Do Not Be Afraid

Strengthen ye the week hands, encourage the feeble knees. Isaiah 35:8

This has been the scripture that has been my motivation for two years. The Lord gave Isaiah 35, the entire chapter, to read and meditate on in December 2004. This verse jumped out at me. It became the confirmation for my ministry to Israel, Uganda and to then nations from here. There are so many people in the body of believers who need solid encouragement. I began an intense time of crying out to God for the right words, His Words, to speak to every person and situation I encounter.

I began my own journey toward being encouraged by trying to follow in King David's example. He was so close to God, that he could encourage himself in the Lord, when all 400 of his friends were trying to stone him! (1 Kings Chapter 30) In 2004, I was successful in a job that was very consuming and stressful. I had learned the ability to juggle it all and still have a rewarding ministry, and even felt good about my Christian witness to a corporate world. I had a good balance of personal time and ministry through my congregation. But I knew there was not the freshness which David had, of spending quality time with the Lord. When we go through really difficult times, we have to find the scriptures to stand on to pull us through--they become alive to us. I lived through many of those times, but my life was now comfortable. Time to light a fire under myself, and find ways to bless and encourage others! But the words have to be fresh, alive and anointed by God.

So I jumped into His Word and spending more time with Him.

Of course my conclusion was to encourage everyone to read the scriptures for themselves. You know, teach a man to fish, don't just give him a fish. But there are times when anyone can become so distraught, that if they haven't hidden the Word in their heart ahead of time--and sometimes even if they have--they just can't get past the situation in their face, to reach God. Those are the ones, I want to reach.

I agree with Spurgeon, who delivered a sermon on this verse back in 1859, that week hands and feeble knees are a sign of one shaking with fear. The Bible tells us that the enemy of our souls comes to steal, kill and destroy our faith, hope and joy. One of his best tactics is through fear. It takes a great amount of fear to make you shake and tremble. I met some people here in Israel that were literally shaking, worrying about the war with Lebanon last summer, and fearing escalation. Jerusalem is a safe distance from the fighting, but the entire country was filled with people displaced from their homes bringing their fear to the atmosphere of the entire country. In those kinds of times we all must remember God's faithfulness. He has promised to never leave nor forsake us. And He has given us words like those in Psalm 91, which we can read again, and again, and again until they penetrate our darkest fears. The Bible tells us the the Lord Himself watches over His Word to perform it, the Word never returns void--but always accomplishes that which He intends.

So to the dear ones the Lord has placed in my path, and to those reading these words. I speak peace.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, don't lean on your own reasoning, acknowledge Him in everything, and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5,6

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, [and] the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35

Spurgeon's sermon on Isaiah 35: http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0243.htm

Shalom!

Beloved Israel

Jesus himself knew this land intimately. He walked many a mile through the deserts and the city and village streets. He came to Jerusalem many times. He was an observant Jew who knew the Torah and celebrated all the feasts, even the feast of dedication, which we now often call Channukah (John 10). And Jesus wept over Jerusalem.

The conflicts surrounding religion are numerous. Not only Jews, Arabs and Christians consider Jerusalem holy. There are the Kabbalists and even Freemasons, among others, who revere this place as being very special indeed. Under the streets, in both the old city and the new, lie piles of ruin and rubble which cover the ground several feet above the level where Jesus would have walked. People are told this, but it doesn't seem to matter. It is the atmosphere of the Holy Land which captures one's heart. A sense of nearness to heaven, yet still touching the earth, like being a part of a glorious sunset or sunrise where it is easy to imagine heaven's choirs singing and rejoicing.

So when you are here, your focus can be either on the heavenly or the earthly. Both have a wealth of experience to fill your senses, and some seem to go into overload even when only visiting for a short while. Some who live here seem beaten down by the daily pressure, others have full hearts to serve and can get over-used after some time, if they don't wisely pace themselves. Israelis who live here simply go about the business of their lives, for the most part. They are not really thinking about all the history and significance of their surroundings.

But all have been touched deep in their hearts by this place. Israel's jewel is Jerusalem. It's not the prettiest place, and certainly not the most serene. There is a constant clash of cultures. There are people from all over the world who reside here. Residents are accustomed to the dangers close by and with the unusually high level of daily hassles. All joke about how difficult it is to live here, yet they wouldn't willingly move.

What is the drawing inside for those who love this place? It can only be described as something beyond ourselves. It cannot be defined in scientific terms as a physical or even tangible desiring. It is more to be compared to the tugging of heart strings. Like a place where you have your fondest memories of your favorite seasons of life. Yet it you may have never been here before. It could be described as in a family of fishermen who love fishing, it is in their "bones" to get up at 4am to go out in the cold mist after those fish. It doesn't matter that they usually let them go, and spend many hours and money on their equipment and the preparation for their few hours on the lake. It is like a genetic thing passed on from generation to generation, sometimes caught by friends and others that get close enough to check it out.

Obviously if you were born in Israel, or you are Jewish, it is easy to explain the longing for this land. Then there are those like myself who have spent enough time in the Bible to have been captured in their hearts to long for the place which the Lord longs for Himself. From the Tanach (Old Testament) to the New Testament- the pages contain God's love for this land and its people, and all those who would have a heart after God's.

So here I am, a gentile (non-Jewish), and a Christian, who loves the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I love being here, and yet it is so very difficult a place to live. I miss family and friends, the culture of upstate New York--not the stressful jobs or the heavy responsibilities of that life, rather the lack of daily hassles. It is difficult to learn the language and takes time and money which I do not have, so my progress is slow. But it is a beautiful place, with beautiful people--all of them--Jew, Arab and the mixed multitude. Each day is a blessing which God has bestowed for me to embrace and bless, bringing His love into it a little more by just being here.

I hope these few pictures will tug on your heart enough to read God's Word, the Bible, so that you can get His heart for this place and these people. (You can never get an accurate picture from the media.) We need to seek to see and hear from God's perspective, gained from a solid foundation of time spent with Him, reading His Word and prayerfully seeking Him.

What does the Lord require of us?

It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what the LORD doth require of thee: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Micah 6:8

So what does this mean? Clearly God is Holy, and we are to be holy like He is-the Bible tells us this (Leviticus 11, 19, 20; confirmed in 1 Peter 1:16). But does this mean we have to be perfect, forgiving everyone who wrongs us, loving even the most unlovable, never getting angry, never making mistakes, etc., etc.? I have asked God many times how do I walk through life with imperfect people hurting me, and me being so imperfect myself- How can I ever be worthy to follow God?

It seems many people are contemplating these questions today. Islam is suddenly challenging the complacency of Christianity in America and many nations. This religion, based on strict rules and earning your way to heaven, appeals to many today that are tired of the loose interpretation of scripture in churches and moral relativism that has pervaded in our society. The Koran calls for all to convert to Islam or die. The Bible speaks of God's wrath and plan of salvation for the Jews in the Old Testament and Jesus' love and forgiveness for Jew and gentile(all non-Jews) in the New Testament. Though the Koran is inconsistent, calling for Jews to be honored for being the keepers of the Book and then later calling for their destruction, it always depicts Allah as a harsh god to be obeyed. The Bible is an amazing book, not written by a single man, but by some 40 men over a long period of time, beginning with Moses. Yet when examined as a single work, inspired as it claims to be, by God himself, it becomes an amazing work that allows anyone to get to know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. His is a holy and righteous, yet loving and merciful personality. A God who wishes to become man's friend (as King David was) is seen through the entire book. This is a religion, and a God, of faithfulness and love.

I am not a Biblical scholar, but I have read the Bible at least 50 times. When you read a book so much, you do get to know the author. So as I have walked with God over these now, many years, I ask questions and He answers. Not in an audible voice, like my husband, but in many subtle ways. Lately I have been contemplating these questions as I have seen them voiced in the world media as well as by individuals. The verse I quoted at the beginning is the main answer to the question posed in the title of this article. God expects us to be faithful to our vows, as He is to His vows to us. Beginning in Genesis you see these characteristics of God, yes, He is righteous and holy and demanding as much from us, but He is also El Shaddai-the Provider. His grace and mercy, combined with His faithfulness, are the foundation and sign posts of our faith. He has given us righteousness and holiness through providing the Blood of His sacrifice, His son Jesus. In the New Testament, Gospel of John chapter 1, it says the Word of God is God, became flesh and dwelt among us-speaking of Jesus.

How awesome! So as I read the Bible, the Word of God, I really can see His face and get to know His character. This is what the scripture in Hosea is speaking of. It is not what we do, or don't do. It isn't that we never make mistakes or selfish choices. It is our attitude. We are to "be" like Him-not "act" like Him. Though our actions will follow, and are in fact, evidence of what is inside of us. If we trust in the faithfulness of God and His promises of grace and mercy, we will trust Him to bring justice, peace and good out of the chaos and brokenness of our lives. Do you trust Him to orchestrate your life in truth and righteousness, desiring to please Him and be His representative to this broken and hurting world? If you seek these things as your goal- truly to become more like Him, see from His perspective and carry out your life with His motivations, seeking no glory or attention for ourselves, He promises to direct our paths and walk with us each and every step. This is more than my mind can comprehend! Yet as I look at the last 30 years of my life, I see the hand print of God in all that I have done.

Be merciful and gracious to me, oh God, according to your great mercies, may Your mercy and grace be shown to all I encounter. Thank you Lord, for You are faithful!

The First Rains

Your browser doesn't support EMBED, but you can still listen to the background sound of this page by<a href="http://music.alivefaith.com/music/letitrain.mp3"> clicking here.</a>It began to rain Thursday. Today is the grayist day I can recall here in Jerusalem this year. That's  probably because I spent last January/February in Rochester, NY. We missed the worst of the Jerusalem winter weather. Rochester had a record breaking, warm, virtually snow-less winter. It wasn't even as gray as usual. Here the rain is a blessing. The last time it rained was in April. There were a few sprinkles a couple times this month, but this rain brought real cleansing, drenching, refreshing rain. It is almost like the ground sighs in relief.


Several of our friends left the country late on Thursday night after a wonderful, yet exhausting tour with Eagles' Wings Watchman on the Wall tour of Israel. Apparently it rained in sheets delaying flights. So some of our friends missed connecting flights from JFK. But God has a plan in all of it, directing our steps and bringing multiplied blessings. I'm sure we will hear the heart warming stories later of divine connections due to the delays. They saw lots of our beautiful blue skies, which greet us most mornings, during their stay. I am not a morning person, but it makes it easy to praise God and thank Him for the day when you get up and look out at that awesome azure blue.

Here the orthodox sometimes dance in the streets on the first rains. The rains are a blessing in so many ways to this parched land. I wanted to take some pictures but I have been hit with a bit of a cold during this change of season. My husband went out, as he always does, for his daily walk, rain or shine and so I took some of his pictures to share with you. I can look out our window to the mirpeset and see my plants so happy to have clean leaves and breathing cool air again. When the blue sky appears again, everything will look refreshed and renewed.

Israel celebrates this season of first rains and harvest in their Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles holiday. It is the most joyous time of year. It is especially refreshing this year after a summer of war and it's following political accusations. Israelis have been faced with new realities of their vulnerabilities. Our prayer is that the Lord will use all of it to draw them closer to Him, both as individuals and as a nation. There will never be peace in the middle east until Messiah returns, but there can be peace in the hearts of individuals through any war or storm if Jesus, or as they know Him, Yeshua, is the One in whom they trust. Lord open eyes that they may see You. Lord open hearts that they might respond to Your love toward them. Bless all who reside in this your Holy Land, Jew, Arab and those from the nations that are here to serve You or just to earn a living. Pour out your Spirit on all of us, as promised in the book of Joel. Lord, let it RAIN!!!