he answered them, "I tell you that if these were silent, the stones would cry out.” luke 19:401/10/2014
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As I have looked back over the things I've written on this site, I noticed that I have an undeniable affinity for trees. I do like them quite a lot. In my humblest opinion, landscapes are barren and lifeless without them, no matter how many flowers bloom. Picnics are a bit too sunny out in the open. Swing sets are fine, but a rope swing, hanging from a tall tree, is a dreamy escape! Spreading a blanket under a shady oak or tall elm and taking a nap is about paradise.. Please understand, I do not "worship" trees. They are not gods to me. They are not idols for me. The Creator of the universe made trees for us. He made trees for shade, to keep soils from eroding, to provide life and water to the dirt, deep down. He made trees to provide shelter for birds, animals, and humans, and to provide protection from enemies and storms in life. He made them to be used for raw materials for building other items. We are to be good stewards of the trees and all of the rest of His creation. Furthermore, I am absolutely convinced, that YHWH also made trees for their simple beauty. Why? Because the Bible says so.... Genesis 1:11 - 13 God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth”; and it was so. The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day. In GOD's mercy and love, some have discovered that we have been lied to and we search desperately, sincerely, and without compromise for Truth. We will find it! The Bible says so... Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. Some have figured out that something is wrong here -- that there is a lie afoot, that we have been duped, but yet, rather than seek Truth, they find themselves caught, paralyzed, liking the comfort of the known and dreading the unknown. Some may have heard the Truth, realized it was True and decided it is not worth the trouble. IT IS WORTH EVERYTHING!!!! IT IS WORTH ETERNITY!!!! Some are too scared or too weak -- they need those brave souls around them to SPEAK UP!!! Encourage them. TELL THEM!!!! Some are too stubborn. The LORD himself said some are stiff-necked. What happiness and peace are we missing because we won't humble ourselves and give ourselves BACK TO the ONE who MADE us!!!!??? See? God saw that it was "good." Beauty is good. GOD is good! (GOD is beauty, too.) Back in one of my early blog posts, when I started this whole blog-thing over again after losing years of writing to cyber-never-land, I prayed that the LORD would make me and my family strong, like trees. Here is that prayer from November 2013. Still, my prayer is the same: YHWH grow me, grow my family, grow us! - each of us in my family, in our trust and dependence on you. Grow us in our obedience to you and our desire to please you with our words, thoughts, and deeds, with our whole beings. Draw us to you, through your Spirit, and give each of us a burning desire to know you more, to see your face, like Moses desired. Through my study, reflections, prayers and life lived in you and worked out in writing on these pages, teach me, show me and lead me in Your will and direction in every day life. Grow each of us tall and strong, like the mighty terebinth trees in Mamre and the giant oak of Abram in Hebron, and the I strong cedars of Lebanon, LORD. Abba, open my eyes and my family members' eyes to your Truth and love. Give us your eyes to see the people around us as you see them and the strength to show them your love as you direct us. Help us to stand firm in the face of persecution and trials, knowing full well, vividly and consciously, that our Messiah has already overcome this world. It is in Messiah Yeshua's precious name I pray this. Amen. As I have had some time to reflect and think about this prayer and what I truly meant by it all, I want to expound it a little more today. This world is so full of distractions, delusions, deceptions, duplicity, disinformation, and, quite frankly, often drudgery. We fight against lies and deception. We have to be mindful and purposeful in our walk. We have forgotten, or rather I believe, we have never fully understood what this world and our being here are all about. We have no idea of the power we have in us through the Spirit of the Living, Breathing, Real, Majestic, Mighty, Holy GOD, YHWH.. Some of us have figured out that we have been lied to, duped, by the king of lies, the devil - and sadly some of us have realized this has come through those we should be able to trust -- our churches, our pastors, our parents, friends and family, professors, and the world in general. This world is FALLEN!!!!! Back to trees. My family has gone through some earth-shattering, mind-boggling realizations and shifts in the last three to four years. We have seen Truth that we never knew was there before. it was always there, we just didn't see it. YHWH is the same yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. We do. Now, I find myself tired of this system of lies and deceit and of the 'me, Me, ME!!' mindset I want less of me and more of HIM. I can't do any of this by myself. I can't even seek out Truth on my own. He has to draw me, teach me, show me, reveal Himself to me. My prayer is that YHWH would continue to do this for me and my family. That He would continue this work in us, individually and as a family, until it is complete. I pray that he will give us the strength to stand up to the naysayers, stand straight through the hard parts, stand tall for the Truth. I pray He will continue to prepare us for HIS WORK, not ours, for His glory, not ours. I pray that he would make our home, like a tree, a place of protection from life's storms for all. I pray that He would make our relationships strong, life-giving, deep down, in the soils of our lives, now and in the future. I pray that He would spread out our branches -- which are really HIS BRANCHES - and cause our lives to fill up and spill over with His bounty for all of those around us. Make us all, Abba, strong and tall in Your Word and in Your mighty power, by Your Spirit. I pray more fervently than ever that each of us would, as a tree seeks sunlight and water and nutrition to survive, would personally seek Your Face, LORD' YHWH, to know You deeper and personally as never before - to THRIVE. I pray that our eyes would be open, our hearts receptive and our mouths be closed as we listen for His leading, not man's. Below are another mom's thoughts about trees, strength, promises and the LORD. I couldn't help but post some of her words here for later reflection... =============================== Excerpts reposted from jigsawpuzzleoflife.blogspot.com, by Charissa ...Of all the trees God could have chosen to represent Israel in Isaiah 61:3, why did He choose the oak? Maybe the best–known oaks in the Bible are the “oaks of Mamre,” where Abraham settled in Hebron (Gen. 13:18). Today there is an oak referred to as Abram’s Oak near Hebron. It is 23 feet (7 meters) around, and its foliage reaches a diameter of around 90 feet (27 meters). A few, however, have reached a girth of 70 to 90 feet (21 to 27 meters). The slow-growing tree produces a hard, tough wood that is almost indestructible. After checking 11 different translations of Isaiah 61:3, I found five that simply say “trees of righteousness,” five say “oaks,” and one says “terebinth.” There are six Hebrew words in Scripture rendered “oak.” The word used in Isaiah 61:3 is ayil, which is most often translated “ram.” Its root word refers to strength and power. It can also mean “pillar” and refers to a strong leader. Pistacia (terebinth) develops a very deep and extensive root system and therefore remains green even in years of drought. It often sprouts from the stump after being cut, as noted in Isaiah 6:13. Because of its large size and great age, pistacia trees were well-known landmarks and were used as memorials for the dead. Absalom, great in his own eyes, was trapped in a large pistacia. As often in Scripture, great trees are associated with great men. Gideon was by a large pistacia when he was called by God (Judges 6:11). David faced Goliath in the Valley of the Pistacias (I Samuel 17:2) (elah in Hebrew). From this, I realized that this secret place is a place I meet God face to face, a place that I encounter God and His love, a place of security and a fulfilling of God’s promise and will. It is also a place associated with greatness and a significant place in my life for such a time and such a season. More so, it’s a place to dig my roots deep into Christ, extend and expand from here. What reminded me of my ‘terebinth tree’ was today’s reading from Gen.28:10-22. Genesis 28:10-22 Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!” The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although the name of the nearby village was Luz. Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.” Verse 15 struck me most: “...What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” ... These words are taking me on a new journey. I see them partly fulfilled and partly in progress. The GOG of Abraham, I saac and Jocaob ALWAYS keeps his promises -- we can all be assured by that. And this is my assurance – God will not leave me until He has finished ... EVERYTHING He has promised... Bethel is as significant as a ‘terebinth tree’. Every one of us should have our own “Bethel” and “terebinth tree”. These are places and encounters which keep a person focused on the promises, and gives strength at the lowest points of life. It is a remarkable and memorable place simply because heaven came down on earth and opened a stairway to heaven. Moments like these call for a divine engagement with God; a meeting of hearts, where deep calls to deep... Our gateway to heaven only gets better by developing a deep and extensive root in [Yeshua]. Only then will we be able to “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.” (For a full picture, read Isaiah 54:1-5) Such is God’s covenant with those whom He loves. ========================== Thank you, Charissa, for your beautiful words, clearly communicated, straight to my heart! ~prairiegirl The new year is here. Happy 2014! The new year came in on those proverbial little cold cat's feet last night in our part of the world. The boys, bundled in their heaviest jackets, layers of shirts and thickest gloves, joined several of our neighbors around the fire-pits they set up in their driveway, for a night of fireworks, revelry, and uncharacteristically cold temperatures for a Texas night. It's crazy I know, but we are SO excited to be having a real winter here -- we don't get them all that often! In fact, the boys are praying for a good January or February snowfall like we got in 2009! They are afraid they will be heading off to college before they will see another Texas snowfall.
Wow. 2013 was a looooooooooooong year. I wonder if it was that way for others? But it was a year of blessing, even in the hardships. Our Father is always faithful, always sure, always there, as He promised, through both the good times and the difficult times. Hallelujah!! In 2013, Prairie Husband and I were blessed to see our two boys growing and maturing more than we can remember them doing in all the years before! (Not really, but some days it seemed like it!) They grew, not just in physical stature and facial hair, but in maturity and personal responsibility, and in passion and love for the LORD and the world around them. We have but a few short years left to raise them to be men after GOD's own heart. Father, I pray that you would be my daily Strength, my daily Reminder, my daily Teacher, the constant Love upon my lips to speak to them, and the Joy in my heart to share with them. Amen. 2013 was also a year of "news" for our family; new friendships and new adventures at a new homeschool co-op and a new church. Almost immediately after joining our new co-op and church, we began to see just how much of a real, godly, like-minded community of people we had been missing for the last several years. It sounds cliche, but it was like blinders fell from all of our eyes. We began to see GOD's hand in the many things we had been through, especially in the summer, and we began to get a better grasp of how the refining process of GOD had been working on each of us for so long. GOD's timing is always perfect; no time before the day we actually left was the right time for us to make the changes. I don't think we missed a mark, or by-passed Him will for us. I FIRMLY believe that everything that happened, happened the way it did for the LORD's glory and in His perfect wisdom. One of my friends told me time and again that she believed "the LORD was weeding his garden". How can I argue with that? It's so obvious now! YHWH GOD had all of the events and situations that unfolded totally and completely under His control. We didn't know it at the time, but we watched Him do a MIGHTY, ALL-GOD-ONLY-GOD work this last summer! And we praise Him for it all, even the most difficult parts. When the time came, HIS TIME, we knew without a doubt it was time to make the changes. Prairie Husband and I learned so much and we are both so grateful for those lessons, and the Truths we stood on and the faithfulness of OUR GOD as we did what He asked of us. We both learned to rely on Him so much more in those difficult summer weeks than we had thought possible.. At times it seemed like the whole world was going to crush us - our whole family, and there was nothing we could do or say about it to stop it or really even to defend ourselves, but He was our Strength and our Shield. Looking back now, we see it as a bittersweet time of growth -- most true times of growth are that way, aren't they? Early in 2013 I began to beg the LORD to show me more of Him and to open my eyes to those things within me that needed pruning away and removing, purging!!! Boy, did He! Some of it He did through the circumstances of the summer, other things were more subtle, coming a piece at a time, working their way into my consciousness slowly, until one day it would dawn on me! There have been hard days I have been completely overwhelmed, but in the end, the LORD has shown me that cleaning the house, weeding the garden and purging the old sinful self, can be refreshing. The best word I can find to describe it is *liberating*. GOD has been so faithful to show me not only my faults, but to show me time and again His mercy and His love and that I am a new creation in Him. I don't have to do this on my own! I don't have to just 'muddle through' and 'try my best'. I am more than victorious, because HE IS VICTORIOUS! Hallelujah!! In 2013, as I sought His face and His path, my life verse became Show me the right path, O YHWH; point out the road for me to follow. Ps 25:4 ....I prayed these words daily, hourly, by the minute! Every time I wavered, doubted, thought too long, or not enough, every time I had to make a decision, read something that caused me to gasp, sigh, cry, smile, or take a deep, long look within or without, I begged the LORD to SHOW ME HIS PATH! Every time I came to a wall and knew I could do nothing on my own, I heard this psalm. I have said it aloud. I have sung it. I have cried these words out, with tears and sobs. I have prayed it back to GOD over and over. I got to the point that I dreamed the words. A dear, sweet friend - who has had his own year of growth and stretching, made a steel plaque for me with those words cut into the metal, like they are cut into my heart now, to remind me of His promises. Mr. Rancher had no idea how much those words mean to my very survival, even now. And in 2013, I saw with new eyes and a new heart, the preciousness of my marriage. and friendship with my sweet husband. My prayer and goal is to make 2014 a fresh renewal of our relationship and to ensure that my focus does not waiver from the three cords that bind us together as man and wife and as one, with the LORD... Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” When the two cords of husband, and wife are bound together, they are not easily broken, but when three strands are woven together, and if the third strand is the Creator and Maker of the Universe, there is no way that Satan can break what GOD has joined together. I have been thinking about this year's goal, this year's prayer, this year's verse. A few weeks ago, after reading about how GOD prepares us a bit at a time to see more and more, to grow more and more, I ran across a verse that hit me hard. I thought about it off and on for about two weeks, then forgot it. Today, my friend Chesapeake Mom sent me a reminder. Now, she didn't know it was a reminder, she didn't know I had tossed this scripture around in my head for days and thought about what it might mean for me, my marriage, my children, my whole life... but that is just how GOD has worked in our friendship. He has used her to speak deep things to my heart, and he has taught me so much from our friendship and conversations. I am so grateful to the LORD for the friend he has given me in this beautiful sister! It is apparent to me now that the LORD wants me to understand something deeper about this verse. Something deeper about it's significance for my own life in some way. What, I am not sure? Something tells me that if this becomes my verse for 2014, I will find out just what it is the the LORD wants me to know about it's meaning. The scripture comes from the book of Joshua. Joshua 3:5 5 And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves [that is, separate yourselves for a special holy purpose], for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. But, that is not all that I believe the LORD is trying to tell me with this particular passage.... I believe that there is more to it. Specifically, I believe He is calling my attention to a verse BEFORE verse 5 -- verse 1. Joshua 3:1 (NRSV) Early in the morning Joshua rose and set out from Shittim with all the Israelites, and they came to the Jordan. They camped there before crossing over. Initially three things stand out to me in this scripture: 1) Joshua rose early in the morning. For months now I have heard the LORD calling me to come crawl into His lap in the wee hours of the morning and commune with Him, talk with Him, just BE with Him. I am NOT a natural early riser. Not. At. All. Rarely, almost never if I am truthful, do I listen to His pleading, kind voice. No, I prefer to sleep. I prefer comfort and momentary rest over soul satisfaction with my Maker and King. What does that say about his kingship over my life? It is a sad reflection, to be honest. Over and over I have been reminded that I SHOULD seek him early in the morning. In fact, this last Sunday morning the pastor's sermon touched briefly on this in the life of Moses from Psalm 90:14 Psalm 90:14 (WEB) Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. How many times in my life have I read this verse? Plenty, I am sure, but not once before did I pause and consider the deeper implications of why GOD had Moses write the words "satisfy us in the morning..." He could have said in the evening or even in the afternoon. Words have meaning and the Creator of language knows this better than any of us. The speaker I was listening to explained that Jewish scholars believe that this means if we are satisfied in our GOD, first thing in the morning, before anything else takes up our time, energy or desires, we will see that there is NOTHING on this earth that can satisfy us like the One are to adore and worship, YHWH GOD. Furthermore, we will also understand that seeking after other things - be they people, things or whatever - will never be able to satisfy our souls like He can. I love that. Jesus rose very early in the morning, too (Mark 1:35). Psalm 5:3 says something profound about this too, in only few words. Psalm 5:3 ESV O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. Watch what? Watch the LORD perform wonders and the miracles that only He can orchestrate and produce in our lives; watch Him show us His Glory! Years ago when Buddy was a baby, I was part of a Beth Moore Bible study group at our church. While there, GOD burned this verse into my heart and head from Isaiah 50. I love the vivid picture that this translation paints about why GOD would choose to wake us and that it is purposeful. He wakes us for a reason! Isaiah 50:4 (VOICE) 4 The Lord, the Eternal, equipped me for this job-- with skilled speech, a smooth tongue for instruction. I can find the words that comfort and soothe the downtrodden, tired, and despairing. And I know when to use them. Each morning, it is God who wakes me and tells me what I should do, what I should say. 2) Joshua was part of a community of like-minded people. Joshua was part of a larger group, a community of believers, of GOD's people and they gave each other encouragement and help when needed. They served and worshiped the LORD together. They were much like the cord of three strands that is not easily broken that I already talked about in relation to marriage.... one, by himself can be over taken, if a second comes to help, they are not so easily overpowered. But if there are three, their unity is not easily broken. That third strand here is the One that really counted, YHWH GOD. 3) Joshua camped before crossing over [the Jordan]. Joshua waited on GOD. He did not set the timetable. He did not rush ahead of GOD, making his own plans. He did not forge on and wait for GOD to catch up with his idea, his plan or his will. He did not stiffen his neck and tell GOD what He was going to do for him. He waited on GOD. The scripture says he waited three days. AND THEN, when it was time to move, in GOD's timing, he made sure that he followed GOD's instructions and that the people did the same. So, the initial lessons for me and my life seem to be: 1) HEED HIS CALL EARLY IN THE MORNING. Get out of bed. Nail my pitiful comfort and selfish will to the cross and climb into His lap instead. Bask in His love and majesty. Stay there as long as I can! 2) DO NOT AVOID COMMUNITY with like-minded believers. Find and associate with them, LOVE on them, forgive them, encourage them, grow with them, learn with them. 3) WAIT ON GOD'S TIMING. Do not rush things. Wait for the Holy Spirit to move and prompt my words. Wait for direction and pray for my words to be His words... Psalm 19:14 (ESV) Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. So, will the message of Joshua 3:1 and 3:5 become my prayer verse for 2014? It seems like it just may. Yet, I can't not also continue to seek the His path and direction and cry out to Him as I have this entire year. I still desperately need Him to point out the right road for me to follow! If Joshua is to become my 2014 prayer verse, it is in addition to the continuation of Ps 25:4. LORD YHWH, as I have so often prayed over this last year, show me Your will, Your path, Your face. Father, open my eyes to Your Truth and help me to learn and mature in Your timing, not mine. Father, continue to wake me early with an ear ready to learn from you and watch you display your power and majesty. Father, make me into what You would have me be for Your glory. I pray that in 2014 You will make your face shine upon my husband and children, our family and give us your peace - shalom. I pray that you would also soften our hearts toward you and open our eyes to see and hearts to hear all that you would say. Thank you for your Son, Yeshua, who took upon Himself, on the cross, my sins and my shame so that I can come to you clean and forgiven. Amen. |
my prayer as I walk this path set before me...YHWH make me lie down by the still waters, by Your stream of Living Water, Yeshua. Help me to to drink deeply of your saving grace and majesty. Make me, Father, grow deep, deep, strong roots in You, in Your Word and in Your Truth. Block from my mind and heart the deceptions and lies of this world. Remove from me the iniquity, traditions and half-truths I have learned from birth and renew me in Your steadfast Truth and love forever. Forgive me for my stubborn tendency to try to cling to that which is temporal instead of that which is eternal. Teach me to let go, Abba, and if I am stiff-necked, cause me let go and turn to You! In Yeshua's precious, saving name, I pray. Amen. Categories
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