The Burden

The Ark of the Covenant was the resting place of God. It symbolized the presence of God, and God placed His Name in it. While it was with the people of Israel, it indicated God’s presence, His protection and His favor. The Ark is now lost, and no one knows where it is. But the Ark is also the symbol of the Old Covenant, and we are now under the New Covenant. God does not take something away without replacing it, and the replacement is always better than what was before. The Lord showed me that He has given us a replacement for the Ark; something more powerful, and that we are neglecting this replacement of the Ark.

We are in a time of coming Revival. Revival is like a tree. The Tree of Revival is now a young tree; not a sapling, and not yet a mature tree. The leaves of the tree are the worship given to God. These leaves are shimmering as in a light wind. The branches are the prayers in support of Revival. The trunk is the leaders of the Revival. The roots are the grounding and nourishment of the tree. Every part of the tree is essential. No part can grow alone, and damage or weakness in one area can impact the other parts.

In a healthy tree, the leaves give vigor to the tree. The branches and trunk support the worship. The roots provide moisture and nutrients. Although hidden from view, the roots should spread as large as the crown of leaves and branches. When the roots are smaller than the crown, the grounding of the tree is inadequate to support the weight of the crown. The tree may become weak; it may lean, or even fall over. It will not grow to its full potential as a healthy mature tree.

The tree’s roots are for grounding, and we should be rooted and grounded in the love that proceeds from the knowledge of God. As a teacher, I am one of the roots, and I see that the roots are not growing to sustain the growth of the crown. The tree is at risk.

I speak for God in this matter. He showed me that the replacement for the Ark is being neglected. This replacement is powerful, and God has elevated it above His Name. It is the Sword of the Spirit, powerful to divide asunder bone and marrow, able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. We are neglecting the Word of God and this neglect may hinder the growth of the Tree of Revival. The tree may lean or fall, or it may simply have a weak area. God would have the Tree of Revival grow to be a large, healthy, mature tree. God calls us back to His Word, the Ark’s replacement.

Sensory Input

Music. We listen to relax, to energize, to enjoy. We use music in worship and praise. Music eases the morning commute and the daily routine. Sometimes we listen to music and do nothing else. When we go to a concert, the music itself is the focus. When we sit at home and just listen with eyes closed, music fills us. When we use music during praise and worship, it is to focus our minds on God, because by focusing on the sounds, we experience something created by God.

All our senses can be a reminder of God. Light, whether from a candle or a sunset, can remind us of God. The smell of holy oil or the temple-like forest glade reminds us of God. Most often the sensory impact is because it reminds us of a previous experience. A particular piece of music or the smell of oil is associated with closeness to God. But sometimes the pure beauty of the input reminds us that God is the Creator of all we experience.

This pure impact can be one piece of red cloth, or one breath of spring air. It is not associated with a previous experience, but is made available by the Creator. We can see God’s creation all around us, and it is proof of the presence of God. Where there is light, or sound, or touch, there is God also; present and waiting for His people.

The Sword

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God:

For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any twoedged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation:
in whom also after that ye believed,
ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.

Whereof I am made a minister,
according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you,
to fulfil the word of God;

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible,
by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.
And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught,
that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort
and to convince the gainsayers.

Seasons

To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

When we are little, each birthday is a new season, and new beginning, and signals growth and increasing abilities. As we get older, we see that birthdays are not an unmixed joy. With the passage of time we also leave things behind. Graduation from High School is an accomplishment we celebrate with ceremony, presents and congratulations. It is also a time when we leave friends behind and go into unknown places, to more school or to a job. We leave behind the safety of home and family to venture into independence and adulthood.

Graduation is not the only new season. We move to a different home, and leave behind familiar rooms and neighborhoods. We marry and leave parents and siblings behind. We make choices to benefit our children and leave behind the single lifestyle.

Each ending and each leaving behind is also a beginning. A new job or school brings new friends and new challenges. Marriage brings a closeness unavailable in any other relationship. Change can be difficult to adjust to. We like the comfort of stability and predictability. God does not lead us into sameness and boredom. He brings us into new pastures, fresh grass, flowing water. An overgrazed pasture is safe and familiar, but not fruitful.

Obedience

Say not, I am a child:
for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee,
and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

God asks for obedience above all else. We give obedience because of love – He loves us, and we return His love. God does not ask for sacrifice, neither the literal sacrifice of the Old Testament nor our modern promises to give something up for Him. There are many things we give because we love and obey God: worship, prayer, tithes, reverence, service. But when we obey, we give all these and more.

The people of Samaria worshiped God, but they were rejected by God. Worship alone was not sufficient because they also worshiped other gods, and did not obey the true God.

Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people:
and walk in all the ways that I have commended you,
that it may be well unto you.

Hind's Feet

2Sa 22:34 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet:
and setteth me upon my high places.

The burden of the Lord

The burden of the Lord is upon me,
to tell you what He has told me.

At Shiloh, the Ark of God was brought to the battleground by the Israelites. The Ark was the power of the Lord, the favor of the Lord, and the presence of the Lord. When the Israelites brought the Ark to the battleground the Philistines were motivated by fear to fight valiantly. They slew 30,000 men of Israel, and captured the Ark.

The Ark symbolizes the very presence of God, and with His presence, His power, His favor, His anointing. The Ark is now lost and no one knows where it lies. But God has given us a replacement for His Ark, to lead us in power, and in favor and in anointing.

The Ark was not just a symbol of God’s presence, it was a weapon. When the Israelites brought the Ark to Shiloh, it was captured by the Philistines. The Israelites no longer had the protection of the Ark. But - the Philistines received the consequences of possessing the Ark. The god Dagon fell on his face before the Ark three times, and the Philistines moved the Ark to another city. They moved the Ark again and again and wherever the Ark went, disease, plagues and destruction followed, because the Ark of the Lord was in the hands of unbelievers.

God has given us a replacement for the Ark; a replacement that is alive, and powerful, and confers the favor of the Lord. This replacement is a weapon, just as the Ark was a weapon.

The burden will continue...

Sonship

Ephesians is the power epistle for the committed Christian. It tells us who God has made us and the power and authority He has given us. It is recorded that God has:

chosen us in him before the foundation of the world
and
predestinated us unto the adoption of children

We are His children. Our status as children is permanent, and cannot be altered, either by us or by God. After all, when we have children, that status is permanent; neither the child nor the parent can sever the connection. It is impossible for a human being to do something that is greater, more powerful or more permanent than God.

We can however, walk away from God, just as children walk away from their human parents. When children walk away, their status as children is unchanged, but the communication, the fellowship, is no longer there. And just as human parents wait for and long for their children to return, God also waits for and longs for His children to return. God is unchanging. When we walk away from God, He remains the same, it we who have changed.

Teaching a Leader

The epistles Paul wrote to Timothy are the instructions for a man who was becoming a leader and teacher. Timothy had been with Paul, and worked with him. That is why Paul calls Timothy his “son” even though there was no family relationship between them. Timothy was Paul’s “son” in the work of the ministry. Paul wrote these letters at the end of his life, not knowing if he would live to see Timothy again; and so he gives Timothy his last advice and instructions.

The first chapter in I Timothy emphasizes the correct attitude of the leader – to edify with the motivation of love. He reminds Timothy that all have sinned, that grace has covered us all and that God desires to have all men be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

In II Timothy is one of the base principals of Bible study – that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God”. The source of the entire Bible is God Himself and it was simply written down by men. How we are to use scripture is also given: “for doctrine [what to believe], for reproof [how to know what we do incorrectly], for correction [how to get back on track]”. And the three together are “instruction in righteousness”. The final result is a man who may be “perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works”.

Night Prayer

Lord, I aspire to do more for You. To be closer to You, to share in Your presence moment by moment. As the years pass, the hunger to breathe Your Word into my life increases.

Lord, I long for Your peace in my life. I long for quietness amidst the noisy throng of daily life. My quiet moments are tinged with fatigue, and tucked into the remnants of the day. My inner being reaches for your peace even as my weak flesh lets go.

Still, in the quietness of the end of the day, You are there. In my fatigue, You can be my strength. My tumultuous thoughts can find rest in turning to You.

Names (part 2)

I am the God of Abraham, the God of Israel, and the God of Jacob.

Abraham is known as “the father of believing” because he believed what God told him. Abraham believed when God gave him the land, when God told him to go to a strange land, when God promised that he would be the father of nations. A great and seemingly impossible promise that God gave him was that Abraham and his wife Sarah, although both old and beyond the age to have children, would have a son.

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.

Isaac was the son that was promised to Abraham.

In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

And Jacob (a twin) was a man who stole and deceived, but repented and turned back to God.

For [the children] being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil,
that the purpose of God according to election might stand,
not of works, but of him that calleth.

Take these names together, and see the true meaning for the Christian, of the God who is “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”. To the Christian, the promises of God are given to those who believe, like Abraham. Just as Isaac was Abraham’s promised son, so was Christ God’s promised son. Both fathers were willing to sacrifice their sons, knowing that resurrection was available. Our promised salvation is given only through Christ. And the promises of God are given, not by works but by grace, as the promises that were given to Jacob.

God is faithful to His promises, and they are available to those who believe on His son and are given by grace and not by works. “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” looks back to the faithful men who believed God, and it confirms to us today that Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises.

Names (part 1)

I am the God of Abraham, the God of Israel, and the God of Jacob.

When God speaks of Himself, the names He uses are very important. One name is “the God of Abraham, the God of Israel, and the God of Jacob”. The first thing to note is the sentence structure. This is a list of three items. If you have a grocery list, you will say “Go buy lettuce, chicken, milk and bread”. It’s just a simple list, with the emphasis on the purchase of four items. But phrase it differently: “Go buy lettuce, and buy chicken, and buy milk, and buy bread.” Now the emphasis is on the items to be obtained. This phrase also gives equal importance to each item on the list. So in this name of God, the emphasis is not on God, but on the items in the list, who are the three men, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

And who are these men? Why are they so important? Abraham is the father of Isaac, and Isaac is the father of Jacob. God gave promises, and established covenants with these men, and the promises got bigger each time. As each generation walks with God, the new promise builds on the previous one.

And there are the names of these men to consider. Abraham was originally called Abram. He became old without having children, but God had promised that he would have a son. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham before his wife conceived. Abraham means “father of many”. Isaac was Abraham’s promised child. Jacob was Isaac’s son, and was a twin. His name was also changed by God, to Israel.

Jacob and Israel

For the Lord shall have mercy on Jacob, and will choose Israel,
and set them in their own land:
and the strangers shall be joined with them,
and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

In reading in the Old Testament, we often see the pairing of two names, Jacob and Israel. These names have multiple meanings. The most obvious meaning is that Jacob and Israel are both names of a man. Jacob was the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham. He was given a new name, Israel, by God, after he repented of his earlier sins, and turned to God.

Jacob was the father of many sons, and so engendered the twelve tribes. The name of the father Israel therefore stands for the nation of Israel. Jacob is the name of a man who lived in sin, even though chosen by God. Israel is his name after he repented, and became the man God wanted him to be. Often the names of Jacob and Israel refer to the nation not the man, and are used in the some verse or sentence. In this case, they speak of the nation when in sin and separated from God (Jacob) and when in obedience to God (Israel).

The reference to God as the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob not only refers to God’s promises to these men and His relationship with the nation, but looks forward to the body of Christ. Jacob refers to the natural man, in sin and without God. Israel refers to the spirit-filled believer, in obedience to God.

Overflowing Dams

The 62 mile long Owens Valley has been dry since 1913, when the entire flow of water from the Owens River and the Owens Lake was diverted to supply water for the city of Los Angeles. The valley has become a desert, full of salt and toxic dust. (See www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6590362) On December 6th, Los Angeles allowed water to begin flowing back through the riverbed in the Owens Valley. It will take several days for the flow of water to reach the end of the valley.

Aren’t we like the Owens Valley? Before knowing God, we are dry and barren. But the knowledge of God flows through the believer like a life-giving river. God is able to make the barren places fruitful and the dry places grow. And wouldn’t it be nice if that was all we need to do: just believe once, and then sit back and let the water flow. But we are imperfect. We often rebuild dams that block the flow of nourishment from God. So our lives are sometimes stagnant, and sometimes are flourishing with new growth.

If you find yourself in a time of stagnation, examine your life. Have you built any dams recently? Laziness, apathy, discouragement can all block the working of God. But hidden fears, hesitation and unbalanced priorities are less obvious dams. God also wants to teach us the way to come closer to Him, and we often do not listen. Whatever your dam, God can show you how to tear it down.

Your Own Eyes

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil. Prov 3:7

It is so easy to be sure of our own wisdom. Every two-year old child is sure that they are right and their point of view is correct. We retain this ego-centric viewpoint throughout our lives. We just learn to apply it in more subtle ways. We look at others, and are able to point to their weaknesses, their lack of insight, their shortsightedness. We, on the other hand, are more aware of the actual situation, more able to see the whole situation. And we are even able to refrain from telling others how inadequate they are. We know they won’t take our advice, because others aren’t able to understand as we do.

And we think that we mature as we grow older! We just become more subtle in our self-importance. But God is not fooled. He knows how shortsighted we really are. He knows that we really are no wiser than those other fools who surround us. None of us have the true wisdom of God, unless He imparts it to us.

True wisdom comes from letting God direct our paths. He’s like a compass that points out the correct path. We can choose to take the path, or not. The path of wisdom is the one directed by God. The worldly path is one of our own choosing. Can we become smarter than a two-year old?

The Revival Tree

Revival is moving and growing in this region. It is like a healthy young tree. Revival is occurring in many groups; it does not originate in just one place or organization.

The leaves of the Revival Tree move as if in a wind. Every leaf shimmers in the wind so that both sides are visible. They bring energy and vigor to the tree. The leaves represent the worship and praise people give to God.

When people pray for revival and the furtherance of God’s Will, they are the branches of the tree, and they support the smaller branches, twigs and leaves.

Some men and women work to bring about revival, and they make up the trunk of the tree. They support and nurture the worship and prayers of the people.

Some people guard the work of revival, and they are the bark of the tree. Guarding is through prayer and vigilance.

The roots of the tree go deep into the fertile ground, bringing up moisture and nutrients for the life of the tree. Roots are underground, and spread as large as the leaves and branches. Without the anchoring of the roots, the tree is not grounded. Roots not only nourish the tree; they keep the tree from falling over.