Thursday, May 13, 2010

"No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess." Deut. 30: 14-16

When reading Daniel I started to think about the following verse: "At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?" Daniel answered, "O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight." Daniel 6:19-22

Are we innocent/righteous in the sight of God? Of course we are! By the blood of Jesus we are, praises to Him for his sacrifice for us. I choose life, I love my Lord my God, I want to walk in his ways and keep his commands; but, I know I am not perfect and that I have failed in the past and that I am going to fall in the future, so I need Jesus, and I have the assurance that my Jesus will help me to get up every time, and that because of him I am white as snow, innocent in the eyes of my father God, so when trouble, suffering and trials (the lions) come my way... My God will send his angels to shut the mouths of the lions that want to destroy me.

There is a song by Nataly Grant "I will not be moved" based on 2nd Cor. 4:8 "I may stumble, I may fall down, I will face heartaches, but I will not be moved". On 2nd Cor 4:8 we read: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."

Horeb a mountain of desolation but also hope. At Horeb Moses spent a lot of time during his 40 year exile (waiting and who knows maybe without hope in the future, but just to pasture sheeps). At Horeb is believed Elijah found himself in a cave and he wanted to die. But, at the same mountain, later on Moses met with God and Elijah overcame the spirit of Jezebel..if you have the time, read the stories (Exodus 3-4, 19-33/ 1Kings 19)... Many times we see ourselves in a place of desolation, a dessert that never ends, no way out, no hope... struggles with money, jobs, stability, relationships... in my case a place that I am waiting and waiting for healing. but, our present situation (our Horeb) whatever it is, needs to be put in the hands of God... so many things we can learn in this place: To: Wait and be patient, Trust God, Have not self-confidence, but confidence in God, and to allow God to shape us. See, difficult times exposes our hearts... what really is inside us, and reveal to us where our confidence and trust lies. Most of the times, we experience God during difficult times, we come closer to him, and learn a lot, we grow stronger.
I read about some men doing stonework for a church. One of them was chiseling a piece of stone, another man asked What are you doing with that? the worker said "see that little opening away up there near the spire? well, I'm shaping this down here, so it will fit in up there."
God will use our trial to shape us for our future, let's not waste the pain of difficult times, let's allow God to use those difficult times to transform us, to heal us; our God can turn/ bring good from bad, there is nothing impossible for him. Our Horeb can be a place of new beginnings.
God is the medicine for our suffering (spiritual or physical) Psalms 107:20 reads: "He sent forth his word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave."
There is a book I've been reading "Hope resurrected" by Dutch Sheets, if you have the chance get the book and read it; the book refers to several Bible verses that have inspired me and help me understand and accept the times at "Horeb". I wish I could re-type the book and share it with you =)

I am going to Gainesville this Monday coming... please keep praying with me for a miracle.