Tag Archive | Significant Encounters

Processing Memories

May29

Of all the things that can be a part of ones memories,

Rape has to be near the top of the list of atrocities.

The enemy of our soul, who hates us with vicious malaise,

uses this and more to destroy any possibility of reaching

the heights that God has for us.

This story made me realize that even though the processing

has been done, it my never be finished.

Like shards of glasses embedded deep inside,

the remnants work their way to the surface.

http://goodwomenproject.com/rape/when-no-one-believes-you

This is all so doom and gloom, right?

Let me tell you about the light.

The Year of the Lord’s Favor  (NIV1984)

61: 1-3, 7.  The Spirit  of the Sovereign Lord  is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.   He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3  and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown  of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

7 Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit  a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy  will be theirs.

Jesus truly is the only answer to the pain.

He will never leave you or forsake you.  (Joshua 1:5)

Then you will know the truth, and the truth (He) will set you free.  (John 8:32)

He knows the truth.

He IS the Truth.

You are not alone.

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Constant Battle. Regarding Restfulness.

May23

It is a constant battle to be quiet.

A constant battle to be restful.

To hear the “Still small voice” of the Holy Spirit.

Each nerve, each cell, each synapse firing.

For more information, more knowledge,  more of anything but peace.

They twitch and scream for attention.

They demand more, more, more.

While my spirit longs for only what God can give.

Each jolt of my nerves takes me farther away.

Sitting in quietness appears to be counterproductive to my natural man.

The world we live in cajoles us into the belief that stillness is not beneficial or constructive.

After beginning this post, I read a post by Seth Godin called

“Ranking for Signal to Noise Ratio” 

posted to Facebook  on the 22 of May.

The timing could not have been better.

Seth’s main point was that in a quiet place,

the noise does not have to be big to be heard. 

In a noisy place like a night club,

no matter how loud you talk,

it is difficult to be heard.

Reminds me of my “Quiet time”.

Frequently, it may take a half an hour or more to silence all the noise,

to still all the synapses.

Even more frequently, I find myself not taking that time.  

I have so much to do!

Like email, Facebook, Pinterest!

Ouch!  It hurts to admit that!

The list on my desk grows while I spend my time zoning out on “important stuff”.

More often than not,

I must MAKE myself be really intentional about turning it all off.

I suspect that you may see yourself here as well.

As the roar of the World Wide Web grows larger every day,

my intent to hear the “Still small voice” of God must grow as well.

Truth?  I’ve heard it all before.  So have you.  It’s all just part of the noise!

But there is truth that is even bigger, with a “smaller” voice.

Here is what it says;

9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of Jehovah came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Jehovah. And, behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before Jehovah; but Jehovah was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake:

12 and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire:

and AFTER the fire a still small voice.

13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

14 And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

1 Kings 19:9-14

 

You see how Elijah was jealous for Jehovah the God of hosts?

Read how God was not in the tumult of earth, wind and fire, all synapses firing.

These things sought Elijah’s very life.

God was in the still small voice AFTER the fire.

Then we read again that Elijah was jealous for Jehovah God,

and was sad that all the others had forsaken Him for all the noise. 

They had made all that was in front of them in the noise, their god.

Join me won’t you?

Let us set our intent to be jealous for our Jehovah God.

Let Him be our delight, our highest joy, and our greatest pleasure.

 

You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

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He Delights in You

May21

The following text was written during a time the biblical David’s life was rife with conflict.

Multiple battles with the Philistines.                         

People ceaselessly trying to take his life.

Yet, he saw His God as the protector of that life.

 

2 Samuel 22 (NIV1984)   David’s Song of Praise

David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from   the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.  He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent men you save me.  4 I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

5 “The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.  6 The cords of the grave coiled around me;   the snares of death confronted me. 7 In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God.  From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.

8 “The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry.9 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.10 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.  11 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky. 13 Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. 14 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.  15 He shot arrows and scattered the enemies, bolts of lightning and routed them. 16 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of breath from his nostrils.

17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.  18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.  19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. 20 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

21 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not done evil by turning from my God. 23 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. 24 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. 25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.

(It is thought that this took place BEFORE David’s sins of murder and adultery.  Even after that though, it is still maintained that David’s heart was to return and to stay within the guidelines God had set for him)

26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,27 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. 28 You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.  29 You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light. 30With your help I can advance against a troop with my God I can scale a wall.

31 “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.  He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. 32 For who is God besides the Lord?  And who is the Rock except our God?  33 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. 34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.  35 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great. 37 You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.

38 “I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.39 I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. 40 You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.  41 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. 42 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the Lord, but he did not answer. 43 I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.

44 “You have delivered me from the attacks of my people; you have preserved me as the head of nations. People I did not know are subject to me, 45 and foreigners come cringing to me; as soon as they hear me, they obey me. 46 They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.

47 “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!  Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior! 48 He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me, 49 who sets me free from my enemies.  You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. 50 Therefore I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. 

51 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”

 

Have you had multiple battles?

Multiple attacks?

Does it seem as though God is absent?

Note in verse 8 how God was angry at those who tried to hurt David.

So angry that the heavens shook.

Note in verse 15 God scattered David’s enemies and in verse 20, He rescued him and brought him into a spacious place.

Why?  Because He delighted in him.

In verse 28 God saved David when he was humble and brought low his enemies who were proud.

God made him strong and able to do battle.

Why?  Because David asked.

 

So go ahead.  Ask.  The same is true for you.

God awaits your call. (verses 4 & 7)

He wants to do the same for you.

Why?  Because God delights in you.

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