Saturday, December 22, 2012

David encouraged himself.

The Amalekites invaded Ziglag, burned it and took all the women and children captive, including David's best choice of a wife, Abigail.  Abigail. ... who had been married to Nabal, a rich Carmelite fool.  I Samuel 30:4 tells us that "David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep."  These same people blamed David for the capture of their families and threatened to stone him. Verse 6 tells us: "David encouraged himself in the Lord His God."  Many times there is nobody to comfort us but our Abba Father. ...and He does.

 I know that all of those who followed Jesus closely wept and wept when He was crucified, but there was one who suffered the most: Mary, His mother. Lest I be tempted to deify her I had not fully entered into her suffering. ...until my oldest son, Doug died on May 18, 2011, less than a year after his dad, my dear husband entered into Heaven. Mary's Son, Jesus, was perfect. My son Doug was not. ...but it is amazing how Doug's wrong choices have slipped from my memory and mostly what I think about are the wonderful characteristics that were his.  As Maddie Jane, his little girl said, "Daddy made everything fun!"  Well, truthfully, not "everything". 

Indulge me here. I know very well that the dead cannot communicate with the living but it seemed that Heaven and I received a gift from Doug last Monday morning. A young mother came through my front door for counselling. Many years ago Doug sent the generation before her to us and their marriage was restored.  Fast forward. Last Monday, one of their children, not a Christian,  entered my front door and shortly after, entered through Christ the Door to God the Father.  She had tried most everything else.

We are to live our  lives by "every word that comes from the Holy Mouth of our Lord God".  I will be in Heaven before I "know every word",  but meanwhile, I am responsible to live by what I do know. If I don't I will be seduced into believing Satan's lies. ...and that is the only language he knows: lies. In speaking to Timothy, Paul warns his disciple-in-training: "Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils."  Except for God's pure and true Word there are no words we can trust. Paul said, "I know nothing except Christ crucified."  How did he come to that profound conclusion?  Everything else failed.

Just when I think I am "getting over" Doug's sudden death, I go into a tailspin of emotion and cry until there are no more tears. I remember a conversation years ago with a Greek Orthodox priest on the Island of Patmos who exclaimed to me: "Yes, I love Jesus, but Mary. ...ahhh, Mother Mary, whom I picture snuggling me close to her breast, giving me comfort that no one, not even Jesus, can give me. "

A bazillion religious people worship Mary. I don't "worship" her, but I identify in the deepest places of my heart with her terrible loss.  Sweet, sweet Jesus, who from the Cross, asked his dependable dear friend, the Apostle John, to care for His mother.

I must, and you must listen only to the God/Man Who  has the keys to Heaven.  He went down through the portal of death for you and for me and He came out in mighty power which He makes available to us, His own. 

                                        HYMN OF THE WEEK: O SING A SONG

O sing a song of Galilee, of lake and woods and hill
Of Him Who walked upon the sea and bade the waves be still
For though like waves on Galilee, dark seas of trouble roll
When faith has heard the Master's Word, falls peace upon the soul.

Love, Jo

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