God's intentions are good and deliberate

Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. Is. 49:22

Sometimes, it looks like the redemption of the gentiles was an afterthought or an accident, in scripture. I know that this is not the case, but here it is a wonderful opening of the mind and intention of God to "save to the uttermost".

I find such comfort in the earlier verses, that God always remembers us that I often miss the larger view of this passage. I imagine myself as the loved of God and this is true, but He was talking to His covenantal people in the Old Testament. I know this and it comforts me still, as I think of the comfort that it must have been to Daniel as he went through the captivity. Surely, it must have looked like God had forsaken them. Certainly, his heart would have ached to enter into true worship with the people of God and have the liberty to live out his days in communion with God's people. God had other plans for Daniel. God had not forsaken them, individually or corporately. Neither will He forsake Israel.

Daniel had a ministry of instruction and governing in a Gentile environment. How completely outside of the box of expectation for the godly Israel mindset? "How can these ungodly people ever carry Israel upon their shoulders to God?" must have crossed his mind, more than one time. They must have felt like prey for the digestion of a mighty power, and yet God in them was greater than this mighty power. He has personal plans for us as individuals and He has a corporate plan for His people upon the earth.

When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as God's New Testament people, we are fulfilling the intention of God in Isaiah. In symbol we are acting like the Pharoah's daughter to Moses and raising one, who would be slated for destruction, without Christ and bearing him{unsaved Israel, in New Testament times}to the throne of God, in intercession.

God has, as it were, turned the tables and given us the privilege of bearing the Mosaic covenant on the shoulders of the saved Gentile church of Jesus. Halleluia, What a Savior!

So, I am comforted personally that God will not forget me, in my struggles and I am comforted that He had His Bride in mind to draw Israel back to Himself, one day. What a mighty God we serve.

Is your soul in your worship?

I do love soul music. I do love all kinds of music. But, there is something mystical about the emotions that music elicits. Am I singing with my soul to God? He is always engaged in our lives and gives so much more than we could ever know. But, I see in scripture the expression of yearning from God, for our whole worship. The example is Ephraim. All show and little heart. Everywhere, from the time that you meet Ephraim to the prophecies about him throughout the Old Testament, God is calling him to whole-hearted worship. I think of it like a beautiful song that is written by someone else's husband to her. This doesn't belong to you, but you enjoy the sound of it. You wish for that expression from your husband and imagine him singing it to you. But it is not your posession. God seems to say this to Ephraim, all through scripture and warning us all that we not be that type of worshipper. All show and exterior and no heart in it for God. When I hear music that is a show for somebody, I think about my worship to God. I never want it to be rote. I am grateful for the praise leaders that I have met in my life, who are examples of directing the attention of worship, from the place and their performances to God. When that is truly done it is a beautiful sight. There is always too much self in our expressions to God and without His grace, we have nothing to offer Him, but Ephraimish worship. Engaging my soul in my worship to God and in my expressions of love to those I am committed is a deliberate effort. I am grateful for the vehicle of soul music to remind me of the difference between a performance, even a great performance and true worship. God, please grant grace to worship you aright. To give You acceptable praise and worship is very difficult. Even with the knowledge of a sacrificial Savior, who gave His all to save me, I am stuck with futile and heartless expressions to You, at times. Enliven my praise. Bless the ministries and ministers who direct us in worship to be faithful to You, amidst the difficulties of our idolatrous age. Bless and enliven us to truly love You and show love to You in our worship and not just giving lip-service. Cleanse us from our Ephraimish expressions. Help Lord and inhabit our praise, for Your glory and for the growth of Your Church on the earth. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Sometimes our faith is so shortsighted.

It only takes a little cloud to make us wonder if we will ever see the sun, sometimes. When the sun is shining, confidence can run high. It seems that nothing can dull it's light. It is so powerful and energizing. Then, the radar shows a storm, large or small on the horizon. There I am questioning the warmth of the sun. It is overcast in the weather. Today the sun is shining, but, perhaps, it is overcast in my soul. Is God's light dimmed by my clouds of unbelief and doubt? "What can lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus and that power is brighter than the sun. My soul's dimness and my minds questions are but clouds over the full rays of my spiritual sky. I can believe that the sun will shine again. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. "sometimes a light surprises the Christian when he sings, It is the Lord who cometh with healing in His wings" He has the healing and I need but access the healing, for the sake of my undying soul. Carest thou not that we perish? I ask in my unbelief. Don't You see that my soul is flailing in the waves of unbelief? I know that He sees. I know that He cares. I know that He has it under control. My anxieties and fears and cares I am casting on Him.

Thank God for those people, who God has called to build up our breastplate of righteousness.

I can feel, almost tangibly, when the chinks on my breastplate of righteousness are falling off. God's Word is faithful and reminds us to put on the whole armor of God. When I hear the brethren sing to God's glory of the truths of scripture, it seems as though my breastplate is being reinforced. The fiery darts of the wicked one come in and burn and bruise and make me sore. The songs of faith and truth strengthen my heart and my faith. The scriptures tell us to be filled with the spirit singing to one another in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord is essential for those whose hearts are downcast. There is a verse that says not to sing songs to a heavy heart and I have had that experience, as well. A heart so heavy with cares and pain that it cannot see a day when it could sing. God's healing came in spite of myself and it often came through the songs of the believers injected into my soul. I do remember, at my son's funeral, my knees were unable to stand. I felt that I would faint, any moment. The first hymn of the congregation seemed to come into my soul and body and strengthen my knees to stand and then to walk and even to stand at the cemetary. It was the song of the redeemed, I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to be there. My body was completely given over to the grief. God used the means of the songs in the service to strengthen body and soul. Rarely, are we called to go through those kinds of seasons of unbelief and grief, thanks to God's mercy. But God has the remedy for our griefs and woes and unbelief. He uses the people of God. Songs that they have written. Voices annointed to minister for His faithfulness, instruments playing skillfully for His glory strengthen, encourage, build up and convict us; building our breastplate of righteousness. I think that we will see our armor, when we get to heaven and we will see, what we did to build and strengthen our armor and that which we have done to break down the armor that we have. I pray that we will be found faithful, in that day.

Babylon is fallen, fallen? Is 21:9

Wouldn't it be a sorry sight when we get to heaven and see that much of our labors were to try to raise Babylon from its fallen state. We think it is our job to resurrect the trampling that the Lord's foot is doing on our idolatry. He is trampling Babylon under His feet, through His Bride the church and we are setting up levers and hoya lifts to pick it up. I think that there was certainly a falling in Daniel's day as he broke the Word of God down for the people and prevailed in prayer with God. We have access to the great God of creation, Daniel bellowed to the deafened, educated world of his day. A Savior is coming and in the fullness of time, we will see that the kingdoms of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, because of the sacrifice of Christ. Catechisms and Creeds, traditions of faith and life-giving habits are the toes of the feet trampling the Babylon under the feet of Christ. We still try to resurrect the pieces of the statue of subjugation and demoralization in our civilizations, but ultimately, Christ wins the conflict, regardless of our insane efforts to work against Him. Glory, Halleluia, His truth is marching...on!

"If thou art?" "If thou can'st?" "If Thou would'st"

The Lord was tempted by the devil, with ifs and thens. "If you are...then. If I am then." I think of the corrolaries and postulates that we had to memorize in High School and I think of Rudyard Kipling's if. If is a strong dare to us for good and for ill. The major life postulate and corrolary should certainly be,"If God be for us, who can be against us?" If we then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above, where Christ is? Oh how often my eyes and my heart are sunk in the mud of this life's concerns and difficulties. The thorns and thistles are choking out the word until I grab hold of the help in the true truth of life that I belong to Jesus. He will help us. He will sustain and recoup my mind, from the anxieties. He is for us. Halleluia, anyhow. Heidelberg and the catechisms are bombardments for the mind to dilute some of the tools of the enemy from totally sabotaging the soul, to the ultimate shipwreck of the soul. The help of God comes with the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies. Help us, Lord to love You and trust You, in these dark days and veil of tears. Christ is the light of that city!

Some situations may overcome us...

The older I get the more aware of my limitations, emotionally and socially. I get to my last nerve, alot sooner than when I was younger. Last night I misplaced some money and couldn't recuperate emotionally from the folly of it, even after the money was found. That is just a tidbit of the sensitivities of my aging infirmities. The elders, used to sing that song, We Shall Overcome. There is much to be strengthened by in that song. I imagine the "listening skies" as if God's ear is the sky above us. The faith that can give us strength to march on, forth is expressed by many of the spirituals and hailed in this season of the year. Sometimes, the scripures and the sentiment that caused our forefathers to pen many of the sentiments of overcoming illudes me. I just don't see the overcoming, in the trenches. I see the lights of explosives and the combat, but there is no light of the end of the tunnel of my conflict in sight. I feel jealous of the people who heartily express their commitment to overcoming. I feel like singing I am overcome. I am learning that Jesus is far above my emotions and John reminds me that He is even greater than my heart. He is above the principalities and powers that overtake me in the struggle and can vanquish every foe, with the "word of his power". He is exalted and no individual overcomes, truly without the corporate commitment of the "Body of Christ". God's listening skies are tuned to the cries of His children and not as they cry for their own individual needs apart from His church, but, as we are attached to the living and true expression of His life on the earth, He is glorified in allowing us to overcome, the world, the flesh, and the devil. God's church will overcome, not to the liberty of prosperity, necessarily, but to the liberty of truly expressing His will upon the earth. That is the delicate expression of the vision of what is overcoming to impress upon our children. Not our foot on the neck of our brother, but the freedom to serve our brother, in gratitude for what Christ has done and is accomplishing upon the earth through us. Thank God for a patient family and friends who love me through my unbelief. Maybe, I do see the light at the end of the tunnel, that way.