Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Story




"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun who rides the ancient skies above to help you." 




                                                 He who's power is in the skies.
                                                               Psalm 68:34

.
Imagine for a moment the concept of that power. Supernatural power that rides the skies...for YOU!
Power that resurrects a dead body,  forgives our sins, suspends the stars, gives birth to the dawn and laid the earths foundations.
Power that spreads the northern skies, wraps up the waters in His clouds, and covers the face of the moon.


While it is true that God is in His sanctuary in heaven, it is also true that scripture refers to us as the sanctuary and dwelling place of His spirit. If we have made a deliberate decision to believe The Story, the biblical account of Jesus, and committed to that truth as the foundation for living, Christ promises through the presence of His spirit to come and make His abode within us. We become a new creation. The eternity set within us is awakened.
So, what does that mean?
It is one thing to cognitively comprehend the historical facts of Jesus,  it is quite another to recognize the reality of the resurrection and make it personal.  In other words, we do more than just practice a religion, we embrace a life changing, spirit filled, sold out relationship with Christ.
The ultimate end is the fulfillment of the eternal  pursuit of our souls; salvation from sin and restored intimacy with our creator as was the original design in Eden. Now and forever.

Recognizing the deity of Christ, Repenting of our sins, Receiving  faith (to believe) =salvation.



                                              For if you confess with your mouth
                                    (that Jesus is The Christ and died for your sins) 
                                                    and believe in your heart
                                                 (that He rose from the dead),
                                                          you shall be saved."
                                                            Romans 10:9-10  


How I love to just simply and quietly look up and ponder the inconceivable, undeniable, indescribable glory and power reflected in the heavens above.
"Truly He is awesome in His sanctuary."  "He has set His glory above the heavens."
May you be reminded of His love and provision of eternity for you every time you look up.
And may you remember that He has exalted His name and His word above all things and know that He is above every hour and event, every trial and triumph that might come your way.
He fills the whole universe and is over all and through all and in all. He rides the ancient skies, for you.
That's a power I want to harness and hold on to as I walk this place called planet earth.


 


O Lord god, ancient of days, may we sincerely take words to you and ask for forgiveness and be received graciously, seeing the benefit and experiencing the blessing of new life with you.  Amen.


                        
                                       

  1. Deuteronomy 33:26,  Psalms 68:33,   Job 26:7-9, 14,   John 14:23, 
  2.  Ecclesiastes 3 :11,    Psalms 8:2, 68:35, 138:2,  Ephesians 4:6  Hosea 14:2

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Angels in The Water

"For God does speak--now one way, now another--though man may not perceive it.  In a dream...in a vision."


It happened again.  Like Job, I heard Him speak.  And it has changed my life.

The confines of our mortal mind and it's propensity to... pardon the colloquialism... "put God in a box", never ceases to amaze me.
We pray. We read. We think we understand scripture and hear Gods voice. Yet, "unless we apprentice ourselves to the master"(1), our spiritual vision is myopic--for the word of God is spiritually discerned, not humanly comprehended.

A few years back, my husband had planned a little vacation to Mexico.
Now, I have to confess, I am not a good traveler. Flying, over water in particular, sends my fears into a tail spin. Prior to any estimated date of travel, my imagination  takes flight, dreams set in, fear takes hold and irrationalities take root.
My typical battle strategy is always sound enough; search for promises of  protection, consolation and comfort in scripture. But if I let my anxiousness navigate my spiritual journey , the end result can be a near-sighted rove.

As is my usual custom, I immediately sought out familiar verses for the upcoming trip--"I will be with you always"..." I will never leave you or forsake you"..."The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you"...
I ended up with this gem;  "I will be with you when you pass through the waters." 
Well now,  that's comforting!  The message?-- "You are going to die, but I will be with you as you sink to the depths of the sea."  GREAT. Thanks, God, I sure do feel reassured now!
"Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?"  I mused.

Submitting to the inevitable,  I accepted the prophesy and relented to my apparent fate. That is, until a few days later scripture revealed scripture and I realized the fuller message I was to have received.   Genesis 1:6,  "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water" and  Psalms 148:4,  "Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the skies."
Hallelujah! There would be no crash!  God was going to be with me as we flew safely through the waters of the heavenly realms. God wasn't telling me I was going  DOWN  into the water!  He was telling me I was going  THROUGH  the heavens, "the waters above the waters".  And he planned to be with me as I went.


More recently, I experienced God  through a dream.
The cause?  My husband had scheduled a--- Cruise.!!!!
Here I go again, I thought, another plummet to the depths of the sea!
The scene had me walking hand in hand with my husband on the ship deck and nervously commenting that the ship felt lighter. "It IS lighter, the ship is slowly sinking and they are loading passengers into the life boats"  a passer-by announced with an air of pseudo-serenity.
Fighting panic, I valiantly announced to my husband that I was staying with him, that if we were going down, it would be together. I then relinquished my place with the women and children and took my place with the men, the elderly and the crew.
Taking our seats, we waited for the capsize to commence.

Then, a strange thing happened.  As we sat and waited,  I heard behind me the most angelic voice, the voice of a young child sweetly singing a refrain;  "There are angels in the water."

My soul was instantly quieted as I began to ponder the message of the song.
Angels, it is easy to picture them flying, we know they have wings.  It is easy to picture them walking, they have feet.  It is easy to picture them talking--they have mouths and speak in scripture all over the place. These portrayals make sense to us. But--angels swimming?  Swimming?  That, that is just absurd.
However, if  "God is in all and through all", wouldn't his messengers need to have the same capability in order to care for their human charges? 

Hypothetically speaking, I realized the angels were to represent God's presence to me, and again, I would not be alone no matter what the outcome.
What a beautiful picture I was given to recall for all my days when worry or anxiousness threatened my perspective and peace;

Angels in the water...God is with me.


Oh what small and preconceived concepts of a mighty God we have. It so narrows our thinking and minimalizes our understanding of Him, that it is a wonder we ever glimpse any glory at all!

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us...from God".   



Where can I go from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me...
Psalm 139:7-10


Then all the people went away with great joy, for they had  understood the words God had spoken to them.
Nehemiah 8:12



"O love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
that in Thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be."
(George Matheson, "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go")







Job 33:14, 1 Cor. 2:14, matt. 28:20, Deut. 31:6, Isaiah 43:2, Eph. 4:6, Rom. 8:38-39
(1) Eugene Peterson, Answering God.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Bring the boy hither

                                                                  Shoulders hunched
Brow furrowed    
fists clinched
  he settles into the haunch's of the night
 and waits,
again
waits for the uninvited eddy of emotions to gain momentum,
a swirling descent into despair, 
  waits for the waves of inebriation to wash over him,
              to deliver the escape he yearns for.
             Unsure, now, whether in the body or out, 
 the fog slowly settles in.
 But his spirit won't sleep.  
                A deep guttural growl escapes from the canyons of his soul,
  and echoes
 in a heart bruised
 against the perpetual pursuit of relief. 
He bellows,
                                                                "Why Lord, why me?"
                                                                     And like a tsunami
                                                            without a shore to tide it's strength,
                                                                   the reply returns,
                                                 hurling sand and surf into his brokenness;
                                                                  "Why NOT you?"
                                                                             (L. Paddock)


And the Lord said unto Satan,
Hast thou considered my servant Job?
                 Job--1:8


Suffice it to be for now!
             Matt-- 3:15


Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me.
          Psalm-- 138:7


Title, mark 9:19