Rising Waters

"I tell you,
now is the time of God's favor,
now is the day of salvation."
(2 Corinthians 6:2b)
Beloved, I've missed you! Those precious few of you who regularly stoke "Fan into Flame" know that the posts here are often irregular. I don't write daily or weekly but only when prompted by the Holy Spirit ... only when the Lord gives me something to say. Sometimes, it flows like a flood! Sometimes ... {insert sound of chirping crickets here} ... it doesn't.

The times of stillness are a glorious gift from the Lord. Be assured that He is graciously and wondrously speaking. I'm just listening to Him. And learning from Him. And leaning on Him. And loving Him. I pray that you are, too, during this Harvest journey.

In the three weeks since Good Friday, I've been watching. Observing. Listening. Grieving. Rejoicing.

I am an alien and stranger here on earth (reference Psalms 39:12; Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11), but, as time passes, I acutely feel even more alienated ... and stranger than ever before! I discern in my spirit--and witness in my flesh--waves of deception washing over the earth. They once were fewer and farther apart, but, like the labor pains immediately preceding childbirth, they are greater, faster, and unrelenting. The shock is drowning some, who haven't accepted the Lord's safe harbor. The turbulence is neutralizing some, who haven't learned to navigate enemy waters. The impact is knocking some to their spiritual senses, all glory to God! And the tumult is bringing some to the surface, who stand amidst the storm, rising confidently and firmly in the power of the Lord.

Beloved, the side effects of polluted waters abound. I don't need to list them here. There's neither time nor space to exhaust the list of ills weakening our country and our world. They make me sick. I know they make you sick, too. And, you know I'm not talking about swine flu.

Let's just call a spade a spade here. Let's address the cause beyond the symptoms. The common denominator behind every perversion of the Lord's goodness, holiness, and righteousness is the enemy of the one and only Most High God. He is a counterfeiter and a liar, and those who don't recognize that truth are, sadly, floating in the filthy waters of his deception.

"... Jesus ... said, 'I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.' The Pharisees challenged Him, 'Here You are, appearing as Your own witness; Your testimony is not valid.' Jesus answered, 'Even if I testify on My own behalf, My testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, Who sent Me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am One Who testifies for Myself; My other witness is the Father, Who sent Me.' Then they asked Him, 'Where is Your Father?' 'You do not know Me or My Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.' ... 'You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the One I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.' 'Who are you?' they asked. 'Just what I have been claiming all along,' Jesus replied. 'I have much to say in judgment of you. But He who sent Me is reliable, and what I have heard from Him I tell the world.' They did not understand that He was telling them about His Father. So Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the One I claim to be and that I do nothing on My Own but speak just what the Father has taught Me. The One who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.' Even as He spoke, many put their faith in Him. To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.' They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can You say that we shall be set free?' Jesus replied, 'I tell you the Truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill Me, because you have no room for My Word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.' 'Abraham is our father,' they answered. 'If you were Abraham's children,' said Jesus, 'then you would do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill Me, a man Who has told you the Truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does.' 'We are not illegitimate children,' they protested. 'The only Father we have is God Himself.' Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on My own; but He sent Me. Why is My language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the Truth, you do not believe Me! Can any of you prove Me guilty of sin? If I am telling the Truth, why don't you believe Me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.' "
(John 8:12-47)
Beloved, this post is not what I intended it to be today. It never is. All thanks and glory to God! I planned an exhortation about the freedom, power, and authority you have in Christ. Perhaps that's another post (or series of posts!) for another day.

In the meantime, know that the waters of deception will continue heighten. They just will. Godlessness will continue to increase. It just will.

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."
(2 Timothy 3:1-5)
But, most of all, precious ones, know this: The enemy's days are numbered--they are! Jesus Christ reigns--He does! He's returning--He is! And, when He does, He will replace the seas of sickness with the River of Life (reference Revelation 22). He will. He just will. And we who know Him will dwell with Him in the house of the Lord ... forever.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations He has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire. 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."
(Psalm 46)
Precious Father, how wondrous it is to live in the embrace of Your grace! You sit enthroned over the flood (reference Psalm 29:10). All glory to You! Thank You for strengthening Your children during the storm; thank You for the protection of Your peace in the midst of the turbulence. Your Living Water refreshes us, sustains us, and keeps us afloat. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ--Your perfect Son and my precious Savior. Amen.

"Therefore let everyone who is godly
pray to You
while You may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him."
(Psalm 32:6)

For further reflection on this topic, see also ...

• "Believer or Deceiver"
• "There's a Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On"
  
• "Resolute in Absolute Truth"
• "The Great Depression"
• "In God We Trust"
• "No Flood is Greater Than His Blood"
• "A Storm is Coming ..."
• "The Battle Rages"

How can I encourage and pray for you today? Please let me know by clicking on "Sparks Share" at the end of today's reflection, and scroll down to the "Comments" box. You may choose to comment anonymously, if you prefer. Feel free to leave your praises and insights as well!

Copyright 2009. Kathryn B. Wells. All Rights Reserved.

No Flood is Greater than His Blood

"From the west,
men will fear the name of the LORD,
and from the rising of the sun,
they will revere His glory.
For He will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath of the LORD drives along."
(Isaiah 59:19)
Precious Friends, with Hurricane Ike moving ominously towards the southern coast of the United States of America, it seems likely that it will be a catastrophic storm. As I write this, at 10:30 am EST, the storm is still 200 miles from landfall, but coastal flooding has already reached almost 20 feet above normal.

In times of peace and prosperity, God is Lord of all. In times of discord and discomfort, God is Lord of all. In the sun, He is Lord. In the storm, He is Lord.

Nothing happens, my friends, without the Lord our God, the creator of all, allowing it to happen. Why does He allow some things, which appear to be so awful in our limited human understanding? Why does He allow tragedies like 9-11? Why does He allow catastrophic storms? Why does He allow babies to be abused and even killed? We do not know the mind of God. But, we do know the character of God. He is good. He is just. He is righteous. And He loves us. Every one of us.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
(Romans 8:38-39).
No flood is greater than His blood. The blood shed by His Son. The Son sent to earth specifically to save us. What a storm raged on the day He died for us!

This side of heaven, we will never know why He allows some things to occur. The other side of heaven, we still may never know, but I suppose it won't matter then!

The important thing to remember is that He is Lord. Of all. He is creator. Of all. And, if we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, we have nothing to fear. Not man. Not creation. Only Him.

Fear Him. Trust Him. Obey Him. Take shelter in Him. Seek refuge in Him. Put your hope in Him. And pray for those who don't. Pray for those who won't. Pray that they will, on this side of heaven.

Precious Father, thank You for being our refuge in the storms of life! I pray for those in the path of Hurricane Ike. I pray for their protection and safety, but, more important than their physical comfort, Lord, I pray that those who don't yet know You will choose to take shelter in Your gracious gift of salvation. And, I pray that those who do know You will choose to serve as Your hands and feet, recognizing that this natural disaster is an opportunity to share the Truth of Your life, Your death, and Your saving grace to everyone they aid. May Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. I pray in the name of Jesus, our Lord and our Savior. Amen.

"Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.

The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.

The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.

The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in His temple all cry, "Glory!"

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace."
(Psalm 29)

Copyright 2008. Kathryn B. Wells. All Rights Reserved.

A Storm is Coming; Fortify the Walls!

"... They are restoring the walls
and repairing the foundations."
(Ezra 4:12)
Good Morning, dear friends! I pray that you are refreshed on this fifth day of our 40-day journey. There are more storms swirling about in the Atlantic as I write this, and I pray that all who are in the path of them will take necessary safety precautions.

Without diminishing the damage caused by Hurricane Gustav, I praise God that it was not as destructive as it could have been. I watched some of the news coverage, hoping and praying that the infamous New Orleans levees would hold this time. I wondered: in the three years since Hurricane Katrina, were the walls rebuilt well enough to endure another storm? The levees did hold, all thanks and glory to God, and I was impressed at the efforts of those who risked their lives to ensure that nothing (like a wayward barge!) would damage the walls during the storm or compromise its integrity.

As I watched, I thought of Nehemiah, whose heart was burdened to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. As he prayed to the Lord, praising Him and repenting of individual and corporate sins against Him, he also asked the Lord for favor in the daunting task. (See Nehemiah 1). "And because the gracious hand of [his] God was upon [him]" (Nehemiah 2:8b), the king granted all of Nehemiah's requests, including permission to travel to Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 2:1-9).

Once in Jerusalem, Nehemiah first took inventory. He inspected Jerusalem's walls, noting the damaged areas. The walls were then rebuilt under Nehemiah's leadership, and in record time! Jerusalem's walls, which had been in ruins for more than a century, were rebuilt in 52 days. Divine assistance? Absolutely! The Lord protected their efforts in many ways before and during the process.

Another key to Nehemiah's rebuilding campaign, however, was the effort of all the individuals during the process, "... each to his own work" (Nehemiah 4:15). Each person took responsibility for repairing part of the wall, and the example was set by Eliashib, the high priest.

"Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate ... The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah ... Meremoth ... repaired the next section ... Next to him, Meshullam ... made repairs ... next to him Zadok ... also made repairs. The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa ... The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada ... and Meshullam ... Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah ... Uzziel ... repaired the next section; and Hananiah ... made repairs next to that. ... Rephaiah ... repaired the next section. Adjoining this, Jedaiah ... made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush ... made repairs next to him. Malkijah ... and Hasshub ... repaired another section ... Shallum ... repaired the next section with the help of his daughters. The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah ... The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah ... The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun ... Beyond him, Nehemiah ... made repairs ... Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum ... Beside him, Hashabiah ... carried out repairs for his district. Next to him, the repairs were made by their countrymen under Binnui ... Next to him, Ezer ... repaired another section ... Next to him, Baruch ... zealously repaired another section ... Next to him, Meremoth ... repaired another section ... The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region. Beyond them, Benjamin and Hassub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah ... made repairs beside his house. Next to him, Binnui ... repaired another section ... Next to him, Pedaiah ... and the temple servants ... made repairs ... Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section ... Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. Next to them, Zadok ... made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah ... made repairs. Next to him, Hananiah ... and Hanun ... repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam ... made repairs opposite his living quarters. Next to him, Malkijah ... made repairs ... and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs." (Nehemiah 3).

Did you catch the theme there? Each person, and his family, took responsibility for repairing the part of the wall near his home. Each assumed responsibility for his own proverbial backyard, while also assisting his neighbor. By uniting in purpose, by standing firm during opposition, by relying on strength and guidance from Almighty God, the wall was fortified quickly and soundly.

And what did they do afterwards? They united, praised the Lord, and meditated upon the Word of God. "All the people assembled as one man in the square ... Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon ... And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law." (Nehemiah 8:1-3)

I think there's an important theme in Nehemiah's wallbuilding campaign, which is pertinent (and imperative!) for Christians today. We must repent for our sins--for ignoring and disobeying the Lord, for failing to submit to His will, for failing to place Him above our earthly idols, for failing to love Him with undivided hearts. We must each take inventory and assume responsibility to rebuild the ruins around us. We must unite, praising the Lord and dedicating ourselves to His Word and His will.

Then my friends, when the storms come, we will stand firm. The walls will hold. And we will gather and praise the Lord.

Precious Father, I praise You for Your goodness and grace but also for Your power and might. I pray that Your children would reverently fear You even as we love You. Let us not be like "foolish prophets who follow their own spirit" (Ezekiel 13:3), like those who "have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD" (Ezekiel 13:5). Awaken us, Lord, to the work that needs to be done before the storms come. Guide us individually and corporately, according to Your will. I pray in the name of Jesus, Your perfect Son and my precious Savior. Amen.

"Your people will rebuild
the ancient ruins
and will raise up
the age-old foundations;
you will be called
Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."
(Isaiah 58:12)
(How can we encourage and pray for you today? Please let us know by posting a comment below; click on "Sparks Share" at the end of today's reflection, and scroll down to the "Comments" box. You may choose to comment anonymously, if you prefer.)

Copyright 2008. Kathryn B. Wells. All Rights Reserved.