by Sharon O | Oct 24, 2016 | Uncategorized
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land.”
When I think of this verse many things jump out at me and call me to attention.
He begins with if… that means we have a choice. If… my people.
The word if means [supposing that, or when or it’s a condition or requirement] it is also used to introduce an exclamatory phrase.
Which I believe is what this passage does.
He said, if my people… stating who he is addressing, who are called by my name, stating their identity, will humble themselves, that is a condition of heart.
“if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn,” THEN… I will hear.
It is a promise He will hear us but it has conditions.
Sort of like a humble repentance and awareness of what the wrongs we have done.
“if my people… show me a changed heart…(me paraphrasing this) I will hear, I will forgive, and I will heal.
That is three I will promises…each have a place in our condition of relationship with God the one who is speaking.
It amazes me how this verse is laid out, because He is saying, we need to be humble in mindset, prayerful in spirit, seeking in motive and repentant in behavior.
The verse says “IF” that means we have choice. He always gives choice.
Very similar to what we as parents do with our children.
I used to say to ours when they were little, “you can choose to not listen to me and realize the consequences of that choice or you can listen and mind.”
He was saying “If my people”.
He was placing a condition or requirement of His promises.
He could give us the promises without any movement on our part, but that would lose the lesson.
I think right now this is a wonderful verse to keep reminding ourselves.
He always gives us choice. The issue is what are we going to do with that?
by Sharon O | Oct 19, 2016 | Uncategorized
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
The first time this was read it touched me in a very strange way.
For days it seemed like it followed me around, the words, ‘I have loved you’…
that is a personal statement.
I… the LORD… have loved you… meaning me… meaning you… meaning each of us.
With an everlasting love, when I looked that word up it brought light and depth to the verse.
The meaning is: continual for a indefinite amount of time, consistent, on going.
As a parent it felt like it was very much the same as a parent’s love for their child, at times we get frustrated or weary, but we never tire of our love for them.
Then I moved to the word, drawn. “I have drawn you …” and I wondered what did that really mean for us?
The word drawn means a tense pull or force in a direction towards oneself; to attract and move continuously.
So He is saying, “I have drawn you closer to me with unfailing kindness.”
We all like to be with others who are kind.
When I first started therapy with my last counselor I was ‘drawn’ to him by his kindness.
I could relate to that verse since I had felt it and observed it within myself.
He was gentle, his words were soft spoken and very tender.
It was unfamiliar to me, yet it came to be a safe place for me to share because he was non-threatening.
His kindness as the definition explains, was sympathetic and compassionate. He was genuine and concerned.
I could feel that and it did pull me in so that I wanted to go back week after week.
It made our work together easier because I knew he was invested in the process with me.
So when we read the promise, from the Lord.
“I have loved you with an ever lasting love, ongoing and continuous, and I have drawn you, pulled you near me and attracted you to me, with kindness”
We can be assured that he means it and that he is not ever going to let us go.
In the message version of the bible the verse is written like this.
God told them, “I have never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love and more love.”
Isn’t that an amazing promise?
Nothing we do can separate his love for us. Unfailing means we can’t do anything to change it.
I hope that brings you a peace and hope for the day…knowing “you are loved.”
by Sharon O | Oct 16, 2016 | Uncategorized
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Another version says, “Teach us how short our lives really are so that we can be wise.”
And another version says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom.”
Oh what kind and gentle thoughts. Very similar to a prayer.
In order for us to be taught anything we must be willing to receive it.
This verse is sharing with us that our life is a journey as we are passing through it.
The older I get I realize it is short, and it is fleeting.
In a moments notice something could go wrong, and we are faced with heavy hearts.
A year ago some good friends of ours were killed in an accident that was totally devastating to everyone who loved them.
They were out for a bike ride, just an afternoon outing, when a car slammed into them and killed them.
Life was shattered. Life ended. In one afternoon.
I learned through this experience that none of us know when our time is closing in.
None of us know if we are going to be here next year or next week.
Our days are numbered and our ability to impact others with our words, our faith and our love is shortened.
I realize it might sound doom and gloom, but in reality we cannot know what is ahead of us; and really we wouldn’t want that ability, even if it was possible.
We have six grand children and I pray we are able to see them all graduate from high school and possibly a few marriages.
We went to a wedding ceremony yesterday and it was the continuation of a circle, the circle of life.
The pictures displayed of grandparents who went on before them, of their own parents who stood beside them.
The circle of life continues to spin around us.
I like the ‘gain a heart of wisdom’ part, because as I age I feel like I am gaining a new awareness of what is important.
When I was younger it was important to have a nice home, decent car and a job.
Now that I am retired I find it is more important for me to have comfort in my home, good friends and time spent together that is positive and life building.
God often talks about heart conditions.
He knows without a ‘heart change’ we won’t learn and won’t receive from him.
I think this verse is more like a prayer, “teach us Lord, to number our days,” to not expect more than what is here in front of us.
I think it speaks of being wise and mindful, that each decision we make affects the whole picture, of not only our lives but the lives of others in our path.
A heart of wisdom tells me we need to be thoughtful, watchful and careful of not only our words but our plans.
It is a good thing to be open to the lessons with open hearts and open hands.
For if our days are numbered… let us make the ones that we have, good and treasured ones.
by Sharon O | Oct 10, 2016 | Uncategorized
“I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.
I have revealed and saved and proclaimed–I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “That I am God.” Isaiah 43:12
The word revealed is in the bible 95 times, that is pretty significant to me.
It is a word that as I have shared before, a taking off the mask.
It is a powerful way of allowing trust and vulnerability.
In the book of Daniel 2:19 it reads:
[During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God in heaven.]
I have had things come to me in the dark of the night, when it is quiet and all is resting.
It is a revealing of what needs to take place at times.
Or it is an awareness that all of a sudden, something comes to me; sort of like an aha moment.
Reveal is a powerful word. It is very close to the concept of removing the veil and exposing what is hidden.
It can go many directions and with many different aspects that share it’s meaning.
In Romans a book in the New Testament, of the bible chapter 8:18 it reads.
[I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.]
Revealed to us, when we are ready, when our eyes are open and we are willing to receive.
In Luke 24:32 it reads,
[“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?”]
They were chatting among themselves and he (Jesus) arrived and began to walk with them as a stranger.
Yet they did not recognize him. They did not see him because it was not the right time.
[“They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.” Isn’t it great? I found it fascinating that HE (Jesus) was not out to show himself until it was the right time for their hearts to receive what they would see and experience.
Later he did reveal himself to them, as they spent more time with him and participated in familiar settings.
vs 30 it reads, [When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
Then their eyes were opened (revealed) and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.]
{They asked each other, “were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?”
It is a question worth repeating.
I love the words, “our hearts burning within us.”
Have you ever had that kind of experience of deep knowing, anguish almost and of great intensity?
When we choose to reveal our lives to each other, we make a choice to be known.
When we choose to be vulnerable in a sharing way, our hearts are open to the needs of others.
Just as Jesus had to choose when it was the appropriate time for the men to ‘see him’.
We have to choose when it is the appropriate time for others to know more about us.
It is all in the timing.
by Sharon O | Oct 5, 2016 | Uncategorized
When I shared about the word reveal on my last blog writing, it was hard to ‘open’ my life up and speak about my health issues.
Often times when we are growing up we are told or instructed to keep things private.
Either told to us by someone or a self imposed, ‘I must be silent’ about some things, we learned the lesson.
It is true we must not share everything in our lives like an open book, but to share some things is learning to let others in.
I am not good at that. By nature I am a private person.
I am cautious and careful and choose my words wisely. I choose my sharing even more wisely.
The Lord is showing me that in order for me to let others into my life, I have to share matters of my heart with them even if it uncomfortable to do that.
They cannot guess for that would be foolish. They can know truth so they can walk alongside me and also pray.
Just as I would want my ‘good friends’, to allow me to walk with them through a valley of sadness or sickness.
That is what friendships are for, sharing life, sharing disappointments or joys.
It is in the revealing of oneself that we learn to grow in a relationship with others.
As I wrote before ‘reveal’ is to open up. It is to become aware when we didn’t know before.
I didn’t know I had a blood sugar issue. Once I learned the truths of it, I became aware of how to treat it.
The same thing would apply to a heart that is broken or a wound that is infected that is making our spirit ill.
The body is a combined effort of physical, emotional and spiritual feelings.
When I was sick, for many years my emotions were numb.
I had spiritual feelings but my heart was protected with self imposed ‘doors’ surrounding it.
After being hurt over and over, I wore caution and protective gear over the soft side of me.
When it became clear to me that I had to start sharing and revealing what was going on inside my ‘broken places’,
God led me through a process of revealing the pain and trusting someone with those pieces of me no one was ever allowed to see or know.
Life threatening illness can change our thinking, we no longer speak of ‘what I am doing in ten years,’ we speak of what shall I do today, or tomorrow.
We move from long term plans to short term plans.
It is always about sharing life openly and honestly, and also allowing ourselves to accept our new truths about ourselves.
Just as my best friend has to learn to take care of herself and to follow doctor’s orders for her good.
I have to give up and release my enjoyment of ‘ice cream’ or chocolate cake.
It is not good for me therefore I will exchange one ‘treat for a healthier option’.
In this life I have now, I am able to say, “oh I can’t have that,” and move forward without regret.
Is there something in your life you need to be honest about?
Has God revealed something to you that only you can fix or take care of?
It is in the revealing, when we share life with others, that we open our hearts and trust them.
Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.
Proverbs 27:9
