Visionary Monday ~ Discretion

"Our hands are God's and can fitly be used only in doing His work. Our feet are God's and may be employed only in walking in His ways and running His errands. Our lips are God's and should speak only words which honor Him and bless others. Our hearts are God's and must not be profaned by thoughts and affections which are not pure." ~ J.R. Miller, from Being Christians on Weekdays

I just read a blog post this morning that I found very appropriate for what the LORD continues to instruct me in. The lesson is on discretion. What is it?

Discretion: It is the quality of having or showing discernment or good judgment : the quality of being discreet : circumspection;especially : cautious reserve in speech.

While it seems like an old, repetitive lesson (one that I found well circulated amongst the blogsphere), one can never hear it enough. The author of the article, A Woman of Discretion, does well to ask, "are we training ourselves to be women of discretion?" Training implies that one is willingly accepting daily correction and instruction with a humble spirit and then applying those gems of wisdom in a practical way. When you're just going through a typical week, it's so easy to get caught up in what "needs" to be done that you're totally hardened to actually gleaning something of value that day. I know I sure do! Also, while I'm still learning everyday, it's more like I'm just being filled with a sort of head-knowledge and not actually applying with my heart what I have been shown and taught by the Spirit.

Discretion is applied by the quietness and reserve of the inner spirit, which we obtain before the presence of our Living God. It manifests itself by the holding of one's tongue. It's a turning to the Father of all wisdom when one sees the temptation to speak in haste or wrath. It's aspiring to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands (1 Thess 4:11). It seeks to bless its household at all times. It does not meddle in the affairs of others, nor give way to curiosity. It runs from such temptation and finds it solace within the arms of its Maker.

Give such reserve to our spirits, O LORD!

And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. ~ James 3:6

My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
delivering you from the way of evil…

~ Prov 2:1-12

Friday Reflections ~ Come Away with Him

Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the magnificent and delightful gifts God has given us. ~ Martin Luther

Worship is the natural outflow of a heart that is fixed in careful meditation upon the beauty and glory of Yeshua. It is something I have always been passionate about and, yet, have wrestled to enjoy. In all my years of music education (and instrument collection - three of which shown here, hehe! Aren't they CUTE?!), I never grasped the "be still" aspect of the Christian's life. I was caught up in presenting my talents before the LORD and was not aware of how filthy my good works were in His presence. Now, on the other side of that mentality, having grown weary and unfulfilled in my pursuit of music and laying that down for a long season, I've managed to over-think the purpose of what the LORD was revealing to me through all these years. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with all that music stuff. And because I haven't received a distinct, clear answer, I don't feel led to spend time playing the way that I use to, thus avoiding it altogether. I only know I don't want it if He's not there when I play or sing.

There's a tendency to complicate things in the Christian's life and I'm guilty of this in almost every area. However, instead of asking "should I?" or "shouldn't I?" and attempting to search out my own intentions in this matter, He has shown me in so many ways how simple this really is. He says, "Come away with Me..."

The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. ~ Psalm 50:1-2

I will sing of steadfast love and justice;to you, O LORD, I will make music. ~ Psalm 101:1

David's reflection upon the LORD brought a song to his lips. It was pure and natural because it was brought forth by the Spirit. I often wonder why it is that we suppress the Spirit for fear that it might really be of the flesh, instead of just letting Him flow through us. I just want the mind and heart of a child in this regard! A child doesn't make something complex when it's really just simple. When you love someone or something, you're invested in it and long for it at all times. You write about it! You talk about it! You sing about it! Why wouldn't you? It's natural! To not speak and sing of it would be strange! And that is what David does, whether in affliction or times of peace...he sings. Oh how beautiful, oh how marvelous! LORD, teach me to truly sing to you and for You for the first time in my life.

I've recently been obsessing (yes, obsessing! ha) over the beautiful melody and lyrics to Kerah Hanes' latest song, Come Away With Me (Zemer Levav - the third track on the bottom of their page), which so perfectly captures the heart of Yeshua to His Bride. Read His heart for you as the tones soar about you...

The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
for behold, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
The fig tree ripens its figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away.
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in blossom."

My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he grazes among the lilies.
Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle
or a young stag on cleft mountains.

~ Song of Solomon 2:8-17

Oh, this is healing for a heavy heart, dear LORD.

My heart, which is so full to overflowing, has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary. ~ Martin Luther

Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. ~ Martin Luther

The church with no great anguish on its heart has no great music on its lips. ~ Karl Barth

Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes.

~ Ludwig Van Beethoven

"Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare"

A hymn by John Newton.

Come, my soul, thy suit prepare:
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not say thee nay,
Therefore will not say thee nay.

Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For his grace and pow'r are such,
None can ever ask too much,
None can ever ask too much.

With my burden I begin:
Lord, remove this load of sin;
Let thy blood, for sinners spilt,
Set my conscience free from guilt,
Set my conscience free from guilt.

Lord, I come to thee for rest,
Take possession of my breast;
There thy blood-bought right maintain,
And without a rival reign,
And without a rival reign.

While I am a pilgrim here,
Let thy love my spirit cheer;
As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,
Lead me to my journey's end,
Lead me to my journey's end.

Show me what I have to do,
Ev'ry hour my strength renew:
Let me live a life of faith,
Let me die thy people's death,
Let me die thy people's death.

To tarry with Him...

So, it's officially summer in Arizona. Yep, that means we, Arizonans, are currently burning to a crispy nothingness! :-D

In addition, regardless of whether I'm in or out of school, life never seems to slow down. While I may shake my fist in frustration and despair with a cry of "Cruel life!" at my ever-growing to-do list and the fullness of life in general (combined with my already terrible habit of procrastination)...I either have to hop on for the ride or sit back and think that I can actually obtain control over my days. What it really comes down is that I'm very easily stressed and I just need to take a chill pill some days. Unfortunately, on many days, speaking to myself objectively and reasonably does not seem to penetrate my heart. *sigh* And that's why I am ever thankful for my dear Jesus. And He surely never wastes my days of stress. I say that because it always seems like it's in those moments when I'm allowing myself to become unnecessarily burdened with life (whether it be actual painful, grievous things or merely the bustle of day-to-day activities) that He brings to surface unexpected internal struggles within me that I didn't even really know (or acknowledge) were there. I don't know quite how to put it into words. It's breaking, but not crippling. It's painful, but so necessary. It always driven me back to the Cross. Even when I cannot understand why He is doing what He is doing in me, or why I have to learn the same old lessons over and over again or why I'm struggling with something that (from the outside looking in) I think is terribly ridiculous, I remember that there is comfort in His embrace.

"When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94:19)

I once heard a quote by Timothy Keller in which he said, "Sometimes it feels like God is killing us, when He is actually saving us." While it is true that I am righteous and holy in Christ, it is also true that underneath His cloak of righteousness, I'm a wretch. I'm so unlike Him. I'm so indifferent to my sin. There's so much of me that needs to die. I want so much to be purely devoted to Him and desire Him only, but I despise the sin in me that hinders and suffocates.

Yet, He, ever so gently whispering, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit." (Zech 4:6).And, like a child, I receive. Again. And Again. I go to the River of Life. I stretch out my "roots" to drink. Lord, not by my might, nor by my power, but by Thy Spirit.

I read this again this past week and found it so filling to my heart.

The strongest, most mature Christians....are the hungriest for God. It might seems that those who eat most would be least hungry. But that's not the way it works with an inexhaustible fountain, an infinite feast, and a glorious Lord.

When you take your stand on the finished work of God in Christ, and begin to drink at the River of Life and eat the Bread of Heaven, and know that you have found the end of all your longings, you only get hungrier for God. The more satisfaction you experience from God, while still in this world, the greater your desire for the next. For, as C.S. Lewis said, "Our best havings are wantings."

The more deeply you walk with Christ, the hungrier you get for Christ...the most homesick you get for heaven...the more you want "all the fullness of God"...the more you want to be done with sin...the more you want the Bridegroom to come again...the more you want the Church revived and purified with the beauty of Jesus...the more you want a great awakening to God's reality in the cities...the more you want to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ penetrate the darkness of all the unreached peoples of the world...the more you want to see false world views yield to the force of Truth...the more you want to see pain relieved and tears wiped away and death destroyed...the more you long for every wrong to be made right and the justice and grace of God to fill the earth like the waters cover the sea.

If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great. God did create you for this. There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened. I invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with a simple fast: "This much, O God, I want You."

~ John Piper, A Hunger for God

And I hear Him say, "Will you tarry with Me?" Why would I ever dare refuse Him? I love Him oh so dearly...but how much more of Him I do need!

And does Thou hear the silence of my heart, Lord;

Canst Thou count the tears that never reach my eyes?

And these yearnings, which will not fit my words, Lord;

Wilt Thou feed this hidden hunger –

Desire, spawned of the Spirit, which somehow fails to rise?

“Yea, Soul, Eternity has tuned my ear to silence,

My own heart brims with tears now long unshed;

The quiet sanctuary of unspoken reverence

Is my dwelling place of old;

And in the deeps of spirit have I made my bed.”

- Jim Elliot

One year ago today...

My stomach was in knots.

After months of prayer and preparation, I was actually in Windsor, CO, on the Ellerslie campus. The strangest thing about this memory is that it feels like it was several years ago. In some ways, it almost comes to my mind like a dream...I don't recall all the details. It's like this hazy memory filled with the most precious moments of meeting the beautiful faces of sisters in Christ (many of whom I had gotten to know over the internet in the previous months). I was overwhelmed with nerves and pure joy! Then, there was the Ellerslie staff. They were bursting with love and I hardly knew how to receive it! I didn't even feel like unpacking my stuff that day. I was just in awe of the beauty of the campus and the wonderful staff members.

I remember the banquet that they prepared for students....oh my, it was lovely! There are no words to describe that night. The men escorted each lady to the tables (my first experience of the kind of daily ettiquette and decorum that the men were taught to practice, very beautiful!), and we were all served the most wonderful food as the staff begin their presentations, which was greatly moving. It lasted past 11pm, I think. I was exhausted, yet filled with excitement to get to know each of the young women and men that would be my new family for the following 11 weeks. They made me laugh and they made me cry (in good ways!), and they encouraged, convicted, comforted, and blessed me, probably in more ways than many of them even know.

Ellerslie is a place set apart for souls longing to seek un-distracted communion with Christ. It's a place accompanied by souls whose only goal and every effort is to direct your heart towards Christ. And that is what I remember the most about my time there. The way that I was prodded on to grow in Christ and to taste the fullness of what Christ purchased for me on the cross.

I always say that it was very much like a 'honeymoon' with Jesus while I was at Ellerslie. And I'm ever so thankful for all the support from my family and friends, which got me there . The LORD worked in me there in ways that I did not expect and I learned more about the fullness of the Gospel, which became (and still becomes) increasingly more precious to me. It was the first time that I was genuinely able to experience freedom from many struggles and also to boldly proclaim with all my heart, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You!" (Psalm 16:2).

Oh how I miss...

Sunsets at Ellerslie.

And the beautiful chapel.

The view outside my dorm window every morning....

My dear sisters in Christ who inspired me so much...these are just a few, but there are so many more!

Long drives to Estes Park...worshiping Christ in the car along with my sisters.

The days of worshiping before our God, whether it be in the chapel or outside....

Relaxing on the campus, meditating on the Word near the quiet of the lake, conversing with friends, laughing at all the hilarious happenings, watching the bunnies venture out from under the porches, watching the students go about their daily duties, waking up at 5:30 or 6am to pray in the stillness of the morning, the unpredictable weather at Colorado, the wall of thick fog that came rolling through in the mornings of June and July...

I also miss the close fellowship I experienced there. I miss 'family group' nights on Friday. I miss watching people pray. I miss the way our Ellerslie brothers would drop everything to pray over the group of girls, knowing that there was heavy things that a lot of us ladies were wrestling with. I miss the sweetness and joy of 'kiddo night' and pouring into the lives of the children from the church. I miss the morning devotions with staff. I miss the daily worship time.

Yes, there is so much to be missed. But so much to thank my God for!

Life has been quite different post-Ellerslie. But having those 11 weeks to be challenged and refined by His Spirit and Word, and to grow in the love of Christ, provided a solid foundation for the trials and struggles that came upon my return home. Thank you, Jesus, for those 11 weeks.

This hymn was our "anthem". I can't tell how many times we all gathered to sing this one last summer.

"Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken"

by Henry Francis Lyte, 1793-1847

1. Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my All shalt be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I've sought or hoped or known;
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

2. Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends may shun me;
Show Thy face, and all is bright.

3. Go, then, earthly fame and treasure!
Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!
In Thy service, pain is pleasure;
With Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee Abba, Father!
I have stayed my heart on Thee.
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather,
All must work for good to me.

4. Man may trouble and distress me,
'Twill but drive me to Thy breast;
Life with trials hard may press me,
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, 'tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, 'twere not in joy to charm me
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

5. Take, my soul, thy full salvation;
Rise o'er sin and fear and care;
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
What a Father's smile is thine,
What a Savior died to win thee;
Child of heaven, shouldst thou repine?

6. Haste, then, on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith and winged by prayer;
Heaven's eternal day's before thee,
God's own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close the earthly mission,
Swift shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope soon change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Garments of Praise!

This song of praise has been an old favorite. It's traveled with me over the years and it's one that still erupts forth from my heart! It's the second song on my playlist at the very bottom of my blog. Oh Jesus, do this in me and the souls around me!

Put on the garments of praise, for the spirit of heaviness;
Let the oil of gladness flow down from Your throne!
Put on the garments of praise, for the spirit of heaviness;
Your joy is my strength alone, my strength alone!

Make these broken weary bones rise to dance again,
Wet this dry and thirsty land with a river!
Lord our eyes are fixed on You and we are waiting,
For Your garland of grace as we praise your name!

Hallelujah, sing hallelujah!
We give all honor and praise to your name!
Hallelujah, sing hallelujah!
We trade our sorrows for garments of praise!

~ Robin Mark

A jewel

I have found such comfort from these words written decades ago. These are snippets from Amy Carmichael's book, Candles in the Dark. Through some searching, I found some information regarding this little book:

"For the last twenty years of her life, until her death in 1951, Amy Carmichael was confined to her room, in constant pain. During this time she kept in touch with colleagues and friends through a flood of personal letters in which she shared the riches of her spiritual experience, offering encouragement, hope, consolation and occasionally reproof. Never intended for publication, these letters, written to specific individuals on particular occasions, have a wider message which may now for the first time be shared by readers of these selected extracts."

I have often found consolation through Amy's writings, and it has been no different in this season of life. Thank God for this precious sister who never tarried in her work for His Kingdom. It is marvelous how, years later, her words still speak life and hope; or, rather, it is the Spirit that spoke through her and has carried them across the world and time for them to be poured into the hearts of others.

I have just come upon this jewel (in a most uncomfortable setting, but a jewel all the same): "Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord" (2 Kings 10:10). I thought of one who is going through a bitter time - every possible arrow the archers can produce is being shot at that soul - and then I thought of you, and of your father and mother. Nothing of the word of the Lord spoken to you about your dearest shall fall unto the earth. Nothing they have ever known as His word to them shall fall.

Yes, I understand; how much easier it would be if one could bear pain for others - instead of them, I mean. I have often prayed that I might, for Col 1:24 seems to give ground for such a prayer, but never once has that joy been mine. So now I am learning to be content. Perhaps those of whom I am thinking specially would never have known Him as they know Him now if they had not suffered. Indeed it must be so. "I never knew the comfort of God as I know it now," one said to me yesterday.

Don't forget when you imagine, all but see and hear and desperately feel, your loved one's pain, there is one thing that eludes you. That is the grace that is being given, the Presence that is there. But well I know how hard it is to carry on just as if all were going smoothly at home.

Yes, He often trusts us to trust Him when it does not seem as if He were providing. I have been through this rough stretch of road and so I can understand and walk it with you; and, best of all, He can, and He is nearer than near. Give your father my sheet anchor again, Job 34:29: "When He giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?" It's such a victorious, "who"!

I think the Lord must find it difficult to teach us that here have we no continuing city. "This is not your rest"; I often think of that. We know it, but we don't find it easy to live as if it were true. More and more I feel that we are what the Bible says we are - strangers and pilgrims. And all the things that happen are meant to emphasize that. But the pilgrim's God is very close to you and your father through these days.

Faithful in the waiting.

My daily Bible reading this past month has taken me through the second book of Samuel. The last half of this book doesn't exactly contain the most uplifting of stories. Perhaps, the primary reason why it's hard for me to read it is due to David's sins. I don't like to read how a man after God's own heart fails. However, as disappointing as it may be for us, the LORD still allows us to see how He redeems David's mistakes. Like the time of the Judges, when corruption and strife seem to be filling the land, there is always a ray of light and grace pointing towards the hope of the coming Messiah. As the story of Ruth upholds the hope of the future Redeemer, so does the story of Mephibosheth.

We are first introduced to him in 2 Samuel 4:4...

Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about

Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

Next, we hear of him when David calls a servant, Ziba, from the house of Saul. This is one of my favorite portions of 2 Samuel because here we see David at his prime. The ark has been brought back to Jerusalem, the scent of victory still lingers in the air from the defeat of Israel's enemies, and we are told just several verses before, in the previous chapter (8:13), that David "made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt."

The LORD is pleased with him, blessing him wherever he goes, and the people are content with their king. However, David is not content. He has a great longing in his heart and he seeks to act upon it. That desire is probably the most strange thing a man of his position could ever see after. He seeks for anyone from the house of Saul that he may show them kindness for Jonathan's sake. The house of Saul? You mean, that arrogant fool that tried killing David one more than one occasion? Um, yeah. Can you even imagine what David's wives, concubines, servants, or children where thinking?

But here we see that God was giving Israel a living, breathing example of His heart for them through David.

As soon as David hears from the servant, Ziba, that a son of Jonathan still lives, David immediately sends for him. This just gets better.

Upon entering before the king, the first thing Mephibosheth does is fall on his face.

And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, "Mephibosheth!" And he answered, "Behold, I am your servant." (2 Sam 9:6)

I'm trying to imagine the sense of awe and wonder that is filling this meeting between them. Immediately, David says to him,

"Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always." (2 Sam 9:7)

This is preposterous! Even Mephibosheth cannot fathom this:

And he paid homage and said, "What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?" (2 Sam 9:8)

David doesn't stop there, though.

Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, "All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the lan

d for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do." So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. (2 Sam 9:9-11)

For a crippled young man whose family line was shame, no one could have thought his life to be redeemed, especially in those days. Oh the extravagant love of God!

As time moves on, we find that things quickly begin to change this joyful setting.

After David's in with Bathsheba, his house begins to fall apart. Incest, murder, deceit, rebellion, strife, battles. It's like an enormous cloud gets thrown over the kingdom and shadows all the souls. At this point, David's soul is humbled again before the LORD and he submits to the consequences that follow as a result of his sin, while still hoping and trusting in the goodness of God. David and his household have to flee from Jerusalem due to the uprising of his rebellious son, Absalom. After a great many turn of events, through more fighting and death, Absalom is killed and David returns weeping and mourning the death of his son. Shortly following this, David seeks to begin pardoning his enemies and those who turned against him to follow Absalom. I imagine his voice is filled with brokenness and sorrow, but with deep tenderness as well, as he tells them that they shall not die.

At this very moment, an unkempt, ragged young man approach the king. It's Mephibosheth.

He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. (2 Sam 19:24)

We find out that Ziba deceived Mephibosheth and slandered him to David. Mephibosheth had not turned away from following the king. He had not delighted in the thought of receiving the kingdom of his father at the ruin of David. In fact, he had been waiting for his king to return safely. But Mephibosheth's focus remains on the kindness of his king.

"But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?" (2 Sam 19:27-28)

David sees the truth in Mephibosheth's words and is very willing to overlook the misunderstanding, as well as Ziba's sin.

And the king said to him, "Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land." (2 Sam 19:29)

Now, here comes the lines that, to me, speaks volumes:

And Mephibosheth said to the king, "Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home." (2 Sam 19:30)

This resonates with David's psalms:

I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;

I have no good apart from you."

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

(Psalm 16:2, 5-6)

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!

(Psalm 27:13-14)

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

(Psalm 73:25-26)

Oh, let the world have it all, just give me my LORD!!

Mephibosheth waited. He didn't move from his place or think upon himself. He waited.

As I was thinking upon these portions of Scripture, I found the Spirit leading my heart to an unexpected lesson. I hadn't realize what an incredible picture this was of the saint's posture before God. I have this image of Mephibosheth bent over, rough and dirty, but quietly waiting. Maybe, at times, weeping. And weeping hard. Yet, still waiting.

Like the last half of 2 Samuel, life can become complicated and tumultuous. Our sin can get us into some nasty situations. Unexpected circumstances and difficult situations will arise. The answer to that one prayer seems to be going long unheard. There's no healing (spiritually or physically) for those who have been broken or afflicted. The doctors aren't reliable. Answers are hard to obtain. Victory over certain struggles, faults, or weaknesses haven't been granted yet. Direction on that one thing or for that one place hasn't been given.

Sometimes, giving way to inactivity and discouragement seems like the only options when the pressures of life become heavy.

But do we know the One upon whom we wait?

Mephibosheth waited upon a king who was imperfect. No doubt, he had known something of David's sins and faults. Yet, he loved and trusted in him.

We wait upon a King who is, in every way, absolutely perfect and good! And He fully delivers His promises!

It is frustrating when your heart begins to faint even though the incredible, wonderful facts of the Word are staring straight into your face. It's like I have to keep hammering the Truth onto my heart again. That is what daily meditation is, I suppose. Gentle, yet forceful hammering of the Truth into the depths of your soul.

O Father, I want to be faithful in the waiting, just like Mephibosheth! But I know that I haven't been...and I know that I could never be. So, my God, You must do this in and through me. I believe that I shall look upon Your goodness in the land of the living.

Waiting on Him for whom it is no vain thing to wait. ~ Jim Elliot

Visionary Monday ~ Most sacred of places

A true home is one of the most sacred of places. It is a sanctuary into which men flee from the world’s perils and alarms. It is a resting-place to which at close of day the weary retire to gather new strength for the battle and toils of tomorrow. It is the place where love learns its lessons, where life is schooled into discipline and strength, where character is molded.

Few things we can do in this world are so well worth doing as the making of a beautiful and happy home. He who does this builds a sanctuary for God and opens a fountain of blessing for men.

~ J.R. Miller

There is nothing in the daily routine of the family life that is unimportant. Indeed, it is ofttimes the things we think of as without influence that will be found to have made the deepest impression on the tender lives of the household.

~ J.R. Miller

You are not likely to see any general reformation, till you procure family reformation. Some little religion, there may be here and there; but while it is confined to single persons, and is not promoted in families, it will not prosper, nor promise future increase. ~ Richard Baxter