in hope!
Friday, June 7, 2013
Open My Eyes That I May See!
I decided to not just tell her what had happened so many years ago but show her. "I had come to the library to returned the books that I had borrowed," I told my friend. "Because the deposit was only a few steps away and it was a cold rainy day in January I had decided to leave the children strapped into their car-seats while I dropped the books off." As I relieved the memory I backed the car up and took a sharp ninety degree turn, drove a little way up the hill took another ninety degree turn, and then backed my car into a parking space. It was not an easy demonstration and when I stopped the car I had to sit in silence for a few minutes before continuing my story, this was the route my car had taken on that day without a driver.
That particular morning had begun with my reading the story of how Elisha's servant had risen early in the morning only to see that an army with horses and chariots were all around the city. He response had been to go to Elisha and say, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" Elisha responded by praying, "Oh LORD, please open his eyes that he might see." When the LORD opened the man's eyes what he saw was that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. I can to this day remember how earnestly I prayed that the LORD would open my eyes so that I could see how He was protecting me and my family. However, I was stunned when He answered that prayer!
After I had gotten out to drop the books off the car had begun to roll backwards. I ran after it jerking the door open but I was not only unable to stop it I was hit by the door and knocked to the pavement. Lying on the pavement in the rain I watched in stunned amazement as my car with my children strapped into the backseat screaming took two sharp turns and then backed itself into a parking place and came to a stop. It was only when I tried to retrace the route for my friend years later that I realized how difficult it was to maneuver.
God had answered my prayer that day when I asked Him to open my eyes so that I could see His protection. He opened them again when I sat in the car with my friend sharing the memory of how God had sent His angels to drive my car and protect my children.
Oh LORD, open my eyes, like you did so long ago, that I may see!
That particular morning had begun with my reading the story of how Elisha's servant had risen early in the morning only to see that an army with horses and chariots were all around the city. He response had been to go to Elisha and say, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" Elisha responded by praying, "Oh LORD, please open his eyes that he might see." When the LORD opened the man's eyes what he saw was that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. I can to this day remember how earnestly I prayed that the LORD would open my eyes so that I could see how He was protecting me and my family. However, I was stunned when He answered that prayer!
After I had gotten out to drop the books off the car had begun to roll backwards. I ran after it jerking the door open but I was not only unable to stop it I was hit by the door and knocked to the pavement. Lying on the pavement in the rain I watched in stunned amazement as my car with my children strapped into the backseat screaming took two sharp turns and then backed itself into a parking place and came to a stop. It was only when I tried to retrace the route for my friend years later that I realized how difficult it was to maneuver.
God had answered my prayer that day when I asked Him to open my eyes so that I could see His protection. He opened them again when I sat in the car with my friend sharing the memory of how God had sent His angels to drive my car and protect my children.
Oh LORD, open my eyes, like you did so long ago, that I may see!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
By a Pond in Rome
We were sitting beside a bonfire roasting marshmallows and she was telling me about her trip. She had just returned from spending a month in Rome, Italy. I listened as she describes the art galleries and the cathedrals she had seen. She had seen Bernii's delicate marble Apollo and Daphne and his determined David. She had seen Michelangelo's artistic talent revealed as she gazed up at the Sistine Chapel. I could see the bonfire reflected in her glasses but I smiled because as I looked into her eyes I could tell she was seeing in her mind the work of the Masters.
What a dream trip for an artist to get to spend a month in Rome, Italy! I listened for a while and then I asked, "Did you have a favorite place in Rome?" She smiled shyly and said, "Yes," then she told me about a little park she had found that had a small pond. By this little pond she could sit and quietly reflect on all the places she had been and the things she had seen. As she gazed into the pond she could see the reflection of the sky and her heart felt at peace.
As I listened to her I thought about what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."(Luke 12:27) Jesus made the statement that the splendor with which King Solomon clothed himself could not compare with beauty of the wild flowers that God clothed the grass in. My friend had found the same thing to be true when she sat drinking in the peace and beauty that she found by the Roman pond.
What was the message behind this comparison Jesus gave us? What was the point He was making? I find the answer to these question in the previous verses, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life" (Luke 12:22) The beauty and glory of God's creation are to be a constant reminder to me that I don't have to live a life marked by worry. But you know what my problem is? I don't take the time to consider the beauty of the Master that surrounds me.
Heavenly Father, I don't have to travel to a foreign land to see the splendor of creation. Today may my heat be at peace as I consider that You, who clothe the grass with such beauty, which is today in the field and tomorrow is cast into the oven, love me.
What a dream trip for an artist to get to spend a month in Rome, Italy! I listened for a while and then I asked, "Did you have a favorite place in Rome?" She smiled shyly and said, "Yes," then she told me about a little park she had found that had a small pond. By this little pond she could sit and quietly reflect on all the places she had been and the things she had seen. As she gazed into the pond she could see the reflection of the sky and her heart felt at peace.
As I listened to her I thought about what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."(Luke 12:27) Jesus made the statement that the splendor with which King Solomon clothed himself could not compare with beauty of the wild flowers that God clothed the grass in. My friend had found the same thing to be true when she sat drinking in the peace and beauty that she found by the Roman pond.
What was the message behind this comparison Jesus gave us? What was the point He was making? I find the answer to these question in the previous verses, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life" (Luke 12:22) The beauty and glory of God's creation are to be a constant reminder to me that I don't have to live a life marked by worry. But you know what my problem is? I don't take the time to consider the beauty of the Master that surrounds me.
Heavenly Father, I don't have to travel to a foreign land to see the splendor of creation. Today may my heat be at peace as I consider that You, who clothe the grass with such beauty, which is today in the field and tomorrow is cast into the oven, love me.
Monday, June 3, 2013
From Panic to Peace
They lowered a metal cage over my head and told me not to move. I heard the technician say,"This will only take about forty-five minutes," as I slowly entered the MRI machine. At first my eyes were opened but I decided that was a very bad idea because I could only see the machine inches from my face and I felt a since of panic creeping over me. I closed my eyes and as machine began it's loud clanging I began to think about something else.
Though my body was encapsulated in the MRI machine my spirit rose I called to mind one of my favorite passages from Daniel. "As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire."(Daniel 7:9) With the eyes of my spirit wide open I saw it all I felt bathed in peace in the presents of the Ancient of Days.
Suddenly I heard a voice,"Have you fallen asleep in there?" My eyes flew open and once again I felt the claustrophobic feeling and panic rising up in me. The voice told me I had twenty more minutes until I'd be free. I closed my eyes again and forced my breathing to slow and joined Daniel again in his night visions, "and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like the son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him." And in my spirit I saw Him too the One to whom was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, and nations, and languages should serve him. I was bathed in peace as I observed with the prophet of old what is yet to be and yet already is.
Sometimes life can have a smothering, panic producing effect on me. It can be terrifying when I am shrouded by uncertainty like Isaiah was the year King Uzziah died. King Uzziah had been the king of Judah for fifty-two years and when he died it ripped a hole in the fabric of the known. But God gave Isaiah just what he needed, a glimpse of the eternal. "I saw the Lord sitting upon the throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple."(Isaiah 6:1)
The test was finally over and when the doctor read the results he gave me a good report. As I reflected back over my experience I thought how the spiritual and physical intersect whether I'm paying attention or not. I will go about my tasks today with a quiet awareness that the Ancient of Days is even now seated on His throne.
Oh Heavenly Father, let the voice of my spirit mingle with those who call out to one another before Your throne, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"
Though my body was encapsulated in the MRI machine my spirit rose I called to mind one of my favorite passages from Daniel. "As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire."(Daniel 7:9) With the eyes of my spirit wide open I saw it all I felt bathed in peace in the presents of the Ancient of Days.
Suddenly I heard a voice,"Have you fallen asleep in there?" My eyes flew open and once again I felt the claustrophobic feeling and panic rising up in me. The voice told me I had twenty more minutes until I'd be free. I closed my eyes again and forced my breathing to slow and joined Daniel again in his night visions, "and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like the son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him." And in my spirit I saw Him too the One to whom was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, and nations, and languages should serve him. I was bathed in peace as I observed with the prophet of old what is yet to be and yet already is.
Sometimes life can have a smothering, panic producing effect on me. It can be terrifying when I am shrouded by uncertainty like Isaiah was the year King Uzziah died. King Uzziah had been the king of Judah for fifty-two years and when he died it ripped a hole in the fabric of the known. But God gave Isaiah just what he needed, a glimpse of the eternal. "I saw the Lord sitting upon the throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple."(Isaiah 6:1)
The test was finally over and when the doctor read the results he gave me a good report. As I reflected back over my experience I thought how the spiritual and physical intersect whether I'm paying attention or not. I will go about my tasks today with a quiet awareness that the Ancient of Days is even now seated on His throne.
Oh Heavenly Father, let the voice of my spirit mingle with those who call out to one another before Your throne, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"
Saturday, June 1, 2013
We Walked Together
I walked with my friend yesterday. I have walked with her for many years. We have shared so many chapters of each others lives. We have walked together in laughter and walked together in silence. When we started walking we carried babies on our back then the children ran ahead of us and then they were gone.
My friend and I have walked as seasons changed. We met in the Springtime of our lives. It was the season of "Hello." We walked together in the Summer when the days became hazy and hot, sometimes choosing to exchange our walk for a swim in the pool. When Autumn came with it's cool breezy wind and amber and golden colored leaves our walk became a hike in the mountains. We have walked together and shared in each other's seasons.
The air was cool and scented with primrose and honeysuckle yesterday. We paused several times to let the beauty that surrounded us seep into our souls. We stood side by side observing and absorbing the beauty that surrounded us. We could have walked alone and it would have still been beautiful but sometimes sharing an experience makes it complete.
We walked together yesterday as friends sharing the beauty of the day and the gift of friendship but we shared still more. A little over a month ago my friend's husband died suddenly. I have not walked the path of grief that she walks now but still in the mornings we meet. Our conversation is a mixture of sorrow and hope of pain and of beauty. As we walk together through the seasons of our lives we share both joy and sorrow.
Father, Your word teaches me to share the burdens of others. Thank You for giving me a friend to walk with. Thank You for being present with us each step of the way, in every season marked by laughter or by tears.
My friend and I have walked as seasons changed. We met in the Springtime of our lives. It was the season of "Hello." We walked together in the Summer when the days became hazy and hot, sometimes choosing to exchange our walk for a swim in the pool. When Autumn came with it's cool breezy wind and amber and golden colored leaves our walk became a hike in the mountains. We have walked together and shared in each other's seasons.
The air was cool and scented with primrose and honeysuckle yesterday. We paused several times to let the beauty that surrounded us seep into our souls. We stood side by side observing and absorbing the beauty that surrounded us. We could have walked alone and it would have still been beautiful but sometimes sharing an experience makes it complete.
We walked together yesterday as friends sharing the beauty of the day and the gift of friendship but we shared still more. A little over a month ago my friend's husband died suddenly. I have not walked the path of grief that she walks now but still in the mornings we meet. Our conversation is a mixture of sorrow and hope of pain and of beauty. As we walk together through the seasons of our lives we share both joy and sorrow.
Father, Your word teaches me to share the burdens of others. Thank You for giving me a friend to walk with. Thank You for being present with us each step of the way, in every season marked by laughter or by tears.
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