Author: astherainandsnow

“In these days [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon,.. and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot.

“And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you…'” Luke 6:12-20a

“And he went up on the mountain to pray. When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he came to them.” “When it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place.” Mark 6:46-48; Luke 4:42

Jesus’s public ministry was packed full, morning to night, with seemingly little room for sleep or solitude. But Jesus made getting alone with His Father a priority, stealing away for time in sequestered prayer throughout His ongoing work. He knew the importance of climbing high and drawing close to gain vision and insight, to renew stamina. From short seasons with His Father flowed wise choices, holy compulsion, a divine pace, power in ministry, and blessing to others.

Getting out to and up a mountain takes effort. It takes planning, scheduling, sometimes training in order to prepare the right muscles. Going to heights of the Lord takes being willing to traverse rugged terrain and face clouds of conviction that may ensue. Is time at the mount with our Lord a top and daily priority? What time have I set aside, and what commitment and faith muscles need be exercised into strength of habit? Does my functional fitness include my spirit, so I can tackle duties, service, and relationships with the mind and heart of Christ?

Where do I need particular help, grace, or guidance? What decisions or efforts need the Lord’s wisdom? Am I depleted, weary, needing renewal of soul or restoration of body? What effort at work or difficulty at home needs God’s divine favor or solution? Go out to the mountain! Meet with God there! He who went before us is there to meet us, eager to commune and restore, to teach and invigorate. (Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2)

“Savior, lead me up the mountain,
  Where the Lord alone is seen,
Where we hear the voice from heaven,
  Where the air is pure and clean.

Lead me higher up the mountain,
  Give me fellowship with Thee;
Higher up where light increases,
    Where the strain of efforts cease.” ~Philip Paul Bliss (1838-1876)

Lord, help me take daily gleanings of love and light and wisdom from Your heights back to the lowlands.

“I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

“As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'” Matthew 26:26-28

The institution and sharing of the Lord’s supper, not fully understood at its inception, takes on fuller meaning the other side of the cross. The Savior who offered His broken body for our sake was alive, resurrected, and triumphantly seated at God’s right hand. The manifold remembrances serve to build up both believer and the church.

‘Remember that I was born of a virgin, fulfilling prophecy and in humble estate. Remember that I was heralded from birth by heavenly beings, announced as Savior, and worshiped. Remember that I was raised as a man, experiencing every temptation as you, yet resisted.’ Are we regularly worshiping, and resisting temptation by His way of escape? (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 4:1-10; Luke 2:4-20,25-32; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 12:4)

‘Remember that I met with you, walking, teaching, and healing among you to point to my grace and power that you might believe and have life. That you might follow in my steps and serve one another, and love them as I loved you.’ With whom are we sharing His love and life-giving gospel? (Mark 10:45; John 13:34; 20:30-31)

‘Remember that the culmination of my earthly ministry was Calvary. That I took upon myself the sin of the world and its penalty, so you could be declared righteous. That I was forsaken so you could be forgiven, condemned to set you free. I gave up my life so you could enjoy life forever.’ Are we free indeed? (John 3:16; 8:36; Romans 6:6-7; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

‘Remember that I live today as risen Lamb, King of kings, ever your Light, Advocate, and Intercessor. My Spirit lives in you to counsel, comfort, teach, and sanctify. I will never leave or forsake you.’ He is trustworthy! (Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Luke 22:31-32; John 14:16-17,26; 16:7-11,13; Romans 8:31-34; 1 Timothy 6:14-16; Revelation 19:16; 21:22-23)

At the Lord’s supper and always, do we solemnly remember Him? The sacred head wounded, the sorrow and love flowing mingled down? His triumphant resurrection offers victory today over idleness, idolatry, worry, and every sin habit. If we determined to remember, then applied those realities in our day to day, how would we love, serve, speak, and work differently?

Lord, may my every breath be inhaled and exhaled in remembrance of You, with gratefulness and grace, and my life cause others to remember You too.

“Then the Lord said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey… Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘But I will be with you… I AM WHO I AM… Say this to the people of Israel: “I AM has sent me to you.”’

“‘I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land… flowing with milk and honey… But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.  So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty…’

“Then Moses answered, ‘But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, “The Lord did not appear to you.” ..Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?  Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.’ But he said, ‘Oh, my Lord, please send someone else…’ And the Lord said to Moses, ‘When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.'” Exodus 3:7-8,10-12a,14,17a,19-21; 4:1,10-13,21

Moses’ ineloquence and slow speech became a stutter of ‘but,’ repeatedly uttering all he could not do. The I AM countered every protest with supernatural ability and promise. For every doubt and denial came a matching pledge of adequacy and provision, yet still the nervous shepherd resisted God’s call to leadership.

Lest we criticize Moses, we, too, have received grace upon grace at every call of God. We, too, have His very great and precious promises pertaining to life and godliness. We know He is able to make all grace abound to us, and provide for every need. And yet our flesh that fears, and is lazy, and self-conscious, also makes excuses and says, ‘I can’t.’ (John 1:16; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 3:20-21; Philippians 4:19; 2 Peter 1:3-4)

Obedience that honors God must relinquish my “I can’t”s and take hold of His “I will”s. It is a matter of faith in who He is and what He has said. Where has my resolve grown feeble, and my whine of ineptitude disabled my confidence in God’s ability?

Father, help me trust Your “I will”s with all my heart and in every action, and so magnify Your greatness and glory.

“He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart…

“Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by fathers’ houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those twenty years old and upward,.. 300,000 choice men, fit for war, able to handle spear and shield. He hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for 100 talents of silver. But a man of God came to him and said, ‘O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites. But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.’ And Amaziah said to the man of God, ‘But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?’ The man of God answered, ‘The Lord is able to give you much more than this.’ Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home again. And they became very angry with Judah and returned home in fierce anger. But Amaziah took courage and led out his people and went to the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 men of Seir… But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 people in them and took much spoil.” 2 Chronicles 25:2,5-11,13

Amaziah prepared meticulously, but got swept up in bolstering his strength with men over God. Readying his offenses against the enemy, he neglected to seek the Lord’s counsel, and over-planned. Although he then trimmed back at God’s command and triumphed in battle, he suffered the consequences of his foolishness.

How kind of God to intervene! How gracious His redirection! Amaziah had been charging forward in self-prescribed efforts, but by God’s grace was willing to change course at His command. The Lord was more interested in his heart than his success, that he be strong and courageous while trusting His power. He wanted this good but half-hearted king to believe wholeheartedly in His ability. He worked through both his military acumen and overkill to teach king Amaziah who really reigned.

The Lord calls us to make wise plans, to fortify life and faith. But we are to seek and adhere to His wisdom in doing so. Bold courage is an asset, but building strategy and security according to men apart from God’s leading is never prudent. When we are adamant about driving ourselves in our way, we miss out on the much more that God could give and do for us, and His resultant glory. (Proverbs 16:3,9; 21:30; Ephesians 3:20-21)

What manifestation of God’s power has been overshadowed by over-controlling my environment and defenses? What areas of my life have I failed to surrender absolutely to God’s control? How well do my actions prove my trust in Him with my family, my business, my future?

Father, help me seize every assignment You give with both zeal and spiritual wisdom, according to Your best plans. Take the lead, so You take all the glory.

“He has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass,
    and he has set darkness upon my paths.
He has stripped from me my glory
    and taken the crown from my head.
He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone,
    and my hope has he pulled up like a tree.
He has kindled his wrath against me
    and counts me as his adversary.
His troops come on together;
    they have cast up their siege ramp against me
    and encamp around my tent.

“He has put my brothers far from me,
    and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.
My relatives have failed me,
    my close friends have forgotten me…
My breath is strange to my wife,
    and I am a stench to the children of my own mother.
Even young children despise me;
    when I rise they talk against me.
All my intimate friends abhor me,
    and those whom I loved have turned against me.
My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh,
    and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth…

“For I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
    yet in my flesh I shall see God,
 whom I shall see for myself,
    and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
    My heart faints within me!” Job 19:8-14,17-20,25-27

It’s hard to imagine greater grief and agony than Job’s loss of all his children, livelihood, health, and relationships. Even his wife and closest friends distanced themselves from his prosperous, handsome life gone bereft and ugly. But Job never lost sight of, nor his connection with, his Maker. (Job 1:13-22; 2:7-10)

In turmoil of soul and pain of flesh, Job wrestled with his God. He poured out complaint and begged for the mercy of death, but did not turn his back. To whom else would he go? While he did not understand, he believed. He knew not the reasons for all God had wrought, but he trusted His right to do it. His isolation from all that had been glorious taught the invisible knowing of hidden treasure. The miseries of present life caused hunger for eternal hope. (Job 3:3-4,20-26; 6:8-10; 7:16-19; 9:4-15)

He knew his Redeemer. He knew He lived and reigned with perfect control. He knew he would see Him face to face, healed and whole. He knew, in the thick of the war, that God would stand victorious over suffering and triumphant in purpose. That was enough. His sure hope fed and sustained him in the worst of condemnation and pain. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 19:1-2,6; 21:3-4,22-23)

Oh, that our hearts, when failing, would find such strength in Him! Where are we cracked, broken, alone? Fly to Jesus! What sorrow, bitterness, or pain weighs too heavy to bear? Cling to Jesus! He is the great and perfect Redeemer who lives and ever intercedes on our behalf! Bow before Jesus! He stands ready to save, comfort, and deliver, to redeem every hurt and swallow every pang in victory! He is here, and that day will soon be too! Take heart, take hope! All that He’s broken He will mend in glorious life and joy. (Psalm 73:25-26; Romans 8:31-34)

Lord, in every brokenness may I trust You to repair, in every anguish to console, and every darkness to be glorified in inexhaustible light.

“The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“’I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
    and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’

“…Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe…We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men…

“God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” 1 Corinthians 1:18-21,23-25,27-31

“We are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

How can the same message be so disparate toward and among its hearers? God’s truth does not change, yet man is fickle and stained with a rebel heart. God’s word is trustworthy, but unregenerate man is easily deceived and his affections stray, luring him away from spiritual realities. What is the remedy? The breach between God’s infinite wisdom and man’s finite (and foolish) understanding is impossibly wide, measured only by Christ’s outstretched arms on Calvary. The distance between His high thoughts and our low ones is reconciled only by Jesus. (Isaiah 55:8-9; Jeremiah 17:9)

When we consider the cross, there is a vast chasm between believers and unbelievers. The religious then who wanted a political savior, and today who want a spiritual Santa Claus, are dumbfounded at the ‘failure’ in His crucifixion. But the truly wise see that only in the humbling, condemnation, and death for our sake, has Jesus become to us Redeemer and Friend. (Philippians 2:5-8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 8:9)

Who can penetrate our natural foolishness with spiritual wisdom? Who can reverse the bleed of disbelief? Who can halt and heal destruction? Who can tame the wildest bent? Who can transform misappropriated affections? Who can blot out sin? Jesus! Jesus alone! And He does so supernaturally so man cannot boast. Man cannot take credit for a change of heart, awakening to faith, or inner regeneration. Where am I inflating my supposed wisdom and faltering in sanctification? When will I humble myself, yield to God’s righteous standards, and seek wisdom from above?

Father, teach me all the cross means, not only for my soul, but for the way I think and view all of life and others. Soak my mindset in Your wisdom, and Your power into my helpless flesh.

“The angel said, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth… He will turn many… to the Lord, and go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah…’

“Zechariah said, ‘How shall I know this? I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.’ The angel answered,.. ‘I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to… bring you this good news. You will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time…’

“The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son… ‘He shall be called John.’ [Her neighbors and relatives] said, ‘None of your relatives is called by this name.’ They made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John…’  Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God…

“‘Blessed be the Lord God,
    for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us…
    that we… might serve him without fear,
    in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.'” Luke 1:13-14,16,18-20,57,60b-64,68-69,74-75

Zechariah was going about his duty when the angel appeared, and in an instant, an ordinary day turned into an extraordinary rest of his life. This aged priest and his barren wife would have the joy of bearing and raising a son great before the LORD? His disbelief at such a pledge rendered him nine months dumb. Nine long months of watching their God-given child change his wife’s body. Nine months of pondering the God who would do this, and the wonder of why. Nine months of voiceless communion, worship, and intimacy with the Lord like none other. (Luke 1:8-12,15)

Then, upon John’s birth and naming according to divine decree, Zechariah’s tongue loosed, and out flowed praise.

Small, yet powerful. Tongues that praise also- and quickly- utter dubiety, sarcasm, nonsense, criticism, and cursing. At times, God would have them struck inert. What a difference it would make if we more often held our tongues and pondered God over the moment: Lord of nations, King of kings, Father of the fatherless, Bread of life. Contemplating Him and His promises would silence worry, placate fear, immobilize unbelief, and soothe sorrow. (Psalm 68:5; Jeremiah 10:7; John 6:35,48; 1 Timothy 6:15-16; James 3:2-10)

And what if, when loosed, our tongues spoke only praise for all God has done, encouragement from His word, and gospel truth? When we take silence to think on the depths of God, His Spirit imparts His mind to inform and shape our message. (Mark 7:35-36; 1 Corinthians 2:2-4,9-13,16; 14:3)

Why might God want to silence, or let loose, our tongues today?

“O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread thro’ all the earth abroad
the honors of your name.” ~Charles Wesley (1739)

Amen.

“When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed…

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it… Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’ Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,

‘This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man…’

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Genesis 2:5-8,15,18-23,1-3

Every part of His masterful creation was carried out in divine order and precision, and God pronounced it very good. Then, with vast heavens and earth in place and complete, with man and woman fashioned in His image, entrusted with meaningful and fruitful work, He rested, satisfied, and blessed that day. (Genesis 1:31)

God has appointed us 24 hours a day, and the stewardship of them. When we take command in disorder, we end up bereft of rest and blessing. When we take time to seek the Lord each day and worship at his feet, to offer ourselves a living sacrifice to His service, He leads us to test and approve His will by intentional action and obedience. He supplies discernment to understand His course as well as the wherewithal to finish the work. The blessed result is an inner rest and refreshment that comes with the completion. (Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3:23; 2 Timothy 4:7)

What work has God inspired that never gets done? How do we manage holy intentions? Where need we follow through in worship, making a visit, writing a note, or study? How thoroughly do we finish the work He’s planned for us?

Father, help me wholeheartedly complete each work You assign, for Your good name’s sake.

“He went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” Luke 8:1-3

“There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem…

“Joseph… laid him in a tomb [and] rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.  Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid…

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.” Mark 15:40-41,46-47; 16:1

I am Mary, one of the many captivated by this man Jesus. From the first time I met Him, I saw something distinct, wholly other from anyone I knew. His eyes seemed to pierce my heart with a palpable tenderness, and to know all about me- but love me anyway. They calmed me with an indescribable sense of having worth, of being cherished because of who I am, not what I’ve done. He freed me to release my past, knowing somehow my value was above and beyond it. He had an exquisite rhythm of purpose and timeliness every day, but was never in a hurry. He embraced every opportunity to speak, bless, and heal- always doing good. I can’t even describe the power that emanated from Him, and drew crowds like a magnet.

The truth of who He was and why He came sank in, and in a mysterious way took over, and I believed in His saving grace to me. I can only describe the experience as supernatural. I was a different person- with new desires, motivations, and outlook on my life, and all of life, that now have eternal significance.

So I followed Him. I traveled with Him. I and the others did what we could to refresh Him and tend to His practical needs so He could do what He did best among the people. Watching His graciousness, His strength under absolute control and gentleness sublimely expressed, and listening to His carefully chosen, never extraneous words, had deep effect on me. I delighted in giving to Him and found, in His strange economy, that I received much more in return. (Proverbs 11:25; Luke 6:38; Romans 15:32)

To you I say, He is alive, and worth following! While He’s not here in the flesh, He is in Spirit, dwelling in you to help you help His people. When you minister to them, and support those who labor over you, you are ministering to Him. Would you make it your mission to join Him on His? (Matthew 25:34-40; Galatians 6:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

Lord Jesus, you are the only celebrity I admire and long to follow. Teach me Your ways, and have sway over all my heart, so my days and ways bring you glory.

“I lifted my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand! I said, ‘Where are you going?’ And he said to me, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.’ And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him and said to him, ‘Run, say to that young man, “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.”’

“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst… And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

“Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.” Zechariah 2:1-5,10-13

“The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel, (which being interpreted is, ‘God with us’).” Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23

We measure and hem in our lives, taking and tucking matters under our control. Indeed, margins are important, and borders wise, but when the Lord is in our midst, possibilities are endless. Wherever we are and whatever we are called to do, our security is in Him, not manmade walls and carefully-constructed protections. He is the shield round about us whether we can see His edges or not. He is our strength, the One who rides the ancient skies to our ever-present aid. His glory is the radiance by which we see and understand ourselves and all else. (Deuteronomy 33:26; Psalm 3:3; 68:33)

He is also the One to determine how the cities of our lives are to be inhabited. He has chosen us and encamped among us, and intends to fill our hearts with His bounty and days with His multitude. He grants purpose to hours, fire to passions, inclinations to our wills, and direction for action. The measure of our times will be on God’s divine scale, our moments with infinite meaning and fulfillment. (1 Chronicles 4:10; Psalm 74:17; 147:14)

Are we silent enough to be aware of His holy presence in our midst? What tightly held expectations and self-imposed limitations need we let go to welcome His limitless Spirit? Do we trust Him as our portion, even as He extends our borders?

“Jesus, I am resting, resting
in the joy of what thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
of thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon thee,
as thy beauty fills my soul,
for by thy transforming power,
thou hast made me whole.

O how great thy lovingkindness,
vaster, broader than the sea!
O how marvelous thy goodness
lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in thee, Beloved,
know what wealth of grace is thine,
know thy certainty of promise
and have made it mine.” ~Jean Sophia Pigott (1845-1882)

Father, open me wide to receive all You have for me, and as the glory in my midst, shine through me to the farthest borders of this needy world.