The winds are his messengers

Been challenged by a great story in Lynn Reddick's book 'The Two Minute Miracle'. He tells the story of Bobby, a rebellious young man who left home in anger and went into drugs and disappeared. His parents were in anguish, not knowing if he was dead or alive. One day his dad, driving on the edge of town, stopped to pray out his agony. He pointed his finger towards the north and yelled with all his might, "BOBBY, COME HOME!". Turning to the south, he shouted into the wind, "BOBBY, COME HOME!" Then to the east and west, the same words.

Two days later there was a knock at the door. It was Bobby! After a tearful reunion his dad asked what brought him home. "Dad, I was sitting on the front porch of an old shack on the edge of the desert in Arizona, stoned out of my mind. A wind started blowing and suddenly it grew stronger. Dad, I could have sworn that I heard your voice in the wind, BOBBY, COME HOME! And Dad, I got here as fast as I could."

WOW! "He makes winds his messengers..." (Ps 104:3b) Yes, Lord. Take our prayers on the wings of your messengers as we call the prodigals home!

The Father's embrace

I've been pondering on the embrace of the Father in the story of the prodigal son. First he runs to his son - imagine him, hitching up his garments, making a spectacle of himself, and pounding down the road... because he wants to get to him before others can taunt him, or abuse him or beat him up. This son has so dishonoured his father that the locals could attack him! So he runs.... and when he gets to him he flings his arms around him and kisses him over and over, tenderly, earnestly, repeatedly! This skinny, smelly, awkward and shame-filled young man is smothered in his father's love! What a welcome. What a sight for the villagers, who know the sorry saga. What a Father! What a picture of our Abba, Daddy.

It is a custom of mine now and then to ask people I don't know well to tell me how they came to faith in Jesus. Many of them describe how they came to "make a commitment", but then never tell me what GOD did! It is quite frustrating - and revealing, actually. I would think that if they had met the running Father and been swept up in his effusive embrace (or felt "the love of God being poured into their hearts through the Holy Spirit" - Rom.5:5) they would be hard put not to tell me!!! Have we sold people short, by telling them they had to 'make a commitment'? Shouldn't we rather tell them about this running, embracing, enthusiastic, merciful, forgiving Father who is searching for them daily with an aching heart?

I notice too that the Father interrupts the son's repentance speech and says to his servants, "Quick, get the best robe..." Quick? I had never seen that word before. Quick! Without hesitation - move fast! Why? Why not a leisurely stroll home? I think because he wants his son to be 'covered'. He wants all to see he is now 'honoured' and accepted. We interpret this as 'the robe of righteousness' that we are clothed in when we repent and turn to Christ. "Quick!" says the Father, "get the robe and cover him." This knowledge of being made right, made clean and new, having all our sins covered over can be that quick! Done in an instant! "Quick!" says the Father. I think he means it for us. Let's expect it, when we bring others to him.

Praying to hear Abba's pounding feet again for those I love...

It's your call

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." James 4:8
The Scripture depicts the Lord as the seeking Shepherd who will relentlessly pursue those who are lost. But the 'found' are asked to "seek his face", to "draw near", to "seek him with all your heart". This is because he now responds not to our helplessness, but our HUNGER.
This is my challenge at present. Not filling the spaces but giving them to him to fill.

How much do you want what he has for you? How much value do you place on his presence or his power in your life? Will you pursue him until you take hold of him in a way that transforms your life? This will mean setting aside time to work together on what he has shown you. Take an hour or two this week to do this. Pray the Scriptures. Tell him you MUST meet him as Abba, Daddy and know his fondest love. Every night as you are going to sleep keep crying out for his Spirit to reveal to your deepest heart this perfect love. Don't settle for less than your birthright - your inheritance.

It is easy to give mental assent to something new that the Lord says to us, and file it away as "a good truth". This is like getting your main course and displaying it in a cabinet! How do we 'eat' the truth until it becomes a part of us? We pray it - we chew on it - we keep it before us, asking the Spirit to make it a heart reality, not just a head understanding. When we 'hunger and thirst' after him, he will come to us. LORD MAKE US A HUNGRY PEOPLE

We are never far from rain

It has rained and rained over the last 2 or 3 weeks, with only half a day of sun here and there. But the earth is now soft and releasing the rain into rivers.
Bill Johnson said "We are never far from rain." This is because even in the valleys and the barren places in our lives the earth calls for rain, and the sky above is waiting to "pour out water on the thirsty land." Such is the way of the Father. Such is the way of his Kingdom.
It takes our calling, our crying out, our persistent and INsistent knocking...and he comes. And nothing else matters then. We dance in the rain. We drink in the rain. We bathe in his presence... then it's time for it to flow. The living water flowing out from our innermost being.
Are you waiting? Are you calling? Crying out? Insistently knocking? It is the seeking ones who receive. The hungry ones who will not be denied.

Don't stop - until he comes and rains upon you... and yours - and the dancing begins!

The only wise God, our Father...

I have finally, in the last two or three years, been able to rest in the all-knowing, all-loving wisdom of God, and allow myself to slow down and listen and not over-react, knowing that sooner or later he will show me the way.

And this week he has done it again, in grand style! There have been three areas of my life where I have groaned before him wanting a light to go on. And what he has brought to my attention speaks powerfully to all three. How neat is that!

I have been soaking myself in free mp3 downloads of the teaching by Mark Stibbe on Healing the Orphan Heart. Can I recommend it to you? They are at www.saltlight.org/europe/resources/speaker/mark-stibbe(get the first 4 on the list) and also www.kingsgateuk.com and look for his messages - Receiving the Robe and the Ring, and From Slavery to Sonship. You can also buy his books and CDs on his website www.fathershousetrust.com

He quotes a wonderful revised version of the 23rd Psalm.

The Lord is my Abba, Daddy,
Therefore I am never in need.
He makes me rest in green meadows
And leads me beside peaceful, refreshing streams.
He always holds my hand and guides me along the right paths, bringing honour to his name.
Even when I have to walk in the dark valley of death,
My Abba Daddy is close beside me, so I am not afraid.
When my enemies are close he puts on a feast for me!
And he welcomes me as a special guest, anointing my head with oil and many kisses!
My life overflows with his generous blessings.
I know for sure that Abba Daddy's goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and one day I will live in his house forever.

What a Father!

Testing, testing, one, two, three

Ever noticed that when you grasp truth in new ways, or testify (or write) about the goodness of God that you are then tested in it - often severely? It has happened to me in the last few days. Had to return to my own blog (journal?)and reread my own words in order to take hold of the truth I needed to push out of a life-sucking discouragement!!

I guess this is like Jesus after his baptism, affirmation and receiving of the Spirit. He was then "led by the Spirit out into the desert to be tested." Almost like "now here's your chance to prove it." I notice that the enemy uses our weak points to get in and test us; the unmet longings, the places of 'unrest' in us. This clearly reveals places where more surrender and trust needs to work through down to a new level. I can see too that no one else can make the choices for me about setting my face to seek the Lord and him only when under these assaults.

So - lots of YES places - as well as the apparent NO!

This also appears to test my study focus. I am preparing a message for this Sunday on how the love of the Father, poured out upon us by the Spirit, heals the 'orphan spirit' we all have. When we feel left out, abandoned, having unmet needs, not secure, not satisfied, not 'at home in his love'... we evidence again this 'orphan' mentality - because we have failed to drink deeply, and often enough, of the perfect love of our perfect heavenly Father.

Come Holy Spirit, pour out the love of the Father upon us again... cause us to drink until we are satisfied again, and able to delight in you as our source and our strength. Amen, amen, amen.

All Grace - at All Times?

Chewing on the rich promise in 1 Peter 5:10
"After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."
The suffering/trial/distress is temporary, the grace is all-sufficient as it is an expression of his nature, the glory is eternal and depends on Christ Jesus not us, his tender mercies are personal - "will HIMSELF..." and his work is comprehensive; perfecting - restoring - completing, confirming - assuring, strengthening our hearts and minds, establishing - making steadfast and sure.
Have you noticed how often "all" is used in Scripture? 2 Cor.9:8 "And God is able to make ALL grace abound to you, so that in ALL things at ALL times, having ALL that you need you will abound in every good work."
What would happen in us if we prayed to "The God of ALL GRACE"? Grace for all situations - be it patience, resilience, steadfastness, courage, wisdom, insight, generosity...
Oh for a deeper revelation of the all-sufficiency of his grace in all things at all times. Yes Lord!

But then, there is God.

Had a yo-yo day. Inspired for an hour or so, then downcast after a disappointing conversation, then inspired again.... Realised my eyes were on the wrong things.

Reminded me of something I had read the other day. A quote from the old saint Hannah Whitall Smith - a woman married to a man antagonistic to God and to her. "I was passing through a great deal of questioning and perplexity, and I felt that no Christian had ever had such peculiar difficulties as mine before. I went to a deeply spiritual woman for help...pouring out all my troubles. When I had paused, expecting sympathy and consideration, she simply said, "Yes, all you say may be very true, but then, in spite of it all, there is God." I waited for a few minutes for something more, but nothing came. But, I continued, surely you did not understand how very serious and perplexing my difficulties are. Oh Yes I did, she replied, but then, as I tell you, there is God. And I could not induce her to make any other answer.
It seemed to me most disappointing and unsatisfactory. I felt that my peculiar and really harrowing experiences could not be met by anything so simple as merely the statement, Yes but there is God."
She describes how she doubted the woman's ability, but went back a number of other times with exactly the same result! And then she "dimly began to wonder whether after all God might not be enough even for my need... From wondering I came gradually to believing that, being my Creator and Redeemer, He must be enough; and at last a conviction burst upon me that He really was enough, and my eyes were opened to the fact of the absolute and utter all-sufficiency of God. My troubles disappeared like magic, and I did nothing but wonder how I could ever have been such an idiot as to be troubled by them, when all the while there was God, the Almighty and all-seeing God, the God who created me, and was therefore on my side and eager to care for me and help me. I had found out that God was enough and my soul was at rest."