He will come to us like the rain!

Hosea 6:3(NRSVCE)

Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord;
    his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
He will come to us like the showers,
    like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Why pray?

I heard a wise man say that if we really believed in the power of prayer we would do it more often.

Why pray?

Because the Lord has great promises for us. Because he desires to answer our prayers! Because he wants to come to us. "Those who seek me find me"  

Proverbs 8:17(NRSVCE)

 I love those who love me,
    and those who seek me diligently, find me.

I think about the times of drought where the land gets so water deprived that it actually cracks open. It is as if the ground itself is crying out to the heavens seeking to be filled with water. As if the cracks themselves are the visual proof that there is space for the water to go. The ground speaks to the clouds "here I have made room for your precious rain, here in these open cracks."

What about us? Have we made room for the presence of Gods Holy Spirit in our lives? Are our prayers desperate? do we have passion in our prayers? Are we understanding our need to be filled? Can you hear Gods whisper pulling you away from the distractions of this present world, calling you to find Him in prayer?

Cry out to God, cry out to his blessed mother, cry out to the saints, go to your brothers and sisters for prayer! Be encouraged, be comforted, and be expecting, for our Heavenly Father is waiting.

And He promises us that He will come like the rain!

What does your heart tell you?

I have a quote hanging on my wall.  "Make time for the quiet moments, when God whispers and the world is loud." Now that's the challenge  isn't it. You see God is not insecure, therfore he will not compete against all the loud voices in this earth, no He whispers.  Can He shout? Of course, His word tells us His voice can be as loud as thunder if need be! A thunder that will make any man faint, even to give up the ghost if one were to hear it!  Our Lord knows the meaning of "tough love."  It is because of His mercy that He often comes to us in a whisper.
Question,  Are we taking the time away from all our distractions to hear His whisper?  If we are not careful the voices of this day can sweep us far away from God's presence, and then what will we do? Wander about seeking fullfillment yet never able to be satisfied. For all the blessings in this world will not bring us peace if they are not received in the presence of God.
Our hearts tell us this is true. I have been among friends, and in gatherings of amusement, and in those moments I have felt my heart stop me, crying out for God..."Jesus how I need thee, love thee, you are my joy. " 
The heart knows.
I have been in the midst of receiving blessings and enjoying material goods and have felt my hearts cry for God.
And in the time of suffering,  God has been my only consolation, my comfort.
The heart knows.
What is your heart telling you?

Hypocrite!

The finger has been pointed.
The charge laid down.
The critique spelled out.
Hypocrite!

Is it true?
Am I false, what makes me so?
Is it my sins, my failures, my brokeness?
Do my thoughts and feelings betray me?
My actions or my lack of actions?
Can a man speak of God though he himself is not perfect?

Before God I stand.
My soul laid bare before Him.
He sees all, from His searing  glance into my depths I cannot hide.
In shame and humility my failures are on display...and they are many.

Yet He also sees my heart, if I could be perfect before Him and all persons I surely would be!
What if I had all the answers?
All the perseverance, all the strength? All the time? What if I could be everything for everyone?
Truth is, I'm not even close.
I know this.

Day by day I struggle and question.
Ponder and pray.
Stand up ... back down.
Speak up...stay silent.
Act...do not act.
Trust...don't trust.
Draw the line...be trampled upon.
Sometimes I'm wise.
Mostly I'm  a fool.

What is my defense?
He is my defense! Christ Jesus!
Suffered, died, rose again, for me and all fellow failures, sinners, hypocrites!
While the accusers blind of their own faults, point their cold fingers, the Perfect God of love shows me grace and acceptance.
And though this hypocrite does not deserve it, he stands in my defense.

And yet He is more than my defense, He is my only hope.

What dreams may come, may go.

There comes a time for all of us.
A quiet time, swallowed up by somber regret, where the truth of our present circumstances must be accepted. The dreams fade...slowly  turning gray.

What if I. ...why did i...too much time has passed now...is it too late for me?

Even the dreams of fools refuse
To die easy, they live on like the small burning  embers of a forgotten campfire.

The hollow silence inside, longs to be filled. Have I been forgotten by my God? Has he removed His guiding hand . Are my steps unsure? Has my earthen journey led me to a land of dark and fog?

Hope...hope and remembrance.
I can hear their faint cry, I am afraid to listen, to believe.
What if I fail again, what if the voices are the mere illusions of a wounded soul trying to find healing?

Hope...hope and pray.
That the sun will shine through the night and find my face.
Can the mighty God remember me?
Can mercy turn His face towards me?
Can my hope blossom into my reality?
Will my prayers find footing?
Hear my heart almighty God, for this lost and discouraged fool needs a Shepherd.. ...
needs a Father.....
needs to be loved.

Shalom

Shalom...

Father Bob says it means Gods peace and presence... Even if things around you are not so peaceful. So here I am at church prayer, asking God for His peace and His presence. I am aware that I am being greedy with this request. God has blessed me so much already. All my life He has called me and made Himself known to me, yet I ask for more of His presence in my life. All my life He has provided for me and yet, I ask for more provisions. I am keenly aware that I am insufficient in being able to provide, and produce in any way for myself and my loved ones. It is God who makes all things happen and who orders my steps. It is God who will one day watch me take my last breath and command my angel to bring my spirit to Him. In the mean time I wrestle...against this fallen world...against my fallen soul. I am the most unworthy, and yet, spoiled by my Father. With all this I pray, Lord Jesus, Father God give me your shalom. Lord God, Father God I come to you with my fears and dreams, shepherd me I pray. Amen.

The Staircase

1.   Just another day Gin thought to himself, another day full of the same old boring chores. The sound of fathers constant yelling was causing Gins ears to ring. Although, Gin thought to himself, as he emptied the burlap bag of rubbish onto the backyard fire pit, life here in the meadow land is peaceful...too peaceful perhaps.

2.   Gin could hear his mother calling him from inside their small thatched cottage home "be careful not to burn yourself Gin, do you hear me?" "Yes mother!" Gin yelled back with a tone of annoyance. "How many times have I burned the family rubbish?" Gin asked himself, "only a thousand times!" was his quick answer to himself.

3.   night fell as the fire grew and faded. Gin laid next to it on the grass starring at the night sky. The stars looked amazing on these clear summer nights. What if I could somehow go up to the heavens and commune with the ancients who lit the stars so long ago? What could they show me? What could they teach me? Many in the meadow lands are saying that perhaps the stories of the ancients were just legend, like fairy tales, but Gin, he was a believer, and he knew up there, or somewhere far away there were great things!

4.   "Hear ye Hear ye!" came the morning call. Gin jumped up from his earthen bed, he must have fallen asleep and now the whole village was in a stir as the kings messengers were yelling and posting the kings proclamation on various post and doors throughout the village. Gin did a quick morning stretch and then quickly ran to the front of his families cottage. Mom, dad, and little brother were already there. dad had the kings proclamation, which was nailed to their door, now in his hand...mom looked worried.

5.   "Says here that King Xavier is calling all , able bodied, young men to his service" "what's it about?" Gins mother asked as she looked at Gin. "Doesn't say" Gins father replied. "But all qualified candidates have to be ready by sunset tomorrow, the kings regiment will come through to pick them up" Gin looked down at Sammy his little brother at age five he surely would not be a candidate, Gin however, had just celebrated his nineteenth birthday last week. It was a merry celebration indeed with too much food and too much drink, it took a couple days for Gin and his friends to recover. Funny,  Gin thought  I sure didn't imagine this coming. What is going to happen to me and my friends now?

6.   to be continued...

The blessing of God for the new year

There is a prayer of blessing in the old testament that is absolutely perfect...

Nm 6:22-27

The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:

The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

What strikes me this first day of the new year is the "may the Lord keep you" part.
The longer i walk with God the more I realize that I need Jesus to keep me.
Given up to my own lustful passions and desires I would surely consume to my undoing.
It is the tragedy of the human condition, we are fallible sinners with appetites for destruction.
So this year as I pray the blessings of God on my life and for my family and friends, I focus on the keeping!
Lord Jesus keep me in you, in your presence, in your care, filled with your Holy Spirit and love.
Don't let me stray Lord lest I wander beyond finding!
May Gods blessings rush upon all who read and share this message!

Godspeed
Jimmyg