Today in my Bible study I was reminded that God’s people in the Old Testament would pray the Shema (Deut. 6:4-9) twice a day at 9:00am and 3:00pm.
You may recognize those times as the morning and evening sacrifices. You may also recognize those times as when Jesus was put on the cross and then died on the cross.
The early church continued this practice by adding the Lord’s Prayer to their routine.
What stands out to me about the prayer in this season of my life are the words “we”, “us”, and “our”. The prayer was meant for community. Even if you were alone at the times of the prayers, you could know other believers were praying along with you.
After a few years, the early church added in the 12:00pm prayer time.
9:00am, 12:00pm, 3:00pm
Those are the same times I put on my phone alarm this past year to remind me to stretch my hamstrings. My chiropractor made me do it. She says I’m woefully tight. My coworkers knew what it meant when my alarms would go off. Sometimes you could hear “Stretch!” from another room in the office.
I think now it’s time I added the Lord’s Prayer to my stretch time. My prayer life needs more stretching anyway. Will you join me?
There are two different storm stories on the Sea of Galilee in the New Testament. In one, Jesus is already in the boat, asleep on a cushion, and the disciples wake Him up because of the storm. Jesus calms the storm with a word. In the other storm story, Jesus is not in the boat when the storm hits but is on a mountain praying after just having fed the “5000”. Later He walks on the water where they can see Him and Peter ends up walking on the water with Jesus in the midst of the storm.
Before we dive into these two stories, let’s look back in the Old Testament to some other water stories the disciples would’ve known very well.
Genesis 6-9 Noah obeyed the call of God and rode a floating zoo for a year while the entire world perished because of a worldwide flood.
Exodus 14 Moses and the Israelites walked through the Red Sea on dry ground thanks to God and His East wind. The sea was like a wall of water on their left and right. It all came crashing down on the Egyptians as soon as the Israelites were safely across.
Joshua 4 God made an invisible dam at the Jordan River so Joshua could lead the Israelites across. The water stood in a heap and backed up about 20 miles away. The folks looking from the walls of Jericho in the distance would’ve seen the sight and been terrified.
Jonah 1 Jonah was on a boat running from the Lord. While on that boat a great storm rose up and it became known that Jonah was the cause. Once he was hurled into the sea, the storm stopped. Then the Lord caused a great fish to act as a submarine for Jonah for three days and three nights before vomiting him back onto land.
Miraculous water stories were something the disciples were familiar with. Even the prophet Isaiah records the words of the Lord, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…” (Isaiah 43:2).
We also see some places in Job where God walks on and through water: “[God] alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea” (Job 9:8). “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?” (Job 38:16).
And Asaph wrote in Psalm 77: “Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen” (Psalm 77:19).
The disciples knew all these Scriptures, but they needed lessons, what I call Field Trips, to test their faith and to connect the dots to Who Jesus was/is.
To get the full picture of the two Sea of Galilee storm stories, you need to read all of the accounts from all of the Gospels. They each give different details. I’ll put all the puzzle pieces together for you:
“Bloom where you are… planted.” Anyone heard of that sweet little cliché? What does it mean? It means give your best no matter your situation.
God has created each and every one of us for a specific purpose.
John 15:8 has that purpose. It says “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”
Today we’ll look at a woman from the Bible who did a great job of blooming where she was planted. We’ll see her in three different “pots” or situations…the foreign pot, the beauty school pot, and the palace pot. She bore much fruit and glorified her Father no matter where she seemed to be planted. Her name is Esther, Queen of Persia.
Esther was a Jewish girl living in a foreign land with an older male cousin as her guardian. When this is the situation you’re placed in you can either a) get bitter, rebellious, and depressed; or b) do your best and trust God. Verse 20 tells us that Esther always did what Mordecai asked of her. She was obedient to his leadership when she was under his care. That’s blooming. By honoring Mordecai, she honored her parents and God. Sometimes blooming isn’t in doing but in submitting. That could apply to a spouse, a boss, a pastor…God, anyone in authority.
During this time there was another queen. Her name was Vashti. King Xerxes was very wealthy and held a long party to display his wealth. One day he decided to display one of his greatest treasures, his queen. When Queen Vashti got the word to appear before the king, she refused. Needless to say this got her royal position removed. Now it was time to find a new queen. Ah, the Miss Persia Pageant.
Esther just got replanted into a new pot. She had become close with Mordecai and now she was being shipped off to beauty school to be one among hundreds going for the crown. Only maybe it wasn’t the crown she wanted. A good Jewish girl always had hopes of marrying a good Jewish boy and giving him a son one day. That dream was now over. Now, she would either be Queen of Persia (a scary thing for a young Jewish girl) or just part of the harem of the king. Again, she has two choices: a) bitterness, rebellion, depression; or b) do your best and trust God. We see in v.9 what she did.
Esther is blooming again. She had a character quality about her that no one else had. No one knew Esther was a Jew, but Hegai caught notice of her character and rewarded her for it. Never underestimate the power of your actions and attitudes. People are watching.
In 2006, God moved our family from our hometown in Bossier City, Louisiana to Corpus Christi, Texas. I was really nervous about moving so far away, but I knew without doubt that it was God’s plan. Whenever anyone would ask how I felt about the situation I would say, “Well, I’m nervous but I know that this is God’s plan and He will take care of all the details. I trust Him.” It wasn’t but a few days later that I overheard someone ask my daughter the same question. I wondered how she would answer so I decided to eaves-drop a little more. She said, “Well, I’m nervous but I know that this is God’s plan and He will take care of all the details. I trust Him.”
My jaw dropped! It was in that moment that God opened my eyes to the influence I had over my children. What if I had been angry? Bitter? Mad at my husband for not getting another job in our hometown instead? I thanked God in that moment for His leadership in my life. Without God guiding me, I would be a mess in guiding my girls.
Back to Esther…
They couldn’t put their finger on it, but something was different about her. Do people say that about you? When you are at different places (ballpark, gym, supermarket, etc.) can people see a difference in you? Can they see the fruit of the spirit? Galatians 5:22-23 says the Fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. Esther had these qualities. She learned them from the first foreign pot she was planted in. This is what she learned by submitting to Mordecai. They served her well in this beauty school pot. Let’s see how long Esther was in beauty school.
She was there for at least a year. Esther learned to cherish wise council. She listened to Hegai’s advice. When she went to the king (the third pot), she took with her all she learned from Mordecai (first pot) and Hegai (second pot).
Now Esther is Queen of Persia. For several years this pot seems to go undisturbed. Esther is adjusting nicely to palace life…until Haman (like vice president) devises a plan to kill all the Jews. Remember, no one knows that Esther is a Jew. In chapter 4 Esther gets word of Haman’s plot and she and Mordecai have a little discussion over it.
Esther has made it to the big time. She’s now Mrs. High and Mighty, Queen of Persia. Mordecai is just a commoner, a regular Jew. Things were going smoothly until Cousin Mordecai came delivering the news. Esther at this point is contemplating the gravity of her situation. If she goes to the king unannounced, she could be killed. How is Esther going to respond now? Will she turn her back on her people now that she is royalty? Or will she use that position for the purpose it was given?
Are you ready to handle awesome responsibilities given from God? So often we want the glory but not the responsibility.
She decided to do her best and trust God. What an amazing influence!
The story turns out well. Esther obtains favor from the king and after a couple of banquets she tells the king that she is Jewish and her people are in danger. There’s a lot more to the story so I suggest reading on your own. Bottom line: Esther bloomed at every stage in her life, and it eventually led to the saving of her people.
She bloomed in a foreign home in a foreign land.
She bloomed when taken away from the only family she had.
She bloomed in a new high and royal position.
Each pot led her to the next.
Jeremiah 29:11 says “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Three years after we moved to Corpus Christi, God called us back home to Bossier City. Honestly, I was a bit confused. I was just getting familiar with the Corpus Christi pot. I was really putting my roots down. This pot had a great church, great schools, great friends, and a great ballet studio for my girls. It had an amazing grocery store! To top it all off…this pot was sitting by the OCEAN! Surely God wasn’t calling us to leave. Oh but He was. He was clear that “the cloud was moving” (Exodus reference). Would I protest and demand to stay? Or would I trust Him and pick up our family again for another move? If there is one thing I have learned over these years, it is that when God moves, you better move too.
We have been back in our hometown now for almost four years. In those four years we have seen God do amazing things in our church and in our families. I’m so glad for the adventure in trusting Him. He is faithful. He is true.
God has your pots all ready and laid out for you. It’s up to you how you will grow in them.
I like things in order. I always have. My parents tell me that when I was a child I would organize the utensil drawer for fun. It’s true. Not much has changed in 40 years either.
Naturally this trait would follow into my Bible studies that I have done over the years. As a child I learned various stories from the Bible, but had no idea they were connected in any way except that God was there in all of them. As I began studying, I started seeing the connection. It was all about one big family, starting with Adam and continuing on through descendants like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and Jesus.
My father-in-law gave me a great gift a few years ago, The Timechart of Biblical History. This book opens up into one long timeline, complete with maps and lists. Yes, this speaks my love language!
I’ve put together a few documents of my own over the years too. These have greatly helped me in understanding the flow of Scripture. I can understand the details of a particular life better when I know the larger picture. Here’s an example: Take the life of Abraham. God called him to leave everything behind to go to a place unknown. Later he called him to sacrifice his own son. Abraham was obedient in both. That took great faith. Where did he learn such faith? Why did God single him out among all others? That’s when I saw something in the genealogy timeline. So many times when reading the genealogies in scripture I would just skim through them. But one day I stopped and tried to chart it all out (this was long before the internet was handy). Thankfully someone else thinks like me and posted their chart on the internet recently. Generations from Noah to Isaac
On that chart, compare Noah and Shem with Abraham. What do you see? I see that Noah was still alive when Abraham was born and that Shem continued to live even after Abraham died. So then I starting asking God some questions: Did they live close to each other? I know about the division after the Tower of Babel, but did Abraham remain in the group with Noah and Shem? Did Abraham hear first hand accounts of the flood? Did You tell Noah and Shem that Abraham was special and set-apart? I wanted to know everything.
That’s how my fascination with genealogy and timelines started. Here are some of the charts I’ve created or used that will hopefully get you excited about Scripture in a whole new way:
See how well you know that Nativity Story with this quick test. I used it on our HSM Lifegroup tonight and no one made 100%, not even the adults. How well will you do?
We had a fun time tonight at our HSM Lifegroup as I told the Nativity Story with a sweet twist. There are several stories like this on the internet, but I had to write my own to match the types of candy I had. The idea is that as the story is told, someone passes out the candy as it is mentioned (I put the candy names in all caps to make it easier). I was worried this would be too “young” for my high schoolers… nope. They ate it up! 😉
Here’s the story:
The REISEN for the Season
Long ago, there lived a sweet couple named Joseph and Mary who were betrothed or engaged to be married. They were full of BLISS as they planned for their wedding. Joseph worked hard building a house for Mary. Mary dreamed of one day holding a baby boy in her arms or maybe a baby girl, a BABY RUTH named after one of her ancestors. But one day a visit from an angel changed everything. Mary would conceive by the Holy Spirit and give birth to a son named Jesus. He would be a LIFESAVER to the world! When Joseph found out, he was beTWIXted a rock and a hard place, but the same angel told Joseph to marry Mary anyway and that his PAYDAY was surely to come. Soon Mary and Joseph could hear the SNICKERS of the townspeople. But what did those AIRHEADS know? Mary and Joseph trusted God anyway.
Nine months later, some SMARTIES in the East called wise men were studying the MILKYWAY, when all of a sudden a STARBURST forth. They knew that a king of the Jews was born and they would need to travel to worship this newborn king. Meanwhile, in a field in Bethlehem, some JOLLY RANCHERS were watching over their flock when all of a sudden an angel appeared bringing news of great JOY to all the people! A savior is born! The Jolly Ranchers went immediately to see the baby but it would take awhile for the Smarties to get there with all their gifts. Mary took it all in and TREASURED all these things in her heart as she smothered her baby with KISSES.
Pretty soon it was back to just Joseph, Mary and little Jesus, the THREE MUSKETEERS. Life would continue, Mary and Joseph would have other kids, and Jesus would grow up. One day He would be baptized in the Jordan River and the Holy Spirit would descend on Him in the form of a DOVE with His Father declaring that He is well pleased. Soon, a 100 GRAND and more would be saved through faith in HIM! Nothing could be sweeter than that!
“The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.”
Proverbs 31:11-12
The 7th commandment says in Exodus 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery.” For some of you, reading that verse hurt because you’ve already crashed and burned on it. Others of you may not even realize how close you may have come. Jesus took it a step further in Matthew 5:27-28 when He said, “You have heard it said ‘You shall not commit adultery’, but I say to you, whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart.”
Jesus knows where adultery begins. It’s the same place murder begins (or any sin for that matter)…in the heart. I want to take you through the “7 Myths About Affairs” and then the “12 Step Affair Process”. I’ll be open about my own experiences with this subject.
7 Myths about Extramarital Affairs:
1. Everybody is doing it.
Read 2 Timothy 2:22. You may want to focus on “flee” and “along with those.” Flee” means to run away from something. It’s not a casual walking away. If you don’t flee, you will have time to talk yourself into staying. May I suggest you be careful with what you watch on TV or what you read? Most shows and books today don’t see this as sin. If your favorite shows or books portray sex in an ungodly way, it’s time to let them go. I know it’s hard to do. I’ve been there. “Along with those” from 2 Timothy 2:22 shows us that there are others pursuing righteousness. You’re in good company. Not everybody is having affairs. There are many who are pursuing godly lives.
2. It will be good for our relationship.
Read Proverbs 6:26, 32. This goes for pornography too. I know, I’ve been there too. We had this issue early in our marriage. I’m so thankful God has redeemed that for us. Many men have this struggle and it begins early, sometimes even as a child. It’s very difficult to break this habit, especially since it is available at the click of a button. I prayed that God would take this struggle away from my husband and I am thankful that he was faithful. But just a few summers ago, Satan tried to tempt me with it. Yes, me. We were staying at a hotel during our family vacation. My girls had a pull out couch to sleep on. When I pulled it out the first night, I saw some porn magazines under it. It took me a second to realize what I was seeing. Thankfully my girls didn’t see them. I got a trash bag and went to throw the magazines away outside our room. Yes, we got clean sheets and a nice discount. But, while I was walking down the hall to throw the magazines away, Satan stepped in, “Go ahead and take a look. There’s some stuff in there that will help you to please your husband more.” Help me? It’s just like Satan to throw in a little truth with his big fat lie. I’m sure the magazines would have plenty of “tips” but this was not the way I needed to get educated. I immediately got mad and started fighting back with scripture – out loud so Satan could hear me! “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes . . . a perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil” Psalm 101:3-4. I said it over and over as I walked down the hall. It worked. Please hear me, you don’t need “extras” to enhance your sex life. You need the One Who created it.
3. If you truly love your spouse, there’s no way you could be involved with someone else.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:12. Pride comes before the fall. It can happen to anyone! I have extended family members who have had affairs, so I determined that it would never happen to me. I was too smart for that. I would love my husband and never do anything stupid to mess up our marriage. See, I thought I had the power. Wrong, we are nothing without Jesus! Listed out for you below is the 12 Step Affair Process. In my mid twenties I almost made it to #6 in a friendship with someone of the opposite sex and didn’t even realize it. I thought I was still “safe.” My husband was not comfortable with the friendship. He didn’t have a good feeling about it. I thought he was just being paranoid. He showed me a sheet that had the 12 step process on it (he had just gone to a conference on this). I really didn’t know what to say so I said nothing. The next day, the friend asked to meet me at a more private location to talk. That was step 6. My spirit quickened. Thank God my eyes were opened to what was really happening. It was time for me to jump off this ladder. If you see yourself anywhere on this ladder, even if it is #1, FLEE! That’s been my goal ever since. Do whatever you have to do to get out of the situation. Satan has a well-thought out plan and he is very patient to see it through. Don’t give him the opportunity.
4. It’s my spouse’s responsibility.
Read 1 Corinthians 7:3,5. You are responsible for you. You can’t solely blame your spouse if you’re not satisfied. You have to communicate. First communicate with God about it. Then go to your spouse. If your spouse doesn’t respond, stick closer than ever to God. He alone can fill the longings of your heart.
5. The other person is sexier than my spouse.
Read Proverbs 5:15, 18. This verse was directed to men, but we get the point. You better “drink from your own cistern”. “Sexy” is a state of mind. If you don’t see your spouse as sexy, PRAY TO. Let God show you what sexy is. The world has us all messed up on that one!
6. Pretending not to know is healthier.
Read James 5:16. Pretending anything is not good. Satan loves things that are kept in the dark. There is healing in The Light. Get things out in the open. Go see a Christian counselor if needed.
7. The marriage is over.
Read Luke 1:37. There are many couples who have chosen to restore their marriage after an affair. It’s not easy. There’s a lot of work to do and a lot of feelings to sort through. Nothing is impossible with God. No word of His will ever fail.
Next is the 12 Step Affair Process. Try to visualize each step as a step on a ladder. The higher the climb, the harder the fall. (Of course Jesus says to stay away from the first step.)
The 12 Step Affair Process
1. Readiness – Selfishness is present in the marriage – Needs are not being met
2. Alertness – A growing awareness of a particular person – Begin wondering if so-and-so will like this shirt
3. Innocent Meeting – Compliments are frequent – “Innocent” flirtation occurs – this person “appears to be everywhere”
4. Intentional Meeting – May exchange numbers/emails and other info
5. Public Lingering – Growing interest in each other – walking/driving to certain spots hoping they’re there
6. Private Lingering – There is an excitement in seeing each other – Invitations to places and events begin to take place
7. Purposeful Isolation – Plan alone time for “legitimate” purposes – Communication with spouse decreases / work hours increase
8. Pleasurable Isolation – Relationship takes a youthful aroma – Mental comparisons with spouse take place
9. Affectionate Embracing – Secret longings for each other become intense – Spouse can’t do anything right
10. Passionate Embracing – It’s okay, because spouse no longer makes them feel this way – It’s okay, because I really care about this person
11. Surrender – The spouse is suspecting everything by now – Decisions are being made – stay with spouse or leave
12. Acceptance – The spouse almost always knows by this time -Mutual choice to split – one from guilt, one from anger
Stay off the ladder! The higher the climb, the harder the fall!
I received the greatest gift on my birthday last week. My 5 year old nephew recited “The Lord’s Prayer” for me. It was so precious, especially since he was a preemie baby and has special needs. He said the prayer twice for me and I noticed something interesting about the prayer…he left the same phrase out both times. I’ll write it out like he said it. See if you can figure out what he left out:
“Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the glory and power forever. Amen.”
Did you catch it? I really chuckled when I heard him leave this part out…especially the second time. I don’t blame him at all, it’s a part I would love to leave out too.
“As we forgive those who trespass against us”
Yep, that part’s a doozy! Jesus knew it would be. He told a parable about this very issue:
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Oh Lord, help us to forgive those who trespass against us.
Elohim (e-lo-HEEM) is the Hebrew name for God in Genesis 1:1. This name for God is used over 2500 times in Scripture. It is the plural form of El or Eloah and means all-powerful, mighty judge and creator. Since Elohim created time, space and matter, He is transcendent of it. He exists outside of it. It’s how He can say in Isaiah 55:8-9…
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord,“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your waysand my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Not only is He transcendent, but He is also immanent. He is here…everywhere…all the time…omnipresent.
Under this title, God created the heavens and the earth. He created something out of nothing. This is why He can ask, “Is anything too difficult for the LORD?”
Under this title, God fills the formless, void, dark waste with light. He brings order to chaos.
Under this title, God creates man in His own image. Man is called to mirror his creator.
I grew up in church. As a young girl I was taught that God was all-powerful and that He created the heavens and the earth. I never disputed this truth. I knew that was sound teaching. I just didn’t understand what that had to do with me personally…until He introduced Himself.
I was 16 years old. I had two sisters, 15 and 10 years old. Our home had been a rocky one. At that time, my parents were on the brink of divorce, one sister was in rehab for drugs and alcohol, and the other sister was beginning to flunk her classes at school after being a straight A student. On top of that, my relationship with my boyfriend had recently ended, leaving me confused and hurt. Everything seemed to be falling apart.
During this time I was attending a small church with some of my friends. I fell in love with the families there and they welcomed me like a daughter. On one particular night, I felt heavily burdened for my family and my future. During the sermon it seemed like every word was spoken just for me. I listened intently, soaking everything up. At the end of the sermon, an alter call was given. This was the time to go to the front of the building and kneel for prayer if you felt led to do so. I felt led.
While I was there crying my heart out to God, I felt a flood of power go through my head and down to my feet. I suddenly had complete peace. After a moment I remember thinking to myself, “Now what do I do?” It was right then that I heard the voice of God. It was like a peaceful thunder. It had such authority and power, yet it was not scary, but calming. He said, “Be still and know that I am God.” I just thought, “Okay” and stayed still until I felt released to move.
After that experience I thought I would return home to a family that would be miraculously healed. I thought my parents would get along, my sister would be free of drugs and the other sister would get her grades back up. I even thought my ex-boyfriend would surely want me back now.
None of that happened.
I didn’t understand. God talked to me in an audible voice. I heard Him. He was going to take care of everything. Where did He go?
In the years that followed, my parents got a divorce and both remarried someone else within weeks of that divorce. Now I had an extra large blended family. My sisters went from bad to worse. They were just as confused as I was, but didn’t have the faith support that I had at my church. I tried to get them to come with me, but they didn’t want any part of it. All I knew to do was to keep moving forward, trusting that God would somehow bring restoration.
A few years later, I fell in love and married the man God had picked out for me. Both of us were working in retail and thought we had our future planned out. Several years into our marriage my husband was called to work on staff at a local church. I really didn’t see vocational ministry in our future, but here we were. I began leading ladies Bible studies and spent hours diving into the Scriptures to get ready for lessons.
In this season of my life I had some turmoil rise up again and began to pray fervently for an answer. That day I came across a verse I had never seen before. It was Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” I just stared at it in disbelief and then was suddenly very aware of God’s presence around me. After I collected myself, I highlighted, underlined, starred and circled that Scripture. I realized that God had spoken His Word to me as a teenager. But then again, what else would He speak but His Word?
I had already learned about some of the names of God at this point and wondered at which one was in this Scripture. I soon found out it was Elohim. That verse had even more meaning now for me. This God could take my chaos and bring order to it. This God was powerful enough to create something out of nothing. Nothing was/is too difficult for Him. No wonder He spoke that verse to me years before.
Now I wanted to pick apart the whole verse. Here’s what God showed me:
“Be still and know I am God”
“Be still” – in some translations it says “Cease Striving”. In other words…LET GO, STOP. This is a tough one for this first-born control freak! I had to learn that some things are just beyond my capabilities and no amount of striving is going to fix anything. Okay, I’m still striving to learn that one.
Once I am still then I can “know”. Surrendering comes BEFORE the knowing. The Hebrew word for “know” is “yada” (yaw-dah’) and it means “discern, get acquainted with, know for certain, know closely”. There’s no wavering on this one. There’s no doubting. It’s full on assurance and it’s personal. He’s not asking here either. He’s commanding. What does He want us to be sure of? That comes next…
“I am God”. Those first two words “I am” are very important. They are there to put us in our place. They are to remind us exactly who is God and who is not. It’s funny how we easily forget. He alone is Elohim, the Supreme God. Since He is the Supreme God, He will do things on His timetable. Elohim is the one who created time, so He gets to control it. Sometimes it looks like Elohim is not exercising his power on our behalf, or that He is just procrastinating. Not so. He has a bigger purpose in the wait. He has done many great things in my extended family. I know He will be faithful to complete His work in His time.
I guess you could say this is my “life verse”. It’s the verse I go to when things in this world seem to be spiraling out of control. With this verse I know that He is in control.
If you find yourself in a stormy season of life, please hear God speak this over you, “Be still and know I am God”.
If you are a Christian, then you are a bride. For you guys, that may not sound appealing. However, it’s how Jesus sees His Church. The ancient Jewish wedding ceremony is remarkable. For a detailed explanation of how we fit into this custom, click here.
For now, here is a basic outline:
Ancient Jewish Wedding Ceremony
A. Arrangement phase (Shiddukim – matchmaking)
1. Matchmaker
a. Ancient custom: The father of the groom sends a matchmaker to select a bride for his son.
b. New Testament fulfillment: God sends Holy Spirit
2. Written Contract
a. Ancient custom: Ketubah –legal document citing wishes and expectations
b. N.T. fulfillment: Bible
3. Bride Price
a. Ancient custom: Mohar –price the father of the bridegroom was willing to pay
b. N.T. fulfillment: Jesus paid with life
4. Cleansing
a. Ancient Custom: Mikveh – bride and groom separately take a ritual immersion.
b. N.T fulfillment: Baptism
B. Betrothal phase (Kiddushim – Sanctification/Set Apart)
1. The Cup
a. Ancient custom: Cup of Sanctification – the bride and groom share cup of wine
b. N.T. fulfillment: Communion/ Lord’s Supper
2. Gifts
a. Ancient custom: rings were exchanged as a deposit or guarantee.
b. N.T. fulfillment: Holy Spirit and gifts of Spirit
3. Separation
a. Ancient ceremony: Groom leaves to prepare new home. No contact until done.
b. N.T fulfillment: Jesus goes to prepare a place for us.
C. Celebration phase – (Nissuin – Hebrew verb “nasa”- means “to carry” or “lift up”)
1. Groom returns with a trumpet blast
a. Ancient custom: a shofar would blow to announce coming of the groom.
b. N.T fulfillment: 1 Thess. 4:16-18
2. Marriage Supper
a. Ancient custom:
1. 7 blessings over couple
2. Shared cup of wine
3. Marriage supper lasting 7 days with the whole community
b. N.T fulfillment:
1. Revelation 19:7-9
2. Shared cup of wine that Jesus said he would wait for at the last supper
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”
Revelation 19:7-9
Intimacy while we wait for the Groom’s return (W.I.F.E.)
A. Worship –God first in spirit and truth
1. Jeremiah 2:32 “Does a maiden forget her jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number.”
2. John 4:24 “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
B. Instruction – Study of Word (Ketubah) and growth
Proverbs 1:8-9 “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.”
C. Fellowship – Encouraging other believers (the bride)
1. Acts 2:46-47 “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
2. Romans 1:11-12 “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each others faith.”
