Month: October 2023

“For we have not a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Hebrews 4:15 (RSV)

It’s easy to say “I’m only human,”when I fail to follow the ways that Jesus taught me, but sometimes I forget that Jesus was also human. He was both fully human and fully divine.

His divinity is apparent in the gospels and He was adored for His ministry of miracles, followed by His saving death and resurrection, yet Jesus also had a very human side, which He lived out as a boy and a man for thirty long years, before ever revealing His divinity to the world.

The gospels are primarily stories of Jesus’ ministry, sharing only brief moments about His infancy or boyhood. His ministry began at thirty years old, so what about the thirty years before that? 

We can only gather tidbits about His  thirty years prior, living a normal, yet pious life, growing up in Nazareth, laughing and playing with other children. His neighbors simply knew Him as Yeshua, the son of the carpenter and Mary. He grew up in His family’s customs and faith, observing all the Mosaic teachings, the feasts and holidays of His Jewish culture. The customs of His time reveal that He would have learned His father’s carpenter trade, working alongside him, during all those years.

We know, at thirty, Jesus left home to launch His ministry, which began with water baptism, followed by time spent in the desert, where He encountered His strongest human temptations. Today’s scripture tells us that He was fully acquainted with all the tests and temptations of life, except He was without sin. 

While Jesus was sinless, He still knew what it felt like to experience the emotional storms of temptation and testing, just as we do.

Later in His ministry, He experienced the emotional pain of betrayal, disrespect and rejection from those He loved. Besides Judas, who was His close friend for three years, He faced being rejected by some who might have been His childhood friends, religious leaders or relatives, who He knew and loved all His life. 

Jesus performed many miracles, signs, and wonders during His final three years of ministry, but we seldom reflect on His humanity for the thirty years beforehand. 

When we think about it, Jesus was fully divine, yet lived 90% of His life span in a human way at home in Nazareth. We may not know very much about his early life during those first thirty years, but we can be sure He is able to identify with anything we currently struggle with. 

In His human body, Jesus was tested in all ways as we are. He knew physical and emotional pain, along with spiritual and mental anguish, and He also felt hurt, frustration and anger. He was provoked, but never retaliated, He never lost His faith, and He never sinned against God, His Father. 

He endured everything and followed the will of His Father, loving Him with all His heart, soul, mind and strength. He didn’t just follow the law, He was the fulfillment of every law, all the way to the end. 

Jesus is not only a sympathizer of our suffering, He is a veteran of all testing, trials and temptations. He knows all about it because He has experienced it.

His life’s purpose was not to punish or retaliate, but to save. He said, 

“I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” (John 12:47)

He spoke God’s truth about sin, humility, forgiveness and eternal life. Then He moved on to whoever would listen next. 

He asks us to stay connected in Him, like a branch connected to a vine, for life and nourishment. In our humanity we follow His humanity, imitating His obedience. His grace paid the price for our atonement and He wants to intercede for us daily, as our High Priest. As we come to Him, we  identify with His humanity, but we worship His divinity. 

There’s no better High Priest than Jesus, who demonstrated His love for us by becoming our Lamb of God, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

The invisible God and Father, loved us so much that He clothed His divine Son in a human body like our own, and then put His Spirit in our human bodies to dwell in us and help us throughout our lives. It’s the greatest exchange and expression of God’s love since creation. 

Jesus, thank you for being both our High Priest and our Lamb of God. You shared your humanity with us, then bought our salvation with your precious blood, and now we adore you in your glorious divinity, forever and ever. Amen

“…grant to those who mourn in Zion to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” 

Isaiah 61:3 (RSV)

My mother passed away seventeen years ago at the age of 92, but two years ago, one of her good friends passed away at the age of 102. 

Although I learned of her death, too late to attend her funeral service, her family recorded the entire funeral service on YouTube. As I listened to each of her relatives give a touching eulogy, it was obvious that she lived a very gratifying, love filled life for the majority of her 102 years. I say the majority of her years, because her childhood was cruelly interrupted by the holocaust.

What I remember most about Elsa, my mother’s friend, was that she had numbers tattooed on her arm. She grew up in Hungary, during the Holocaust and was separated from her family, around the age of twelve, and sent to a concentration camp, while the rest of her entire family was killed by the Nazis. 

I cannot recall the details of how she escaped death and made it safely to America, but she finally emigrated, married, and raised a family, settling in the Chicago area. She lived a long, good life here, although I’m sure she still carried with her, many sorrowful childhood memories. 

I found it interesting that not one of her family’s eulogies made mention of her childhood experience in the concentration camp. At first I was perplexed by their neglect to mention that phase of her life. Each eulogy described who Elsa was to that family member, to her neices, nephews, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. They all gave eulogies describing how much love she brought into their lives.

I realized that her early period of suffering was not being disregarded, but the person she had become since then, was so much greater and more meaningful than the tragedy she overcame. Her family obviously felt that who Elsa was, triumphed over whatever she suffered. 

It then occurred to me, that God also intends for each of us to become someone much greater and more meaningful than the tragedies we have overcome. 

People may go through unspeakable suffering in their lives, but through faith in God, they have the potential to become a pillar of love and strength for others. God is good and He turns our sorrow into joy, with immeasurable graces, as we keep trusting in Him. The Lord brings beauty out of the ashes and gives us the oil of gladness, which replaces a faint hearted spirit of mourning. 

The numbers on Elsa’s arm were a permanent reminder of the evil that is in the world, but the life she lived for the following ninety years, reflected strength, love and the goodness of God. If ever there was a need in the world to grasp this message, it’s now. 

Each one of us has the potential to become living proof to those around us, that God’s love and goodness overcomes all evil. 

I didn’t know Elsa as well as my mother did, but both women had the same strong, positive and loving spirit, that left a huge impact on others.  As I listened to the last and final eulogy, I imagined Elsa meeting my mother in heaven, and the two of them enjoying a warm embrace.

Lord, fill us with understanding and wisdom, to know that we are more than the sum of our tragedies. Bring forth beauty from our ashes, and let us be a reflection of your love, strength and goodness, to impact the lives of others. Amen

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Esther 4.14 (NIV)

Esther was a young Hebrew girl who lived in the Persian empire that was ruled by a culture where women were treated as possessions. It’s a story of God’s timing and the heroism of a young woman, who found the courage to break out of a culture of silence and prevent the genocide of her people. True beauty is within, and Esther used her external beauty and position to reveal her true inner beauty, by interceding for her people, in spite of the ugly forces of hatred and evil working in the world. 

It all began in Persia with a self aggrandizing King, named Ahasuerus, who initiated a national search for the most beautiful young women of his land, in order to restaff his harem and Esther was one of the many chosen ones. 

King Ahasuerus knew nothing of Esther’s Hebrew ethnicity. Her parents were deceased and she was raised by an older cousin, named Mordecai, a devout and pious man. Esther became part of the harem, but gained so much favor with the King, that he quickly promoted her to become his Queen. 

The first lesson I take away from the story of Esther is that sometimes God gives us favor with people in authority, but He does it for a particular purpose, which is much higher than for our own self enrichment. Esther didn’t know it yet, but God placed her in the position of being Queen, to save her people from genocide. 

According to Persian culture, the queen or any other female was not allowed to approach the king without being summoned by him. Queen Esther, therefore, could only approach the King if he first summoned her. 

In the meantime, evil schemes were brewing behind the scene. Haman, a high ranking, close official to the King, detested Mordecai, while not knowing that the queen was related to him. He hated Mordecai and all the Jewish people, since they never bowed down to him as the rest of the Persian population did. 

Haman’s bruised ego combined with his hatred, led him to secretly devise a plan to annihilate all the Jewish people from the land. He managed to manipulate the King to believe that the Hebrew people were disloyal subjects, and needed to be removed as a whole group. He not only plotted their genocide, but had special gallows built especially to hang Mordecai on. 

Rumors of Haman’s plot leaked out to Mordecai, who went to Esther, and  tried persuading her to speak to the King, on behalf of her people. Esther’s first response was to abide by the cultural rules that she cannot approach the King unless he first summons her. Mordecai finally convinced Esther, by asking her, “What if for such a time as this, you were made queen ?“

Sometimes, God expects us to speak up on behalf of others, and there may be only a small window of time to do it. Esther found the courage to put God’s purpose before herself or the traditions of her culture. 

Now that she was willing to do the right thing, Esther didn’t know how to approach the King, when she wasn’t permitted to, so she spent three days praying and fasting, asking for God’s help. She came up with a plan, and resolved to give herself to God, saying,” I will go to the King, contrary to the law. If I perish, I perish!”

Esther sent an invitation to both the King and Haman to join her for a dinner party, and the King agreed. After the dinner, Esther found the courage to ask the King for the favor of saving her people from genocide. The King asked who would ever harm her people? Esther then revealed her Hebrew identity and pointed to Haman, as the one who is planning the genocide of her people. 

The King granted Esther’s request and Haman’s plot was stopped. Ironically, Haman was hung on the exact gallows that he built for Mordecai. 

God hears the prayers of His people, directs our path, and delivers us from evil, when we turn to Him with all our heart. He places His people in the right place at the right time, for His divine purposes. Prayer gives us courage, and Esther’s words prove it, “I will go to the King, contrary to the law. If I perish, I perish!”

Esther put her identity as a believer, above her prestige as a Queen. She used her favor and high position, for a greater purpose. By being in the right place at the right time, she was able to intercede for her people, and save them from genocide.

We don’t need to be royalty to be in a place and position that is unique only to us. God will bring us to the right person at the right time, and grant us favor to intercede for a purpose we might not even know about yet. 

We may be the only person who can positively influence certain people. There is someone who may listen to us more than anyone else. God has placed each of us in a particular career, ministry, relationship, neighborhood, or any kind of situation for such a time as this. 

Lord, give us courage to speak, pray or intercede for others, showing us how your divine plan has placed us where we are, as an influence for good, “for such a time as this”. Amen

“Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

John 11:35-37 (RSV)

There is a beautiful truth packed in these verses of scripture. First, the fact that Jesus wept, which happens to be the shortest verse in the Bible, and yet it reveals the boundless magnitude of God’s love, embodied in Jesus. He wept for Lazarus because He loved him and He also loves each of us with the same intensity. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and He shows us that God is an emotional being, who feels emotion for us. He feels sadness, pity, love, pride and joy for us in whatever we are going through. 

As the crowd observed Jesus weeping for Lazarus at his tomb, they commented, “See how He loved him.”  Jesus weeping was an emotional expression of His love for Lazarus, and He feels the same emotion for each of us as well. 

I recently wrote about the small graces that God sends during the most difficult times in our lives. These small graces are God’s way of expressing His hug or a kiss, or an arm around us, during those difficult moments in our life. 

Yesterday was the first day that I had to bring my legal guardianship papers to the bank, on behalf of my son, Jon. He suffered a brain injury six weeks ago from a motorcycle accident. He is still disabled, unable to talk or walk, with a long road of rehabilitation ahead. I stood at the bank window and handed over the papers that make me his legal guardian. Who would think that a forty three year old would need his mother’s guardianship once more?

The bank employee was very sympathetic and she asked me how he became disabled, so I told her the story. When we were about done, an elderly lady who was at the service window next to me, came over to me and said, “I couldn’t help overhearing  you speak and I want you to know I will be praying for your son.” Then she asked me what his first name was, so I knew she really meant business. I chatted with her for a few minutes and then we parted ways.

The perfect timing of God, in sending a total stranger to me in the same bank, at the same time, who happened to be next to me at that moment, and came up to me to tell me she would be praying for my son, was no coincidence. 

It was another one of those small graces that God sends to us, which feels like He reached down, and briefly put His arm around me, saying “It’s going to be alright, I will be with you.”

Those small graces are the best kind. They kind of touch your heart and stay with you in a deeper way than one big major miracle would.

Yesterday, the name of my website, kissedbythespirit.com, became an animated moment of reality, since I actually felt kissed by His Spirit.

Lord, thank you for small graces, and the great compassion you show us in the most difficult moments of our lives. Let each reader recognize those special, small graces of love and comfort that you send to them in difficult moments. Amen 

“She was so overjoyed when she recognized Peter’s voice that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They told her, “You are out of your mind,” but she insisted that it was so. But they kept saying, “It is his angel.”

Acts 12:14-15

The disciples had been praying fervently for Peter, who was arrested and imprisoned for preaching the gospel. A group of believers were gathered together at the home of Mary, the mother of the disciple, Mark, who wrote the gospel of Mark. It was the night before Peter’s trial with Herod. 

While they were praying, Peter was set free by an angel, who suddenly appeared in his jail cell, waking him up, and telling him to get up and get dressed. The chains fell off his wrists and the angel escorted him out the prison doors, passing guard after guard. Either the guards were in a trance or put to sleep by the angel. A heavy iron gate opened up by itself.  Peter thought it was all a dream or a vision, until he was led to the home where the group was gathered and praying for him. Then the angel disappeared. 

Peter knocked on the door and Rhoda, a house maid, went to the door, first asking who was there, and when she heard Peter’s voice, she was overjoyed to know their prayers were answered. Instead of letting him in, she excitedly ran to tell all the disciples that Peter was at the door, but not one of them believed her.

Rhoda shows us how to pray and live with expectations that God will answer, even though He may answer in unexpected ways. She heard Peter’s voice at the door and she believed. She didn’t need to know how he could possibly be out of prison and suddenly appear at the door. It made no logical sense to the group, that Peter could appear at the door in that hour of the night, so they told Rhoda she was out of her mind. Rhoda had expectations that prayer brings answers which may defy all of our common sense and logic. 

The Holy Spirit spoke to me through this story, as my own heart is often doubting, and too fixated on the logical.

If we believe God sent an angel and liberated Peter from prison, we can believe He still liberates and frees all who are oppressed or sick today. We can trust that God may send His angel to wake us or our loved one up spiritually, and lead us out of the iron gate of doubt, discouragement and fear. 

Jesus also told us to expect His return. We are to dress ourselves with readiness, expecting Him at any time. No one knows when, nor are we to make predictions, but we are to live in expectation. 

When the disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign of His return, He told them that wickedness would greatly increase and love would greatly decrease in the world, but He encouraged all His disciples to remain firm until the end. 

(Matthew 24:12-13) 

There have been perilous seasons throughout history, that seem to come in waves, but it keeps us praying, as the disciples did the night of Peter’s liberation from prison. God continues to heal, save and deliver, throughout all seasons, as we continue to pray fervently. 

A phrase I always heard growing up, was, “God helps those who help themselves,” but In truth, “God helps those who trust in Him,” and this story illustrates it. He still helped Peter because of the fervent prayers of believers, even with their limited expectations. If there was ever a season in history to trust in Jesus, and raise our expectations, it’s now. 

Lord, help us to be like Rhoda, and live in expectation of the answers to our prayers. We believe that our fervent prayers will bring down your power which breaks all chains, opens the heaviest iron gate and sends your angels to lead us into complete freedom in Jesus’ name. Amen

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Luke 22:31-32 (NIV)

Since everyone has a time of sifting in their life, the words of Jesus are comforting for all of us, not just Peter, who He was speaking to. Jesus was confident that Peter would return, by saying to him, “… and when you return, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus has confidence in each one of us. He sees everything that is happening in our lives, all the adversities that sift us and test our faith, but He believes in us because He prayed for us.

Jesus prayed, “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” (John 17:9) 

That includes everyone who believes in Him.

After wheat is sifted and separated from the chaff, the wheat is poured into a container, ready for use. After being sifted, we are being launched or poured into a new container or a new era of our life, to be used by God for a greater purpose. Jesus prays for His church, every believer in the world, and because He believes in us, He leads us through new doors for a purpose that He has planned. We have all gone through an individual sifting, but a few years ago, the entire world was sifted all at once.

We have come a long way from the worst years of the Covid pandemic. People have various opinions of what the pandemic meant for the world, but I believe it was definitely used as a sifting process in every person’s life, in order to launch us into God’s greater purpose for us.

A sifter catches unwanted particles and lets only the purified particles fall through. God allowed things to be removed from our lives during Covid, so that we could turn our attention to what remained after the sifting. 

There are different kinds of sifting. As flour is sifted, it separates the clumps and leaves only the smooth flour to pass through the sieve. 

The sifting that separates the chaff from the wheat kernels, is a totally different kind of sifting, and requires more of a violent shaking. Jesus told His disciples that they would be sifted as wheat. In being sifted as wheat, everyone’s life was shook up  in a huge way, almost violently, and that sounds like the Covid years.

Many people became frightened, angry, and confused, over Covid, they stopped attending church during those years and never returned. Some may have left from fear of getting sick and some may have lost their faith. Others have become angry, sad or depressed at the difficult circumstances that Covid brought into their lives, such as loss of employment, troubled relationships, depression or losing their loved ones to the disease. 

God’s grace is always drawing us back to Him, by changing hearts, and many will return to the faith, like Peter did, because Jesus prayed for them. 

For me the year before Covid was the most difficult year, because it was the year I was caring for my terminally ill husband and became a widow. The following year when Covid peaked, was a year of solitude and regathering of thoughts for me. I was furloughed from my job for a few months, which led me to spend more time reading scripture. I began writing a meditation from each day’s reading. It launched an entirely new era in my life. 

We can read in John 17:15-16, what Jesus prayed for all those who would ever believe in Him: 

“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

Sifting helps us to recognize who we really are in God’s eyes, His confidence in us, and His good purpose for us.

Some people discovered their hidden talents, did more volunteering for charities, became caregivers, or launched personal businesses they never would have had the courage to do, if not for Covid. 

We have all had something sifted within us, during the Covid era, while also discovering a deeper meaning in life and a richer blessing after the sifting. 

The Covid shut downs removed the distractions, causing us to hunger for more of what is pure and good. We have since been launched into the sequel to the sifting, because we’ve learned to keep pursuing what we most hunger for, deep within, all that is pure, good and pleasing to God.

Lord, as we reminisce the past few years of sifting that some of us are still experiencing, we thank you for the new doors that will open in our lives. Help us to discover the blessings from the sifting, and open our hearts to the new direction you have for us. Purify our hearts as you continue to sift us for our good. Amen

“When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”

Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he. He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. “ 

John 9:35-38 ( NAB)

The blind man was healed by Jesus, and his sight was instantly restored, but afterward he went through an unexpected, harsh interrogation in the temple. When the authorities weren’t satisfied with his answers, they threw the man out of the temple. 

He couldn’t understand why he was being punished for being healed. Jesus later approached the man and asked him if he believed in the Son of man, and his answer was, “Who is he, that I may believe?”

Sometimes, even when God answers our prayers, we may not understand fully, His way of answering. The blind man was interrupted from enjoying his healing, because both he and his parents were dragged into the temple for questioning, as if they committed a crime. Unexpected times of adversity can interrupt our ability to enjoy a blessing, but Jesus returned to the man to help him move forward in his faith and focus on Him. Jesus is standing before each of us as well, to help us refocus our faith on Him.

We will have moments in our lives, when we ask a lot of questions which start out, who, what, where or how. The best way to move forward during these difficult times is by answering the most important question. Our answer needs to be as the blind man’s, “Yes Lord, I believe.”

When the Israelites were wandering through the wilderness, they prayed for food, and God sent them bread, but they didn’t recognize it as bread from heaven. The people called it “Manna” and in Hebrew, Manna is “Ma na?” meaning “What is it?” The people were full of questions, quickly growing tired of manna, and asked Moses what else they can eat.

God is doing many things in our lives that we do not fully understand. He is answering our prayers even though we may not understand His answers. Haven’t we all prayed for something and then the answer appears to be completely different from what we imagined ? We all have had moments where we asked God, “What is happening, Lord?” 

It’s not wrong to ask a question, when we cannot recognize His answers, but what we learn from the blind man, is that there is one best answer for all questions, “Yes Lord, I believe.”

Mary, upon hearing from Gabriel, that she, a virgin, conceived a son and would mother the Messiah. She responded with the question, “How can this be ? but later she accepted it by faith and said, “Be it done, according to your word.”

When Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well about living water that only He could give, she asked, “Where do you get this living water?”

Each person asked questions, but in the end they all found the same answer to every question, “I believe.”

The answers to our prayers are coming, but it may not be as we expected. Who, what, where and how, starts every question we may be asking God, and yet He is very patient with all our questions, as we know from how patient Jesus was in His interaction with others. 

Before my son’s motorcycle accident, he decided to reject all belief in God. He joined an Atheist Facebook group, and estranged himself from his family, who are all believers. Everyone had been praying for him to come to faith and then we received the news of his accident, coma, and brain injury, and now an inevitable long, slow recovery ahead.

It wasn’t the way we expected our prayers to be answered, but God is good, and He answers every prayer, according to His goodness. He may answer in ways that cause us to ask many questions, yet God’s ways are above our ways, and His thoughts are above our thoughts. Only He sees the big picture, and in all that He does, His purposes are perfect.

The Lord might be asking us a question, “Don’t you believe in Me?” In every difficulty, we can give Him one solid faith filled answer. Since we do believe, we can answer Him as the blind man did, or as Mary, or the woman at the well, and many others did, saying “Yes Lord, I believe.”

Lord, in these trying times, and with all the questions we have, we want to reaffirm our answer to your most important question, saying, Yes Lord, we believe in you, and in your answers. Let your will be done in our lives, according to your perfect purpose. Amen

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 ( NIV)

God sends many small graces along the way, even during the most difficult tests and trials in our lives. In all things, at all times, He gives us what we need, in small subtle ways. 

I can see this in all that I’m going through since my son’s accident. Sometimes we are so busy looking for the one big answer to our prayers, that we neglect to see the small graces of God that add up along the way. 

My son’s motorcycle was impounded at a towing yard, and no one was allowed access to it for the past month.  Monday of this week, I received the permission to go to the motorcycle. I found my son’s cell phone in a compartment, which was a small grace, and a step toward progress. I was not only able to contact his landlord through the contact list on his phone, but was able to text his customers who were sending messages asking where he was or why he didn’t show up according to schedule. I  received some very kind responses, with sincere concern, and one of his customers was a pastor of a church. He promised to pray for Jon. That was another small grace.

Unfortunately my son did not have health insurance, only vehicle insurance, with some minimal medical coverage. He was self employed for the past twenty years, with a small business of seal coating and patching residential driveways with asphalt. The social worker told me I needed to get guardianship so that the financial questions could be answered, in order to see if he qualifies to receive Medicaid insurance. 

I agreed and the law firm they referred me to, which set up the guardianship, told me that it is highly unusual for the hospital to offer to pay all the legal costs for the process of making me the guardian, and yet they did. I never asked for it, I had just assumed it was routine for the hospital to pay the legal costs, but after hearing that, I realized this was another small grace of God along the way of this difficult journey. 

I love today’s scripture verse, saying that God blesses us abundantly, so that we receive all things, at all times, having all that we need…” 

Through all the different stages of this experience, I can say that God truly has blessed me in receiving all things at all times, with all that I needed. I’m trusting that Jon will receive Medicaid insurance in time for his rehab transfer.

In receiving all things at all times, I realize now that my son had the best surgeon of his group, who happened to be the one on call the day he was brought to the ER. His pupils didn’t look good upon arrival, indicating a serious brain injury, yet after surgery, the surgeon was surprised that Jon did as well as he did. 

He also received some of the smartest and most caring nurses while he was there. One of them was a childhood friend who grew up across the street from us. Angie remembered Jon, because all his Mexican friends called him “Guerro”, a nickname, meaning white boy. Having Angie as one of his ICU nurses, was another small grace from God.

Now that he is in the step down unit, and continues to get good care, the physical therapy techs had him sitting up on the edge of his bed with his eyes open, which was amazing to see.

This week, they found blood clots in both his arms and began a treatment to cure it. I ask for your prayers that this will also be resolved, as we trust in God to give us all things, at all times, as needed. This is a beautiful promise for all of us to cling to, so we can trust Jesus for our own needs, and expect an abundant blessing.

“All things at all times, and all we need…..” that is His promise for today and it is for each and every one of us. Whatever we are going through, we can be sure that God wants to bless us abundantly. Although He doesn’t always do it through a big earth shaking miracle, God sends us many small graces, happening one after another, as needed, over time. His many small graces eventually add up to one big blessing.

Lord, open our eyes to see the small graces that you are pouring out into  our lives, and give us peace and comfort, knowing you are working out everything for the best, so that we can abound in every good work, for your glory. Amen

“The Lord God will wipe away

the tears from all faces;

The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 25:8-9 (NAB)

This scripture is all I can think about after watching the heart wrenching stories of what has been happening in Israel over the past week, after the savage terrorist attacks of Hamas. 

Mostly every home in Israel has a safe room, a fortified shelter with a strong steel door that is sealed and impenetrable to chemical attack, and other dangers. 

So many tears are currently being shed across the land of Israel in the past week. Most of those tears are for people’s children, who have been either been killed or kidnapped. Not only are many Israeli parents in mourning, but the whole world is watching the holy land, which is the geographical roots of their faith, as it is being desecrated with terror and brutality.

In spite of so much sadness, I heard of one true story of heroism. A young man and his family saw Hamas terrorists approaching their home, and as he brought his family into their safe room, he called his father, who was a retired special forces General in the Israeli Defense Force. The father immediately told his son to stay in their safe room, and he was on the way. 

His father arrived quickly and after a gunfight between himself a few terrorists, he was able to save his son and his entire family.  

We also have a heroic Father in heaven, who we can call on through prayer. He might say something similar to us, “Stay in your safe room, I’m on the way.” The Lord is both our father and our hero. Jesus is referred to as the good shepherd and the lion of Judah. As a shepherd, He protects and takes care of our daily needs. As the lion of Judah, He roars, fighting for us, His cubs. Jesus is also known as the Prince of Peace, and we have a safe room in Him, because we are promised that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”(Romans 16:20)

Our safe room is a spiritual place that we shelter in. It’s a metaphor for believers, of a temporary shelter during a storm of assault, when our faith is put to the test. These are the times that we need a spiritual safe room to shelter and rebuild our faith and confidence in God. It’s not a physical room, it’s more of a state of mind, that keeps our hope and faith in Him, until He delivers us. 

When we feel like we are surrounded by threats causing new worries or fears, we need to find our safe room, and stay there because we have a heroic Father, who is on His way to deliver us. Jesus who will physically return one day, is the same God who spoke through Isaiah, saying that He will wipe away every tear and remove the reproach of His people. 

If we could dial our heroic father on the phone today and tell him who or what is coming after us, He would say what He said in Deuteronomy:

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

That young Israeli man knew his father was on the way, and he believed in the ability of his heroic dad. Our safe room is where we pause and read these words, remembering that the Lord will never forsake us. It’s the shelter where we can rest safely behind the closed steel doors of His promises of deliverance. Our Father is telling us to stay in our safe room, because He loves us and is on the way. He is a powerful God, our roaring lion of Judah, who will soon crush Satan under His feet. 

Lord, you know what causes each of us concern today, and we call upon you, our hero and savior, as we wait safely in our safe room, behind the steel doors of your promises. Jesus, Prince of peace, we ask you to rescue us and all the innocents in Israel today, wiping every tear, and removing all reproach in Jesus’ name. Amen

“And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.”

Genesis 22:5-8 (NASB)

This scripture brings a familiar picture to mind. Here is young Isaac, carrying wood and walking up Mount Moriah with His father, Abraham, in order to offer a sacrifice to God.

It is one of many prophetic images concealed in scripture. Jesus carried the wood of His own cross, in obedience to His father, and walked up the hill of Golgotha to offer Himself as a sacrifice. 

In this story, we see Isaac’s complete trust in his father, as he didn’t know he was carrying the wood which was to be used in his own sacrifice. Abraham was being tested by God, but one thing is certain, Isaac had full confidence that his father loved him, and had his best interests at heart. 

I’m fascinated by two facts that I overlooked in reading this story previously. The words of Abraham reveal two important truths:

Abraham told his two servants who accompanied him, “Stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over there. We will worship and then come back to you.” 

He told his servants that he and his boy would be back. Abraham knew that Isaac was the sacrifice, but he still trusted the goodness of God, believing that He would and could raise his boy from the dead, if necessary. God sent an angel in time to stop Abraham from going through with the sacrifice, it was all just a test, which Abraham passed. 

The other fact revealed in Abraham’s words was in referring to sacrifice as worship. For Abraham, sacrificing something he loved was equivalent to worshipping God. He told his servants he was going up to the mountain to “worship” God, knowing all along that he was going to offer up His only son. In Abraham’s heart, this test of offering Isaac was a form of worship. Abraham totally trusted God that Isaac was in good hands. 

Sometimes worship takes the form of sacrifice in our lives too. If worship only meant singing songs in church or saying words that bring honor and praise to God, we would forget the great cost of sacrifice and what it really means.

Sometimes we find ourselves walking an uphill stride, through a trial that no one else can walk along with us. In times like these, we walk up our own Mount Moriah, having to leave all our friends behind, like Abraham did. There will be sacrifices that we make, not always by choice, and some which we can only do alone, yet these sacrifices can be offered to God as our worship. As Isaac trusted that his father had only good will intended for him, Abraham also trusted in the goodness of God.  

Whatever is being sacrificed in our lives, when we know that God is our loving father, who wants only the best for us, we can walk up our Mount Moriah with a heart filled with faith and worship, just like Abraham did.

Whatever type of suffering or sacrifice we go through, whether physical, emotional or some form of humiliation, we can identify with Jesus, and offer it to God in a spirit of worship.

Jesus had disciples and friends who loved Him and believed in Him, but when the time for sacrifice came, He left them all behind, and walked up the hill of Golgotha, alone. There are times in our life that we cannot take our friends with us. Some sacrifices must be offered alone as Jesus showed us, but He also  told His friends and servants that He would be back again, on the third day. In every sacrifice, there is always a hope of resurrection. 

Abraham carried the fire and the knife, trusting God would provide the lamb that day, and Isaac carried the wood, trusting completely in his father’s love. As they went up the mountain with the intent of sacrifice as worship, God provided a lamb for them, caught in a very dense shrub. 

Abraham knew that God would come through, and that’s why he told his servants he and Isaac would be back. God shows us He loves us, when we trust and offer ourselves completely to Him. Isaac had the attitude that every believer needs during difficult times. In Isaac’s mind, he knew, “What can go wrong when my father loves me so much?”

Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow Him. As we imitate Him, carrying the wood up Mount Moriah alone, we are never truly alone. We have a Heavenly Father who loves us so much, and sent His own son to be with us always. 

God was looking for the willingness of Abraham’s heart. Sacrifice, when offered to God as worship, is really about a willing heart in total surrender to Him. Jesus set the most perfect example of a willing heart surrendered to God. 

At the top of Mount Moriah, God provided the lamb. In the final sacrifice, God provided the Lamb for us, in Jesus, and He meets us at the top of our Moriah. 

Sacrifices take many different forms throughout our lifetime. Whatever we think of as a trial in the form of humiliation or sacrifice, becomes our offering of worship, as our living sacrifice to God.

Paul knew this truth when he wrote, 

“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1)

We don’t have to carry any wood up a mountain, because Jesus already completed a sacrifice for our atonement. Now we offer our whole selves to God as a “living” sacrifice, as our spiritual service of worship to Him. Our sacrifices are offered to God throughout our lives, and it is worship in the highest form.

When we stop looking at suffering as punishment, or a problem to be delivered from, but as our sacrifice of worship offered to God on our own Mount Moriah, we realize, through Jesus, that sacrifice has always been the highest form of worship. 

Lord, we offer up to you, anything that feels like loss, every strained relationship, every difficult situation that weighs on us, all the personal offenses suffered, and in dying to our selves, we give it all to you as a sacrifice of worship because we know nothing can go wrong with a Father who loves us so much. Amen