Dazzling Beauty

My cousin's daughter was married this past Saturday. The wedding not only celebrated the new union of husband and wife, but it also celebrated their union with the Lord. This was illustrated by the bride and groom when they used their braiding skills to create a three-stranded cord. (See Ecclesiastes 3:12) The wedding itself was a celebration of the beauty of this new union—one with each other and one with the Lord.

In fact, scattered on our table at the reception were dazzling "diamonds" of many sizes. These sparkled beautifully on the deep blue table runner.

The very next morning, our pastor spoke about the breathtaking scenes of praiseful worship in heaven around the Throne. My thoughts went back to those "diamonds" as he read Revelation 4:3.

And He Who sat there appeared like [the crystalline brightness of] jasper and [the fiery] sardius, and encircling the throne there was a halo that looked like [a rainbow of] emerald.

Revelation 4:3 (AMP)

The Expanded Bible notes that those two stones are symbols of great beauty, purity and value. This reminded me of the words of Psalm 96:9a (NKJ)—

Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!

Imagine yourself standing alongside the writer of Revelation. Before you, this majestic Being whose appearance is like a fire-lit diamond. And not only that—He is surrounded by an emerald rainbow and in front of Him is a sea of glass, like crystal. I think my hand would be over my eyes due to the amplified brilliance!

Dazzling beauty!

And, as we read through the rest of Revelation 4 and 5, we become party to amplified praise doing just what the psalmist did. Of all these praise groups, what caught my attention was the third in 5:8-10. Here the 4 living creatures are joined by the 24 elders and the saints through their prayers which are contained in golden bowls offered by the elders. My Thomas Nelson Study Bible notes that the "prayers of the saints (believers) play an important role in the Lamb's opening of the scroll and the ensuing judgment."

Did you realize your prayers of praise offered to this One of dazzling beauty were so important?

 

And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

Revelation 8:4-5 (NKJV)



Joy

Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches!

Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!

Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children,

who faint for hunger at the head of every street.

Lamentations 2:19 (ESV)

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

You have recorded each one in your book.

Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

Not verses that speak of joy?

But wait. Read Psalm 56:8 again.

Did you spot it? We cry out to the Lord AND He keeps track of our cries. That means He hears. And He acts. David's Psalm 18 is his joyful testimony to that fact. Can't we, too, echo similar testimonies of joy from our own lives?

For 30 years, members of Moms in Prayer International (formerly Moms In Touch International) have been joining their voices together to cry out to the Lord for their children. I have been a member now for almost 22 of those years, crying out not only for my children but also for the children of the other moms who pray alongside me. I've kept track of those cries. But have I at the same time been as good about keeping track of how His answers have turned my cries to joy?

This week, our Moms in Prayer area had a brunch to celebrate and thank the Lord for what He has done in answer to our prayers. Before we began our time of thanksgiving, though, we opened the Word of God and praised our God, the One who hears our cries and is our Joy.

…the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10b (NKJ)

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you,

and that your joy may be full.

John 15:11 (NKJ)

You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy;

at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 (NKJ)

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy;

and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.

Psalm 43:4 (NKJ)

Your words were found, and I ate them,

and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;

or I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.

Jeremiah 15:16 (NKJ)

The Hebrew/Chaldee/Greek words used in these verses vary. The Nehemiah verse uses the word chedvah, which means joy or gladness. The Greek word in the Gospel of John is chara. It also means joy or gladness. But the Hebrew word simchah used in the two Psalm passages means joy, mirth, gladness, gaiety, or pleasure. And the word used in Jeremiah is sasown, which means gladness, joy, exultation, or rejoicing.

Are you getting a picture of our God who is our Joy?

Joy is something larger than a smile or a feeling of happiness. Joy is an Eternal Presence dwelling inside a person. That's how we have joy—God Himself. His joy remaining in us, as Jesus prayed for us. And that doesn't just happen because we see answers to prayer—that happens when we don't see answers to prayer. We are able to offer praise and thanks to the Lord even then because we have Him and He is our joy!

Jennifer Kennedy Dean wrote, "Joy is eternal. A deeper knowledge of God, a more complete obedience, a greater understanding of His ways will produce JOY." That's what Jeremiah experienced when he "ate" God's Word. And when we use God's own words to give Him praise and use them to pray for our children, we experience that same joy because we know our God has heard our prayers and we can anticipate the joy to come when we see the answers.

And we have seen answers! What joy we owe to our God Most High!

So, we Moms in Prayer moms added our "joys" to the Joy Jar. And more "joys" will be added this summer as I take the Joy Jar and travel the state.

You turned my loud crying into dancing.

You removed my black clothes and dressed me with joy.

Psalm 30:11 (NIRV)

Want more joy? Attend the Festival of Joy in Dallas this October. I'm going! Click here for more information.

Making the Giant Stumble

Early summer is the time of baby birds AND their protective parents. As I watched, a crow was being aggressively attacked by not just one but several small birds. These little birds were not simply chasing this giant (to them) but zooming in to use their beaks to strike the enemy of their children. And it was enough to make the giant "stumble" in flight. Together, they were making a real impression, a painful one.

Pause and think about it. These little birds were so aggressively pursuing this predator, which was many times larger than them, that they had the giant bird fleeing away from their precious babies. They were not giving thought to all the other things they had to do or even to their own safety. Their goal was to protect the life of their offspring.

Isn't that the same goal of a human mother—to protect the life of her child? And isn't that why we give up other things we have on our "to do" list to spend time in prayer for our children, aggressively attacking their enemy on their behalf?

The Apostle Paul's words in Ephesians 6:10-18 speak of a fearsome giant of a spiritual enemy, but thankfully we have the same power David proclaimed over his giant—the name of the Lord of hosts. When we come together in His name, the Lord Jesus promises His powerful presence.

Again, truly I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about any matter that they ask,

it will be done for them from my Father who is in heaven.

For where two or three are gathered in my name,

I am there in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:19-20 (LEB)

Jesus, as recorded in Luke 18, likened persistence in prayer—crying out day and night for justice—to faith. (Luke 18: 8)

"By the actings of faith, "Matthew Henry said, we "fetch in grace and help from heaven." So, moms, don't give up. Pray in His name—act in faith—and "peck" at the giant until he is overcome or flees.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,

that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJ)

 

 

"The Lord Bless You"

I really thought the phrase, "The Lord bless you," would be common in God's Word, but Scripture records this phrase only about half a dozen times. Ruth 2:4 (AMP) is one of these rare occurrences—

And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, The Lord be with you!

And they answered him, The Lord bless you!

Have you ever thought about what "The Lord bless you" really means?

The Hebrew word used for "bless" is barak. It has two basic meanings: to bless or to kneel. As I read Strong's definition and then the expansion on it that the Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon gives, I thought, what a simple prayer to pray for those you meet, "The Lord bless you." It gives the idea of prayer for the Lord to prosper them and for them to bow the knee before the Lord. And, actually, these two things work together. What better thing could anyone have than a life that bows itself before the Lord God Almighty? He is the One who describes Himself as—

The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.

Exodus 34:6b-7

Beth Moore wrote, "Blessing is bowing down to receive the expressions of divine favor that in the inner recesses of the human heart make life worth the bother." I want that for myself, for my husband, for my children, and for all humankind. It would mean a powerful life transformation for any of us.

So, a good question to ask ourselves is do we believe that our prayer of blessing has the power to transform someone's life?

I think if we really believed this to be true, nothing, not one thing, would keep up from a life where prayer is the priority appointment of our day and the place our mind and heart goes in and out of all day. Paul's words to the Ephesians were for them to "pray always. Pray in the Spirit. Pray about everything in every way you know how! And keeping all this in mind, pray on behalf of God’s people. Keep on praying feverishly, and be on the lookout until evil has been stayed." (Ephesians 6:18 VOICE)

Prayer is the one thing that empowers us to overcome the enemy who does not want anyone to receive divine favor. Prayer goes over his head to God Almighty whose Spirit works powerfully, then, to prosper one in a way that he/she bows down before the Lord and receives His blessing.

If you have no other words, "The Lord bless you," will do. These are powerful words of prayer over anyone's life.

 

Alētheia

Alētheia — has such a sweet on the tongue sound. It'd make a perfect name for a daughter.

Yet, this sweet sounding word is the Greek word for truth, both objective and subjective. This is the same word Jesus used when He said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32 NKJ).

Truth is sweet. Yet, truth has unimaginable power. As Jesus told the Jews who believed Him, it is the truth of His Word—knowing and abiding in His Word—that makes the difference between being a slave and being a son.

Truth has the authoritative power to turn a slave into a son. And, truth not only works in such a way practically or "legally" to give one all the privileges of a son, it also works internally to transform the character and thinking.

When truth invades a heart, no longer does one operate as a slave under obligation to serve and submit; one acts as a son out of love to please the Father.

It is as Chris Foster wrote, "Life change takes place when the Spirit of God within us connects with the Spirit of truth in the word of God. What is truthful will be life changing."

Life change is what Jesus desired when He prayed to His Father, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." (John 17:17 NKJ)

Truth is sweet because it transforms our desires "by the power of the Holy Spirit via internal revival," wrote Michael Youssef. Yet, in order to do that, Dr. Youssef adds, "the truth of God’s Word must be written on your heart. It must become your internal compass for every road you travel and for all that you do."

Take a moment to read the following two verses out loud, the second not so familiar as the first, noting the conjunction "And" between them.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,

piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow,

and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NKJV)

The reason the Word of God is living and powerful is because Jesus is living and powerful. That is why He said, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36 NKJV)

God's Word of truth is vital to every part of living life as a disciple of Christ. In fact, without His Word of truth, we have no clue what a disciple is. You can't be a disciple nor make a disciple without the Word of God.

That is why for us moms we must make abiding in God's Word of truth a priority. For that reason, when we come to our Lord in prayer, we use His Word of truth to spur our prayers of praise and intercession. God's Word of truth frees us to abide in the rest of faith that He wants us to have. Kay Arthur defines the "rest of faith" this way—"uniting the Word with faith and living in it at that very moment."

My prayer for us is that as we take our children to the Lord in prayer, praying God's Word of truth over them, that we will unite His word of truth, alētheia, with faith and be set free to rest sweetly, trusting that the Lord has heard our prayers and is at work for our children through them.

 

 

 

 

Papa Bye-Bye, He'll be Back

We have three labrador retrievers—field trial and hunting dogs. The oldest, Bud, recently injured one of his back legs and needs an extended break while it heals. That includes riding in the dog box on the truck, so he has to stay home when the others go with my husband, "Papa." It's hard. Bud knows he's missing out on something. I repeatedly tell him, "Papa bye-bye, he'll be back." Sometimes it helps him settle down; other times not, like this morning. He wants to be with his "Papa.

In a way, those are the words Christians live with as well—"I am going away and coming back to you." (John 14:28 NKJ) In fact, Jesus' last words to us, as recorded in the New Testament, are "Surely I am coming quickly." (Revelation 22:20 NKJ) The Hebrew word translated "quickly" is tachy, a word that mean speedily, without delay.

The Reformation Study Bible notes, "The whole of Revelation is meant to stir Christians’ longing and prayers for the realization of God’s purposes accompanying the Second Coming." Matthew Henry wrote, "He will come quickly; let this word be always sounding in our ear, and let us give all diligence that we may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless." He added that we should often put "ourselves in mind of his promise."

How often do we do that? How often do we put ourselves in mind of these words of Jesus?

Matthew Henry wrote, "What comes from heaven in a promise should be sent back to heaven in a prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus, put an end to this state of sin, sorrow, and temptation; gather thy people out of this present evil world, and take them up to heaven, that state of perfect purity, peace, and joy, and so finish thy great design, and fulfill all that word in which thou hast caused thy people to hope.”

Praying moms, are we people of hope? Are we practicing hope?

I don't know about you, but I know I find it easy to stop practicing the hope I have when I forget these words of Jesus. It is true that when we stop looking up to Him and abiding in His promises—when we lose our vertical focus—that we lose our hope.

Every prayer we pray is based on that hope. And without it, we can easily find "better" things to focus on horizontally than gathering to look up in prayer for our children.

Let us also put ourselves in mind of Peter's words that the Lord is not slack concerning His promises but His timing is perfect (2 Peter 3). Remember, that applies as well to His answers to our prayers for our children. God has an intentional plan that He is working out. His timing is for good reason.

Just as Bud has to wait to ride again in the dog box for good reason, sometimes we have to wait for good reason to see our hope realized. But…

For since the beginning of the world

Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,

Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,

Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

Isaiah 64:4 (NKJV)

 

Father, may You the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13) In the Name above all names, Jesus, amen.