don't we all?

I read this quote somewhere:
"children need love when they least deserve it"

Don't we all?

the arrival of dawn

"Oh, that we might know the LORD!
Let us press on to know him.
He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn
or the coming of rains in early spring.”

Hosea 6:3

No time to pray?

I’m reading a book that’s called prayer the great adventure by David Jeremiah. Today I’m reading a chapter about being “too busy” to pray and was challenged by a lot of what I read. Some quotes:

"Oh, I really did mean to pray. But somehow I didn’t get around to it."

The morning after a busy day is always the hardest, isn’t it? You’re exhausted. You have nothing left to give. Your bed seems like heaven. That’s the morning that you say, “Well I’ll just skip it today.”

"The very thing that keeps us from praying is the very reason why we need to pray."

"It is said that Martin Luther declared he had so much to do, he could not get through it without spending at least three or four hours on his knees before God each morning."

"We are tempted to think that when life slows down, then we’ll have time to pray. Jean Flemming wrote, “I find myself thinking, When life settles down I’ll… But I should have learned by now that life never settles down for long. Whatever I want to accomplish, I must do with life unsettled. "

"Remember, no one has time to pray; we have to take time from other things that are valuable in order to understand how necessary prayer is." (Oswald Chambers)

"One of the main reasons so many of God’s children don’t have a significant prayer life is not so much that we don’t want to, but that we don’t plan to…The opposite of planning is not a wonderful flow of deep spontaneous experiences in prayer. The opposite of planning is the rut. If you don’t plan a vacation you will probably stay home and watch TV. The natural, unplanned flow of spiritual life sinks to the lowest ebb of vitality. There is a race to be run and a fight to be fought. If you want renewal in your prayer you must plan to see it."

And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there. (Mark 1:35)

Will we be moved?

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

Zechariah 4: 6b

For the past week I’ve been studying Acts and I see a recurring pattern: the believers pray and God’s Spirit moves and works in response to their prayers.

They start with a group of 120 followers gathered in a house, fasting and praying, waiting for the Holy Spirit, who was promised by Jesus. When the Spirit comes He moves them, He gives them courage to speak, He works miracles through them and He sends them out. Every day their numbers grow working their way like yeast through the dough. Not in a forceful way but by laying down their lives, many of them literally dying on the way.

In Acts it says that while they were together in one place, suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Wind sets things in motion, even though it is invisible it’s power is very strong.

Without the wind of the Spirit, the church will become
a static building
a death pool
an empty tradition
a hollow theology
a skeleton without life.

The church can try to cover up her deadness with some nice wrapping paper.
She can try to move things herself as a substitute for the work of the Holy Spirit.
But this will just exhaust her people.
Without the power to bring the death to life, she will have now power at all, and the movement will stop and die. People will look at the empty building and they will walk away…

This challenges me to pray and to want to become a praying church, to enable God’s Spirit to move through us and to plant us like seeds so the world will see the resurrecting power of Jesus.

“You can’t see the wind, you can see the effects of the wind but you can't see the wind”




The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. John 12: 24-25

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8: 11

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1: 19-20

Fool?

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose"


Jim Elliot
For his life story click here: Story Jim Elliot

Horses

 

Have you given the horse its strength
or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?
Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrifying!
It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength
when it charges out to battle.

Job 39:19-21



The spreading of te clouds

foto by Cornel Pufan

A while ago I saw the video below and when I was reading Job I thought the verses and this video fitted well together. The video below gives images to the words and gives me a glimpse of how great God is.

I also read the following part in the book "The knowledge of the Holy" by A.W. Tozer, which helps me to look at nature with a different perspective:

"Science observes how the power of God operates, discovers a regular pattern somewhere and fixes it as a “law.” The uniformity of God’s activities in His creation enables the scientist to predict the course of natural phenomena. The trustworthiness of God’s behavior in His world is the foundation of all scientific truth. Upon it the scientist rests his faith and from there he goes on to achieve great and useful things in such fields as those of navigation, chemistry, agriculture, and the medical arts. Religion on the other hand, goes back of the nature of God. It is concerned not with the footprints of God along the paths of creation, but with the One who treads those paths. Religion is interested primarily in the One who is the source of all things, the master of every phenomenon."

Description from Elihu (Taken from Job 36 & 37):

27 For He draws up drops of water,Which distill as rain from the mist,
28 Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man.
29 Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds,The thunder from His canopy?

32 He covers His hands with lightning, And commands it to strike.

9 From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,And cold from the scattering winds of the north.

6 For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.

10 By the breath of God ice is given,And the broad waters are frozen.
11 Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds.
12 And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, That they may do whatever He commands them On the face of the whole earth.

15 Do you know when God dispatches them, And causes the light of His cloud to shine?
16 Do you know how the clouds are balanced, Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?
17 Why are your garments hot, When He quiets the earth by the south wind?
18 With Him, have you spread out the skies, Strong as a cast metal mirror?


God himself speaking to Job (Taken from Job 38):

24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert,
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass?
28 Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
30 when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?

Eternal price

Climbing Mount Everest to the summit is an enormous challenge, even to the most seasoned high-altitude climber. You must devote years of preparation and training before you can attempt to summit Mount Everest

All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
1 Corinthians 9: 25

• 1
Work on your fitness. Climbing Mount Everest will test your physical and mental strength. Develop fitness by maintaining a workout regimen that involves cardiovascular training, strength training and stair climbing with weights. Run on flat and hilly terrains, hike on steep trails with a heavy backpack and take extended overnight camping trips as preparation for wilderness skills. A physical goal should be to ascend a peak of 3,500 feet carrying 55 to 65 pounds in a period of two to three hours. Start from short workouts and gradually build your way up to longer and higher intensity exercise programs and other preparation activities.


• 2
Learn technical climbing and mountaineering skills. Mountaineering may involve bushwhacking, river crossings, rope handling, belaying and tying knots. Skills for navigation, rappelling, crevasse and rock rescue skills are important for safe mountaineering.


• 3
Learn about the risks and dangers of climbing Mount Everest. Many have died attempting to ascend or descend the mountain due to various factors such as fatigue, harsh weather conditions, lack of oxygen, high altitudes, ice falls, frostbite, etc. Familiarize yourself with risks, symptoms of illness, emergency treatments and prevention techniques.


• 4
Gain experience and start climbing smaller mountains, then work your way up to higher summits. Build your mountaineering experience gradually; allow a period of three to four years to climb several mountains with elevations of at least 18,000 feet above sea level. As the world's highest mountain above sea level and with a peak of 29,035 feet, you will need extensive experience to climb Mount Everest successfully and safely.


• 5
Select an expedition company to guide your climb. Expedition companies provide professional guides who climb with a group throughout the entire trip. This may include four guides, 10 to 12 climbers and 18 climbing Sherpas. Expedition guides provide necessary climbing permits, oxygen supply, Sherpa assistance for carrying loads, food and base camp support. Expect to pay a large fee for services that can run up to $70,000.


• 6
Follow the extensive list of gear requirements from your chosen expedition company. This includes climbing equipment such as an ice axe with leash, crampons, alpine climbing harness, carabiner, climbing helmet, ascender, rappel or belay device, prusiks and tekking poles. Other types of gear include footwear, technical clothing, hand wear, head wear, personal equipment and first aid supplies

Taken from How to prepare for a summit of mount everest

Storms

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm
(Job 40:6)

He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
(Psalm 135:7)

His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet.
(Nahum 1: 3b)

Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
(Jonah 1:4)

For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
(Psalm 107: 25-30)

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
(Mark 4: 37-41)

Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
(Psalm 148: 7-8)

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
(Exodus 14: 21-22)

The seas have lifted up, LORD,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is mighty.
(Psalm 93: 3-4)

My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”
(Psalm 55:4-8)

Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
(Matthew 14: 29-31)

You have been a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm
and a shade from the heat.
(Isaiah 25:4a)

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
(Matthew 7: 25)

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
(Psalm 56:3a)

Anointing

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John 12:3

Friends



"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You too? Thought I was the only one."


-- C.S. Lewis --



But what about you? Who do you say I am?

I while ago I studied John for a long time and one thing that has stood out to me is the question of Jesus identity and the way Jesus relates to people about this.

He isn’t interested in superficial answers, in what people think they should believe or in what they heard other people say. He wants to know their heart…

Why would He ask people certain questions, when He already knows the answers? (He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person. John 2:24,25). Maybe it is because He wants people to make a clear decision about what they believe, to be honest about this with themselves and with Jesus and to built their lives upon that decision.

When Jesus speaks with people He seems to know how to ask those questions that cut through straight to the heart. The following verse comes to mind when thinking about this:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

When reading about different conversations Jesus had with people I’m also struck by the love He shows for them. He takes the time to talk with them, to listen to them and to draw them out. The people He meets are not just nameless individuals passing by, but he seeks out every person He encounters.

It’s interesting to see the different reactions people have towards Jesus; how some are drawn to him and how others become angry or irritated. How some people are changed and how some people walk away. 

From all of this also comes a personal question: “What do I believe about Jesus, who do I think He is, and how does this matter for my life? Do I really know him as well as I think I know him? What questions would Jesus ask me?”

As we see from John 14:9 even if we have been with Jesus for a long time, this is no guarantee that we really know him.

John 1

⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  ⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” ⁵⁰ Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”

John 4:

¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.

²⁵ The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”  ²⁶ Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

⁴² They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

John 6

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

John 7

¹² Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” ¹³ But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.

⁴⁰ On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”  ⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? ⁴² Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” ⁴³ Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.

John 8

¹⁹ Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

John 9

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶ “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”  ³⁷ Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” ³⁸ Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

John10

¹⁹ The Jews who heard these words were again divided. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” ²¹ But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

²⁴ The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”²⁵ Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,

³³ “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

John 11

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  ²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

John14

⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” ⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”  ⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?

John 18

³³ Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” ³⁴ “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

Matthew 16

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

For another post about Jesus see: rejected 

Raindrops

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise
- Laura Story-

"There will be a day" by Jeremy Camp
 

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4

Trust



How is it that the child can jump without being afraid?

Link to video: "you lift me up" by "the afters"


The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
Deuteronomy 33: 27a

Tired?

Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:27-31