No fancy pictures for you today…but I do want to share a sweet Word from the Lord. Nothing is fancier, sweeter or more powerful than that. May you be blessed this Sabbath day…
Key verses in today’s reading…
Exodus 39:32 “And so at last the Tabernacle was finished. The Israelites had done everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” The Lord had provided clear direction—and the Israelties had obeyed. They had done EVERYTHING just as the Lord had commanded. Oh–if this could be true of our lives! I pray that we would keep our hearts softened—free of sin and confessed–so that we may hear from the Lord and be faithful to follow in His way. Sounds easy enough, right?! Not so much. Just today-on His holy Sabbath even I felt my heart getting frustrated by something so small. I let my mind run away and frustration to build. The Lord instructs us in His word to take all our thoughts captive. Help me to serve You Lord—help me to die to myself—to hear Your voice…to live in TODAY–not yesterday or tommorrow…and to follow You.
Exodus 40:36-37&38b “Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted…this continued throughout all their journeys.” Where the Lord led–they followed. Wherever He was—they went. When the cloud stopped–they stopped. Sounds simple enough. But not always.
Currently, we are at a stopping point in our adoption and my heart wants to keep right on moving. I felt the Lord leading us to adopt. We followed. The paperwork and homestudy process kept us busy…things felt like they were moving…there was much to do. We turned in our dossier, and finally we were logged in. Our journey began in August and we were officially logged in for our “real wait” on November 13, 2009—exactly 3 months yesterday. The last three months I feel like the cloud has been parked. Waiting. With 147,000,000 orphans in the world–my heart wants us to make it minus 1 RIGHT NOW! But–the cloud has stopped, we’re waiting on the plan He has for us…and while the following can often seem exciting–the waiting can bring anxiety. “Calm my anxious heart Lord” is my current daily prayer.
I am reminded today through a cup of tea…to wait on the Lord. Often–the tabernacle, my heart, is built up most during those times. The longer a tea bag steeps in hot water it gets stronger—the more time I spend with the Lord I become more at rest and content exactly where He has me.
Each of us have different flavors of tea…different journeys. Our mugs look different—but so do our portions. In Luke 22, Jesus asked the Lord, “If you are willing, take this portion from me, yet not my will but yours be done.” In the end (PRAISE JESUS!), Christ grasped his handle–and drank from the cup…the portion the Lord had for Him. We, too, have that choice…to take our cup and drink from it—to wait on Him and in our waiting let it steep as we cling to His Word and become more like Him. OR we can push our tea cup back and say, “I want another cup. I want the cup he/she has. I don’t want to be different. This is just too hard for me Lord.”
Today, I pray for strength…strength for those of you the Lord has carefully led to my blog today and as you sit reading this unsure of your cup of tea and your portion. Give her strength Lord to drink from Your cup. While she sits there staring at her cup—scared to death to drink from it…speak to her heart. Let her know You will carry her…guide her…you will be her cloud of direction in the dessert. Remind her now, that you love her—you will never leave her—and that Your portion for her will not be too much to bear with You beside her. Help her raise her cup and say, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” And let her drink…with joy. And bless her in her obedience.
Numbers 9:22 “Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it was lifted, they broke camp and moved on.”
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