PERSISTING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Is there oil in your lamp?

I heard this question a few weeks back.  I’ve thought about it often.  Is there oil in your lamp?  I’ve thought about what it means.  Of course, the first thing that comes to my mind is the kids chorus I learned back in felt board time.  This was considered a praise and worship song back in the day.   You may remember it too:

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Keep me burning ’til the break of day

Sing hosanna, sing hosanna
Sing hosanna to the King of kings
Sing hosanna, sing hosanna
Sing hosanna, to the King

Give me fuel to make my light burn for others.  May I keep burning for all to see.  Sing hosanna.  Keep me burning ‘ til the break of day. Sing hosanna. There’s another verse asking to be made a fisher of men.  Sing hosanna.

The question also reminded me of the parable of the 10 maidens, bridesmaids, or virgins.

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil.”  Matthew 25:1

In those days a wedding was a big to-do lasting every bit of a week.  The groom would go to the bride’s home for the wedding ceremony.  After the I do’s, they’d hop onto his camel, all decked out with tin cans and a Just Married sign, and he’d take her to his house.  All the wedding guests would follow the newlyweds in a great parade or procession to the groom’s house where they would party hardy for a week or so and then the lovely couple would live in great happiness forever.  Sing hosanna.

So these 10 ladies had hoped to be part of the great wedding procession, they were definitely invited.  The problem was that only 5 of them were prepared.  You see, it could sometimes be quite a while before the happy couple left the bride’s home to head to the groom’s home to live.  We’ve all been to weddings, and rarely do they start when we expect them to.  It was no different with this wedding.  Maybe the flowers hadn’t arrived.  Maybe the ring went missing.  Maybe there was a problem with the dress.  Maybe all the guests had not arrived. We don’t exactly know.  But what we do know is that the groom didn’t come when they thought he would. 

When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.  “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’  “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.

Behold He comes…at midnight!  A very unusual hour, a time when most would have been sleeping, a time when most would have been surprised, caught unawares, unprepared.

But, can you just imagine the great celebration?  The Bridegroom emerges from the bride’s house to cheers, trumpets blaring, a joyous celebration, dancing with all their might, singing, let the party begin!  Sing hosanna!

So the girls hopped up, trimmed their wicks and lit their lamps.  But there was just a small problem.  Only five of them were ready.  Only five of them had enough oil in their lamps.  Only five of them could participate in the procession, only five could attend the wedding.  Only five of them could go the distance.

Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’

“But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’  “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’  “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

By the time the ladies had returned from purchasing oil, it was too late.  The feast had started and you can’t join the party after it has already started.  It’s very unfortunate for these ladies.  You see they didn’t have the excuse of being too young, too immature, not knowing the process of the wedding.  Although these ladies were not yet married, they were also not children.  They had no excuse for not being prepared.  They simply chose not to be ready for the Groom.  It is a choice you know.  We all get to decide whether we will be ready when the Groom comes, whether we will participate in the wedding feast.

The world, Satan, will lie to us.  He’ll say we have plenty of time – not so.  He’ll say you can live the way you want and still attend the wedding – not so.  He’ll say you’ve got plenty of time Jesus isn’t coming soon – not so.  He’ll say you don’t have to be prepared for the wedding, you can rely on those who are – not so.  He’ll say you only have filthy rags to wear – not so.  He’ll say your kind isn’t invited – not so.  He’ll say that you don’t have a worthy gift to take to the wedding – not so.  He’ll say that this wedding is just not a big deal – not so.  He’ll say that there will be no wedding – not so.

When Jesus comes back…Sing hosanna…we must be ready.  We can’t beg, borrow or steal to get into the feast.  We have to be ready all on our own.  We can’t rely on someone else’s relationship with Jesus or someone else’s heart to be able to attend the marriage feast. We can’t rely on attending church to be able to attend the wedding. Are you ready?  Is there oil in your lamp?  Is it burning, burning, burning?  Can others see it? Do you need to come to Jesus now and say Lord, give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, I want to be ready for the wedding?

I don’t have a mansion just over the hillside, but from the cottage below, this house intrigues me. There are tons of folks building mansions on top of North Mountain. Now that the trees are leaved, they are a little less conspicuous, but there is one that makes me curious. First of all, it looks pretty big, maybe several stories high. I can only imagine the views from atop. But the thing that really sticks out to me is that the house is sort of sideways on the mountain. It’s crookedish.

I mentioned the crookedness of the house to Tony one day and he said they built it facing south for the sunlight — solar power. Who knew? How smart is that? So, the front of this house is pointing due south. If you have a glass front house, building in the right direction to make use of the sun, to receive its warming rays and collect all that solar power just makes sense. Between the power of the sun and the great ventilation up there, that house is positioned correctly.

That led me to the thought — am I positioned correctly? Am I positioned to receive the most direct Sonlight, to absorb the solar power of the Son? Have I oriented myself to gain the most power from my Most High?

Just like these folks had to consciously decide to position their house in the most beneficial direction, we must do the same. Yes, if we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior and are obedient to His Word we have the same power that rose Jesus from the grave. Too, just like that mansion on the hill, we have the solar battery pack (our hearts) but if we are not pointed to the Son, being fed by the Son, absorbing His rays, positioned correctly, those power packs won’t be any use. In fact, if they are being used and fed, corrosion will cause what’s inside that battery to become hard, lifeless and useless. The Son Light gives power which converts the packs into useable energy. Another word for energy? Spirit. Hmmm. If the packs are not charged, they will be lifeless, without energy, without power. We all know that dreaded sound of a dying battery winding down.

If we are not oriented correctly, if we do not put ourselves in the right position, we will not be able to receive all the power He has to offer. Spending time with Jesus, spending time in His Word, spending time talking to Him, spending time encouraging and being encouraged by other Jesus People are all ways the Son shines His Light — all those things generate, each a ray of the Son, the power we must have in order to be energized for Him. There’s only one way to be energized by Him, to get the power directly from Him. Not in our strength but in His.

As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us t receive his own glory and goodness! And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature. 2 Peter 1:3-4

So, are you position correctly to receive all that He has to offer His Children?

I made a statement at work a couple of weeks ago that I spent more time on my knees in 2020 then I think I have my entire life combined.  True, but sad, but convicting.  Thirteen days in, 2021 doesn’t look to be any different. In fact, my knee time in 2021 could quite possibly surpass my knee time in 2020, and it should.

Each passing year, despite the circumstances of the world, the happenings in our country, the motion of our own little tiny universes, our knee time should increase.  As we grow in our relationship with Jesus and persist in living in His presence, our communication with Him should increase exponentially.  Frankly, He should at some point be all consuming.  In fact, I(we) should have the consciousness of His Presence even when I(we) don’t hear His voice.  Chew on that a minute. We don’t need to hear His voice to know He is present, to sense His presence, to experience His presence, to be in His presence.  We need only persist.

One day Jesus told His disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.  Luke 18:1

How much clearer could it be?  The need for constant prayer is so important that Jesus told them a story to convince them.  Read it in Luke 18, it’s a beautiful illustration of persistence in prayer.  We know, of course, that we are to persist in all our prayers, but the way in which it is used here is prayer for deliverance, rescue, salvation, in times of trial.  It means simply, as 1 Thessalonians tells us  “Keep on praying.”  It doesn’t mean we have to pray harder or pray longer, it means we keep our requests before God continually, confident that He will answer.

Some of you may have read the other day in Jesus Calling:

When you bring Me prayer requests, lay out your concerns before Me.  Speak to Me candidly; pour out your heart.  Then thank Me for the answer that I have set into motion long before you can discern the results.  When your requests come to mind again, continue to thank Me for the answers that are on the way.  If you keep on stating your concerns to Me, you will live in a state of tension.  When you thank me for how I am answering your prayers, your mind-set becomes much more positive.  Thankful prayers keep your focus on My Presence and My promises.

Sarah Young

So, in 2021 we pray for deliverance from the times of trial – physical, mental and mostly spiritual — knowing that Jesus will surely answer, because He said He would, and in this day and age, as in days and ages past, His Word is the only thing we can count on as true.

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Colossians 4:2

So with persistence we devote ourselves to prayer, and enter into the sweet presence continually, with a thankful heart, a heart of praise.  We know that praise always precedes the miracle, and answered prayers are miracles – salvation, healing, comforting – miracles because they are only answers that God can give.  For that we are thankful.

Sweet hour of prayer
Sweet hour of prayer
That calls me from a world of care
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known
In seasons of distress and grief
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By Thy return, sweet hour of prayer

Sweet hour of prayer
Sweet hour of prayer
The joys I feel, the bliss I share
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for Thy return
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face
And gladly take my station there
And wait for Thee, sweet hour of prayer

Sweet hour of prayer
Sweet hour of prayer
And wait for Thee
Sweet hour of prayer

I know not why God’s wondrous grace

To me He hath made known,

Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love

Redeemed me for His own.

I know not how this saving faith

To me He did impart,

Nor how believing in His Word

Wrought peace within my heart.

I know not how the Spirit moves,

Convincing men of sin,

Revealing Jesus through the Word,

Creating faith in Him.

I know not what of good or ill

May be reserved for me,

Of weary ways or golden days,

Before His face I see.

I know not when my Lord may come,

At night or noonday fair,

Nor if I walk the vale with Him,

Or meet Him in the air.

Ah…the thoughts of man.  It is some slight comfort to know that Major Daniel Whittle had some of the same thoughts I’ve rolled around in my brain, 136 years ago.  You know what I mean, right?  Of course you do, the I know nots…I know not why…I know not how…I know not what…I know not when…

Guess who else did?  Father Abraham!  You see, God made a promise to him.  What was that promise?  That Abraham’s offspring would be as numerous as the stars. 

“This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.”

Genesis 15:4

What was Abraham’s response to the covenant, to the promise?

Abraham believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:6

Did you see that?  He didn’t miss a beat.  Abraham didn’t know the why, the how, the what, the when.  The only thing he did know was the promise.  Look how Brother Paul recites it for us:

Abraham, when hope was dead within him, went on hoping in faith, believing that he would become “the father of many nations”. He relied on the word of God which definitely referred to “they seed”. With undaunted faith he looked at the facts–his own impotence (he was practically a hundred years old at the time) and his wife Sarah’s apparent barrenness. Yet he refused to allow any distrust of a definite pronouncement of God to make him waver. He drew strength from his faith, and, while giving the glory to God, remained absolutely convinced that God was able to implement his own promise.

Romans 4:19-21

Oh sure, of course he had faith, we’re talking about the Big A here, Mr. Faithful.  We can say we don’t have that kind of faith, we can talk about the I know nots…why, how, what, when?  But I am so encouraged.  You see, God used Abraham, just an ordinary man, he was far from perfect – remember that Sarah’s my sister thing?  But I’m far from perfect too!  Hey, you too!  I love this verse.  What sets Abraham apart is not his perfection, it’s  his unwavering faith.  You see, Abraham believed that God would do what He said He would do.  He didn’t waver through unbelief regarding the promises of God.  See what it says?  He was strengthened in his faith.  Abraham was fully persuaded, completely convinced that God had the power to do what He promised and that He would do what He promised.

Now glory be to God!  By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to do infinitely more than we could ever dare to ask or imagine.

Ephesians 3:20

He is able to accomplish anything!  That’s the key.  He is.  Abraham believed the promise because of the promiser – God!

Here’s the zinger – Do I believe the promises He has made?  Do you believe the promises He has made?  Work that out in your mind.  It just might be time to reclaim the promises of the Promiser. 

Major Whittle did.  Abraham did.  Paul did.  Countless other names in the Bible did. 

But “I know Whom I have believed,

And am persuaded that He is able

To keep that which I’ve committed Unto Him against that day.”

The deliverance of the Israelites, God’s chosen people, from the Egyptians was not only a physical deliverance, it was a spiritual deliverance as well.  The Israelites were not only delivered from pagan influences but the deliverance also consecrated the Israelites to the service of God.

For the Jews, this physical and spiritual deliverance is a deeply Holy, significant observance.  And while Passover begins today for our Jewish friends, it should be no less important and given no less significance in the life of Christians.

The Exodus from Egypt was not only one of the greatest events and epochs in the history of the Jews, but one of the greatest events and epochs in the history of the world.  To that successful escape, Europe, America, and Australia are as much indebted as the Jews themselves.  And the men of Europe, the men of America, and the men of Australia might join with us Jews in celebrating that feast of the Passover.  C.G. Montefiore

We all know well the story of the first Passover.  The details given in Exodus 12, the Word from God to the people of God, tells of the significance.  I marvel at the step-by-step instructions given by God to His people for their deliverance and protection.  Instructions and commandments that are still reverently observed today.  Does that not speak to their importance?  But, that’s not just in Exodus, is it?  It is the theme of the entire Word of God.  Our Deliverer is coming.  Our Deliverer has come.  Our Deliverer will come again.  Hallelujah!

The first Passover and the Passover roughly 3400 years later, are strikingly similar.  These two separate events in history allegorically, metaphorically and symbolically, rival Revelation.  That should really come as no surprise to us Word of God people as the entire Holy Book points to Jesus’s coming, arrival, and returning. The Alpha and the Omega from the alpha to the omega.

In the tenth day of this month they shall take until to them every man a lamb…Your lamb will be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it from the sheep or the goats; and ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation shall kill it at dusk.  And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it.  And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire…Eat, not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof…And thus shall you eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and you staff in your hand; and shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover.  For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born, in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments:  I am the Lord.  Exodus 12:1-12 (Hebrew Text English Translation of the Pentateuch)

I encourage you to take your own plunge into the profound, there are mirrors upon mirrors in the Passovers. Here are a couple of my own aha’s from this text.

First, the cooking instructions for the lamb.  They were told to prepare the meat by roasting.  That would not necessarily be how we prepare roast lamb today.  They would have prepared the roast lamb, out of doors, on a spit over an open fire.  The profound plunge for me was that the spit most likely would have been made of a perpendicular and transverse pole.  Two poles in the shape of a cross.  Think about that.

The second aha moment came with the two side-posts and the lintel.  The text does not say doorway or door jam. It specifically describes the structure.  Two side-posts supported the lintel, which is a load-bearing construction element designed to support openings.  A lintel is also described as a horizontal beam, a crosspiece, or headpiece that spans (a stringer) an opening.  Wow!  The importance of the lintel is that it carries the weight of the structure!  Wow, again!

My visual is that I’m the left doorpost (sin), God is the right doorpost (Righteousness), and Jesus is the crossbeam (the mediator, the joiner).  Because God and I could not coexist due to my sin, Jesus bore the load, took on my burden, spanned the opening.  The only way God could get to me was for Jesus to die for me.  Outrageous as it sounds, it is Truth.  Don’t let anyone tell you different.  The blood on the lentil and door-posts of the first Passover is the same blood that bridges the span between God and me.  The blood of the first Passover lamb delivered the Israelites.  The blood of the second Passover Lamb delivers us all.  Think about that as we head into the Christian Passover.

God sent His son
They called Him Jesus
He came to love
Heal and forgive
He bled and died
To buy my pardon
An empty grave
Is there to prove
My savior lives

And because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives

“…Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me?  Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”  “Caesar’s,” they replied.  “Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”  His reply amazed them, and they went away.

Matthew 22:15-22

After hearing this verse on the radio, I had to dig into it a little because something about it stirred my mind.  This is the first in a series of three questions posed to Jesus by the Pharisees and Herodians, and Sadducees.  We know that the Pharisees had lost their minds about Jesus and these questions were meant to trap him.  Jesus’ and His message of salvation was growing in popularity, and they were at a loss to stop Him.  We know eventually that they could see the writing on the wall and this man Jesus simply had to go.  Eventually, the plan was hatched for His death and, of course and as usual, things did not go as they had expected.  Isn’t that always the case with evil?  God can turn into good what is meant for evil.

These plotters thought they had a fail-safe question.  “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?”  On it’s face, it sounds  like a legit question, however, the catch to the question wasn’t necessarily the question itself but the askers.  On one hand the Pharisees would say to pay Caesar would be against God, and on the other hand the Herodians would say to pay God would be against Caesar.  Seems like quite a dilemma. But Jesus…

What caused a stir in me in these verses?  The coin.  The coin was a denarius which was payment for about a day’s work. Jesus says, “show me the coin.”  I visualize Him taking the coin, rubbing his fingers over the raised stamp of Caesar’s face, turning it over and examining it back to front, front to back, looking on it in a contemplative way as He is pausing for effect, the silence deafening.  I can almost see the askers leaning in on tiptoe, breathless with anticipation and with joy in their hearts because they think they have finally outmaneuvered Him.  Then Jesus responds to their question with a question “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”  They answer and Jesus looks up at them and drops the mic.  The scriptures tell us they were amazed, silenced, and they went away.

Jesus asked them specifically, whose face is stamped, who’s image, who’s marking, who’s inscription, who’s title, is on the coin?  My mind went to my heart.  As a follower of Christ, my life bears God’s image.  Lord and Savior is stamped, marked, inscripted, impressed on my heart.  Just like the coin belongs to Caesar, our hearts belong to God.  Not just a portion, or a piece, or a little, but the whole thing.  We can’t have half a stamp, part of a mark, or a partial title on our hearts.

God says to me “show me the coin.” I visualize Him taking my heart, rubbing his fingers over the raised stamp of His face, turning it over and examining it back to front, front to back, looking on it in a contemplative way as He is pausing for effect, the silence deafening. He says give to Me what is Mine.

Maybe we need to examine our own hearts the same way God does, contemplate the inscription, roll them around a little, look at them front and back and ask…Do I give to God what is God’s?

Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul, I live for you alone.

Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Have your way in me.

The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”

1 Samuel 3:10

It’s funny how sometimes the teachings of the Bible that are most familiar to us are the ones we see missed lessons in when we start peeling. I’m sure you’re familiar with the story of God calling to Samuel with a message for Eli. I happened upon this verse the other day and noticed something I either hadn’t noticed before or had forgotten. But it made me stop. You take another look at that verse. Is there something that makes you go hmmmm?

In this verse, Samuel was sleeping in the tabernacle following the instructions of God given to Moses. It was his job to tend the lampstands in the Tabernacle, God’s home on earth. The lampstands were located in front of the inner curtain that shielded the Ark of the Covenant. It was Samuel’s job this night to keep the lights burning. God had told Moses that the lampstands must never go out. They must be continually tended in the presence of the Lord. So, it makes perfect sense that Samuel would be close to them in order to obey the Lord’s command.

What made me grab my highlighter were the words “came,” “stood there” and “called.” The Lord called Samuel by name three times and three times Samuel responded to the wrong voice. But do you see what happened next? The Lord called Samuel a fourth time, but He didn’t just call His name, He “came,” He “stood there,” and He “called.” Just think about that.

God called and called and called to His people. They did not respond.

Jesus “came,” “stood there” and “called” again. Still, they did not respond.

So, Jesus “came,” “stood there” and “called” again. They did not respond.

…he has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you… You will see him there…

Matthew 27:7

Still today, Jesus “comes,” He “stands there,” and He “calls.” Have we answered the call? He “comes” and He “stands there” waiting. Four words describing the God of the Universe, spoken thousands of years ago, that could change your eternity.

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling for you and for me
See on the portals He’s waiting and watching
Watching for you and for me

Come home, come home
Ye who are weary come home
Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling, “O sinner come home”

O for the wonderful love He has promised
Promised for you and for me
Though we have sinned He has mercy and pardon
Pardon for you and for me

Come home, come home
Ye who are weary come home
Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling, “O sinner come home”

Come home, come home (come home)
Ye who are weary come home
Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling, “O sinner come home”

I love sheep.  I know, random topic.  But I heard on the radio the other day about how absolutely dependent sheep are on their shepherd.  The shepherd protects them from predators, the shepherd provides shelter, the shepherd provides a place for grazing and water to hydrate, and the shepherd styles that wooly coiffe. 

As I investigated the story I heard on the radio, I read about a certain sheep, his Baarack, found in the Australian bushland.  This poor thing was wild and had never been sheered.  All you could see was this little nose sticking out and toothpick legs propping him up.  His wool was so matted, and so heavy.  He had been roaming wild for years alone.  This is amazing in itself as all sheep need a shepherd.  The article from Slate about Baarack says that when he was found he was brought into the fold, a sheep sanctuary (a people church?):

Not long after Baarack came here, we realized he was in big trouble.  He was so close to passing away.  His wool was such a heavy burden on him.  He couldn’t see.  And he was exhausted from years of struggling to find food and water.

Oh my goodness, do you see the parallel?  Do you feel the parallel?  Trouble.  Passing. Heavy burden.  Blind.  Exhausted.  Struggling.  Starved.

So, Baarack, the merino wool maker got a new-do, something that he hadn’t had in 5-7 years.  Now folks, I don’t know about you, but I can’t go longer than four weeks without my Trudi, I can’t imagine 5-7 years.  Baarack’s barber removed 77 pounds of wool from him!  That’s a lot of weight for those stick legs.  This “trim” was not like a trim we get sitting in the beautician’s chair.  How many of us have had to have our heart rate monitored like Baarack during a haircut to make sure we don’t have a heart attack from the shock of removing all our wool, from “having this burden taken off him.”?

Oh, my goodness, do you see the parallel?  Do you feel the parallel?  Heart check.  Burden lifted.

I love what the shepherd said: 

He had spent so much time walking with all that wool, he’d grown used to it.  When he stood up without it, he struggled to walk without it.  I thought he was going to collapse.  But as he took more steps, it was like, ‘Oh, oh, I feel better now.’  Imagine carrying half your weight on your back for years.  That’s what he had been doing.

Oh, my goodness, do you see the parallel?  Do you feel the parallel?  Carrying a weight.

Is there something we’ve been carrying around for 5-7 years, possibly longer, possibly a lifetime, something that is such a burden, that is weighing us down making it hard for us to exist, much less walk?  Is there something we need to let our Shepherd shear in our lives?  Is there a burden that needs to be combed through, curried out, cut away?  Are you tired of walking around with your hair just a mess? Are you tired of carrying a load much heavier than you were intended to, a load much too heavy to bear?

When Baarack’s shepherd was asked how he survived, she said it was really hard to tell:

Sheep can’t breathe with all that warmth on their back.  It’s really difficult for them to see and find food.  Sheep are herd animals – and he didn’t have any of his kind around him – which is really stressful for him.  He had to make do with the company of wild animals.  There’s not much grass in the forest, ad there’s barely any way.  He’d just been finding puddles to drink water.  He’s been a very resourceful boy.

Although this poor thing had been “very resourceful,” he was close to death.  He couldn’t make it on his own, without a shepherd.  The shepherd said that Baarack should have been terrified of them, but he wasn’t.  He went right to them.  She said that she believed he “knew we were here to ease his suffering.”

Oh, my goodness, do you see the parallel?  Do you feel the parallel? 

Maybe the reason I love sheep so much is that I am just like them.  I have got to have a Shepherd.  Not any shepherd, but The Shepherd, we all need One.  I like sheep am utterly dependent on my Shepherd for all things.  To protect me from predators, to provide shelter, to provide a place for grazing and water to hydrate, and to style my wooly coiffe.  The Lord is my Shepherd. He claims us!

You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”  Ezekiel 34:31

Baarack is doing well and has all his needs provided for.  By the way, the name “Baarack” means “blessed.”

Oh, my goodness, do you see the parallel?  Do you feel the parallel? 

Whisper a prayer in the morning
Whisper a prayer at noon
Whisper a prayer in the evening
To keep your heart in tune

God answers prayer in the morning
God answers prayer at noon
God answers prayer in the evening
So keep your heart in tune

Jesus may come in the morning
Jesus may come at noon
Jesus may come in the evening
So keep your heart in tune

Author Unknown

I’ve been on this prayer study kick (there could  be worse things, I’m sure). But, maybe that’s why I woke up with this song in my head this morning. I’ve not sung it in years.  I remembered the first two verses, but didn’t know there was a third.  It’s pretty important too.  We would do well to keep all three verses in our heads and let them flow to our hearts.  It’s interesting that when you look up the history of the song it’s source, or it’s publication reference is “revival.”  On the surface, that’s not what I would have thought.  But, O how it can refresh.  Singing and meditating on it can absolutely bring revival.

Whoever wrote it knew their Bible and knew their Jesus well.  Look how the scriptures speak.

1 King 19:12, Psalm 55:16-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Proverbs 4:23

Jeremiah 33:3, Matthew 7:7-8, John 15:7, 1 John 3:22

Matthew 24:36, Matthew 24:42, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, Matthew 24:44

One of Satan’s greatest tools is noise, loudness.  Noise can drown out every other sound, unless we’re attentive to Him.  The world clamors for our attention, we must be fully focused on Him.  When we’re awake to Him, His whispers and ours can be clearly heard. The whispers keep our hearts in tune.

I’m reading this book, I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes, by Glenn Clark, published in 1937.  It was in a box of books our mom had, I’m not sure where she got it.  In the front is stamped “Springfield Lutheran Church, Pleasant Valley, Penna.”

I just love this book.  It is old.  The pages are super thick, super yellow and the edges rigid as if hand cut.  It is hand tied and the needlework is visible at each turn.  The cover is green cloth, you know that really thin linen-like stuff they used to cover books with.  This book just makes you want to touch it, to hold it, and sometimes I just do.  One would think with the age of the book, nearly 85 years, that the book would be brittle, pages chipping, maybe even a little fragile, but it’s not.  This book and its message were made to last.  The books of new with their precisely cut, glued pages and glossy cardboard covers aren’t made to last and sometimes neither is their message.

And that is why I have written this book, to help you be that man for your home, your community, your neighborhood.  Glenn Clark

In this wonderful book written specifically for men, the spiritual leaders of their homes, I’ve learned enduring lessons about the hind.

The red deer is Europe’s largest deer.  Although the red deer is one of the Scottish Highlands most iconic sights, they originally hail from the Turkey-Persia area and are actually the only deer species to inhabit all of Africa.  The male red deer is called the hart and the female red deer is called the hind. 

The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.  Habakkuk 3:19

So what makes the hind creature so spectacular?  The hart is also a magnificent creature, but there’s something special about the gal – and it’s her feet.  The hind is known to be the most surefooted animal.  Why is that?  Because of the way her feet work together.  When climbing craggy, rugged mountainous areas, the hind’s back feet land exactly where her front feet have just left.  As she moves through, her front feet test the dangerous terrain and when she finds safe footing, her back feet then land right in that spot.  Her front feet and her back feet line up in perfect correlation in order for her to traverse the terrain and reach the mountaintop safely.  It’s precision tracking.

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. Luke 10:27

In order to reach the heights of life, we too must have precision tracking.  Our feet must perfectly correlate.  Our hearts and our minds must line up.  There’s a reason it is called the Greatest Commandment.  When our hearts and our minds are in perfect alignment, nothing is impossible.

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mark 11:22-23

Our hearts and our minds must completely align with Him in order to scale the mountains of this world.  All four feet (heart, soul, strength, mind) must be coordinated to safely climb the mountain.  In the mountainous regions where the hinds travel, those back feet not landing perfectly in the front feet footsteps, even by a fraction of an inch, can be deadly.  One misstep by our back feet can cause the mountain to crumble starting an avalanche of boulders and we find ourselves laying at the bottom with rocks piled on.  But, each step taken toward the top of the mountain, feet-in-feet, opens a more spectacular view than the last step.  Ascending the mountain Jesus’s way – without doubt in our heart and believing with our minds  — opens up the most panoramic vistas ever imagined! True vision can only be found when we convert our feet to hind’s feet.  It is a life long process.  Sometimes we do misstep.  Sometimes we are off by a fraction of an inch and we suffer devastating consequences.  But as we work at having hind’s feet, aligning our back feet to our front feet, our hearts with our minds, the Lord will encourage us along the way and we will safely reach new heights which open to glimpses of Heaven.  Praise the Lord of the Mountain!