Co-laborers

Today I had a distinct sense that God has pleasure in me and what I am doing on this website. Not only that but He has been excited about revealing His plan to me, a gift; that we are co-laborers in this thing.  He in me and I in Him, together, creating 

something new, something lovely, something meaningful.  

oops

I blew it!  I made a mistake; a technological mistake and it might have caused serious repercussions.  Immediately I wanted to bag my responsibility; drop out; give it to another with greater computer savvy.  Then, "its not my fault." But it was.  True I had not understood how the address book in the Mac worked, but the computer did what it was told.

Then I came into the presence of the Lord:  He loves that I am human. The problem arises when I expect to do it right, be right--all the time. He takes great delight in my humanness; in this being that is finite, weak, prone to failure. He is God; He sees the big picture--all the time. I have such a narrow view; the information I have can be inadequate.  I am not God.  What a relief!  My spirit soars. Joy returns.

David Wilkerson

David Wilkerson who established the first Teen Challenge in NYC died on April 27th in a car accident.  His book THE CROSS AND THE SWITCHBLADE is a worthwhile read today.  This is what he wrote on his blog the morning of his departure from earth:

"To believe when all means fail is exceedingly pleasing to God and is most acceptable.  Jesus said to them Thomas, 'You have believed because you have seen, but blessed are those that do believe and have not seen.' (John 20:29)....Blessed are those who believe when there is no evidence of an answer to prayer--who trust beyond hope WHEN ALL MEANS HAVE FAILED (caps mine).  To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word:

'Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights--and in the darkness you will hear the Father whisper, I am with you, I cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will all make sense.  You will see it was all part of my plan.  It was no accident.  It was no failure on your part.'

Hold fast to your faith, stand fast in His Word.  There is no other hope in this world."

Thanksgiving

It is almost Thanksgiving and I am sitting here pondering what I am thankful for:  The silence with only the sound of the fountain in the lake falling on my ear; the marvels of technology--which I absolutely cannot stand some of the time; the beautiful autumn days with flaming colors this year.  I can see, hear, talk, walk; I can line dance--well, sort of.  I may not have family nearby but we have been invited to join some old friends for Thanksgiving dinner.  Thank you, Papa. 

I sit here and think of all of you who have made this blog possible.  My husband for gladly footing the cost. Thanks, honey! My son-in-law who has thrown himself into putting it together and will also manage it. Thank you so much, David.  I love you.   Corene, you kept listening to what I wanted for the main pictures; you bought new roses three times; you kept at it until both of us said, “aha.”  Thank you, dear friend.  I think of those who are even now working on stories of their personal struggles, sorrows, and triumphs.  Then I think of what God has poured into me all these years through many of you; how He has used scripture; authors of books...  I am part of a world-wide community of Believers not only in this age but past ages.  Believers who each display a different aspect of our wonderful God.  I love to watch the reflection of God’s character in His people.

Papa, I just want to thank you today for the richness of community as your Life is expressed in us who dwell in a world which is not only created by You but for You. 
“The heavens do indeed declare your glory and the earth shows forth Your handiwork!”

His Glorious Indwelling

Today I read in Isaiah 66: 1,2:  Thus says the Lord, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is my footstool.  Where is the house you could build for me?  Where is a place that I might rest.”

So many thoughts go through my mind and I can’t go any further.   I ponder the size of God; SO BIG.  How could a mere temple contain Him? But then He speaks of a place where He can rest. Who would have thought that God would want a place, a place of rest?  I am undone.   God is so huge that all of heaven is His throne and all of earth is a footstool?  BUT, scripture says that He dwells IN ME:

• “Christ in you the hope of glory.”  Col. 1:27
• “In Him all the fulness of the Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete.”  Col. 2:9,10
• “I in them and You in Me...”John 17:23
• “....Body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.”  ICor. 7:19

This does not compute.  Heaven is His throne and yet scripture plainly reveals that God dwells in me.  

I sit with Him in silence and then,

“Dearest Papa,   I am in spiritual shock.  Enlighten the eyes of my heart.  I want to know the One whose throne is in heaven, whose footstool is earth; who has found a dwelling place, a place of rest, in me.  My mind cannot comprehend this, but my spirit leaps for joy!”

Day Thirteen

Today I am in chapter 61 and another confirmation for this web site leaps out at me--don’t you love how gracious the Lord is? It is a scripture found in the Old Testament and quoted by Jesus in the New Testament.  Jesus IS the Word and so Old or New, it is all Jesus!   I find that He confirms His will to me when He calls me to do something new, especially when it is beyond my ability. He usually speaks first of all through His Word, and then in other ways which gives me confidence that He will be glorified.  This morning I am in Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

Because the Lord has anointed me,

To bring good news to the afflicted,

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

and freedom to prisoners;

To proclaim the favorable day of the Lord

And the day of vengeance of our God; 

To comfort all who mourn,

To grant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a garland instead of ashes

The oil of gladness instead of mourning,

The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

So they will be called Oaks of Righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, THAT HE MAY
BE GLORIFIED.

Today the thing is settled.  He has so filled me in the last few years, but He has shut every door to sharing this fulness except for a few precious women.  As I entered into my 70th year this past summer, I could not imagine that God had anything more for me. I even wondered if He would not let me go to heaven which is a place that is very real to me.  But no, He had a huge surprise waiting for me; a surprise that will spill over to encourage and change many. How neat is that????

Day Twelve

The following week:  Last night I talked with the Web Master about what I wanted and what it would cost. Peace comes. Today I continue with my reading through the book of Isaiah. The morning chapter begins with the first verse of Is. 60:

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you,

For behold, darkness will cover the earth,

But the Lord will rise on you,

And, His glory will appear upon you.

The first time I remember reading the chapter was many years ago. It was during a time that I was going into our church at 6AM to pray.  One morning as I sat in the back of the church in the pre-dawn dusk, the sun rose above the horizon and flooded the back of the church where I was sitting.  His glory was all I could think about and I left that place full rather than empty.  It was dark when I entered; I walked out into the light. There is nothing that the closeness of God will not heal.