Author: desertspringblog

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Wilder-ness

[ A psalm by David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.]

“O God, you are my God.

At dawn I search for you.

My soul thirsts for you.

My body longs for you in a dry, parched land

 where there is no water.” 

Psalm. 63:1

Have you ever thought about the term “wilderness”? It looks like it sounds…”wild-er-ness.”   It’s “wilder” than the normal places of trees, “green” vegetation, and water.   It’s “wilder” than most people choose to live in.   Dry.  Harsh. Less of everything that would be considered “nice.”   Wilderness is a small step up from desert…minus the beauty.

Picture how David describes his wilderness…..

  • He is experiencing “wilderness” in a way that he needs to call out to God; he reminds himself of Who God is to him.   He’s been through a wilderness night, with all of its darkness, vulnerability, shadows, strange sounds, and the fears that swell in our hearts when we are utterly alone;
  • As the sky begins to lighten by the yet-unseen sun’s gentle glow, still beyond the horizon, the fears of the long, dark night begin to slowly dissolve.
  • Throughout the darkness of the night, he became aware of his thirst….for water, surely, but also a deeper thirst in his soul.The wilderness experience focuses our attention inward, and the deep dryness of soul is felt….without distraction….and without any way for us to bring relief to that deep place.
  • The growing thirst in our soul drives us to look for some relief… something to quench and ease the gnawing awareness of deep need of fresh water for our parched lips, dry mouth, dehydrated body and sad soul.

Whatever drew us to that wilderness place has only increased our need ….physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  We come face to face with our present reality, and it forces us to look up.  The night is over.

And God is there.

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Getting the Best Advice

“The Lord advisesthose who fear him.

He revealsto them the intentof his Promise.

My eyes are always on the Lord. He removes my feet from traps.”

Psalm 25:14-15

Where do you look when you need advice?   A mentor? A trusted friend?  A wise person in your life?   A parent?  A spiritual advisor?  The internet? Books?

How about God Himself?   Do you think of Him in that way?

An advisor is different from “materials.”   An advisor is an interactive resource…one who can listen to you, ask good questions, provoke your thoughts and help you see into the future a bit.   A good advisor has wisdom.

Thinking about God as my own Advisor adds a wonderful dimension to Who He Is.  Note the ways the Psalm writer describes Him:

  • He advises: Not demands, not commands.  We can go to Him with our needs, ask for His advice (with healthy respect), knowing that He is near, and aware;
  • He has already given us Promises, and He will help us understand the intent of those Promises.Knowing that He has made promises to us lays a beautiful groundwork for us to come to Him.  He will “go there” with us, helping us to understand the intent of those Promises.  He opens His own heart to us, willing to give us His Time and Patience as we ask Him to help us truly understand and clarify what His Promises mean in our lives.  He gives us permission to think, wonder, and ask questions.  There is a two-way relationship involved.
  • As the Psalm writer states, “my eyes are always on the Lord.” This One Who gave me life and made promises for my life is worthy of my conscious attention, always.  And there will be wonderful “Aha” moments throughout life when we see in new ways the loving and wise reasons behind His Promises and guidance.  (even when we have come precariously close to the traps along our path.)
  • When we step into one of those “traps”, His response is not to stand there saying, “I told you so!”, leaving us bloodied and unable to keep walking. He steps into that nasty, bloody situation….opens the trap, and removes my “foot” painful and gross as it is, freeing me from what I’ve blindly stepped into.
  • Best part: He’s never too busy, can always take my call, and He’s always right!

 

 

 

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When He’s Near

“Seek the Lord while he may be found.

Call on him while he is near.”  

Isaiah 55:6

Sometimes we go through seasons in our lives when God seems distant …far from us.

At other times we sense that He is very near.   

Isaiah certainly had those seasons in life when he felt very alone.  Yet he knew that he was not abandoned by God.  Often, after the times of feeling the distance, he experienced God in new ways, and God did amazing things in Isaiah’s life.

Those seasons of feeling lost or far away from God are often times when we become more desperate for His nearness.  We may even begin to imagine what we would do if He had left us.  Our pursuit of Him becomes more urgent.

But it’s in those times when He is more evident and active in our lives that we can slip into “neutral” in our pursuit of Him. We take Him for granted when life is going well.

Thoughts of, “OK…I’ve got this now!” or “Hey! Things are going great!  I’ll take it from here!” creep into our minds.   We begin to lose the passion for Him that was driven by desperation over tough things in our lives.  

 When we do not feel our pressing need for our Rescuer, the direction of our pursuit often changes as well.

But He is the same yesterday….today….and forever. When we wait to call on Him until something desperate happens, we miss the sweetness of His Presence because we have been enjoying other sweet things instead.

Think about how you feel when you are being taken for granted by someone you care about.   Or is there someone in your life who only comes to you when they need you?  Doesn’t it cheapen the relationship you have shared?

My 11 grandchildren take turns having a “date” with me.  They want to, and it warms my heart.  Recently, one of the little boys had his turn and chose a cute movie to watch with me. We had our popcorn, pillows, blankets and sippy-cups, and settled in to watch our movie.  In a short while, his little hand made its way into mine…without a word or glance. And we just sat there holding hands as the movie played. It was a precious moment for me.

God created each of us with intentionality….with Love….with the goal of relationship.  In all of His Goodness,  Kindness, and Love, all of His Plans for us involved relationship with Him. That is cheapened when we don’t run to Him unless we need or want something.  We “use Him” for what He can do for us.

Isaiah points out God’s heart for us in that, even when we don’t feel “needy” or “lost”, He wants us to pursue Him…not for what we “need”….but because we simply love Him.

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Calling All Nations

“You will summon a nation that you don’t know,

    and a nation that doesn’t know you will run to you

        because of the Lord your God…..”

Isaiah 55:5

How do you do with “out of the box” thinking?  Isaiah was a very, very out-of-the-box man.  Prophets always are.  He could “see” things that did not yet exist.  He could “see” at times with God’s Eyes.

Prophets not only “see” with God’s Eyes, but they also have such an impact that an entire nation may be affected.  In this passage, the person God is talking to apparently did three basic things:

  • Got involved with a nation he did not know;
  • Called to (summoned) that nation;
  • Was present for the nation to run to.

How often has God “ear-marked” people to step into a situation…or a nation, that they do not know, to tell those who have not heard the Good News, but did not go?  Jesus’ last words on this planet had to do with the word “GO”….”into all the world…”   Isaiah said it was an honorto be Called.

The exciting part of Isaiah’s verse is the impact upon the people to whom the “called one” went:  “…a nation that does not know you will runto you…”

“Because of the Lord your God.”

I had just a glimpse of that when I met two strangers – religious leadership men – who had been searching for anyone who was a Follower of Jesus.  They had never met one.  But they had found a verse in their own Book that said they should find a ‘person of the Book’ (Bible) and ask them to explain about Christ.  When they realized that I was a ‘person of the Book,’ their excitement was incredible.  Of course, I was trying to not panic, not knowing what they were expecting of me! 

We never know what God may stir in someone’s mind or heart, nor in a nation’s mind or heart.  But we can be certain that He is moving….stirring….in this world, and those who know Him must be willing to get involved in bringing understanding about Who God Is.  We don’t need all the answers….no one on earth has that!  But to the extent that you have come to know God, He calls on you to share that knowledge…that experience in your own life and heart….with whoever comes to you….calls on you….asks questions…..and identifies “Something” in you that connects you with God.

 

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Leading a Nation

“Worship the Lord your God,

fear him,

 obey his commands,

 listen to what he says,

 serve him,

and be loyal to him.”

Deut. 13:4

Moses was going to die. He knew it.  God had told him.  These above words were uppermost in his mind.

After a life that began as a slave’s baby boy, he grew up in the palace of Pharoah.

He learned how to lead a nation there.

Then came 40 years as a shepherd out in the wilderness.

He learned to be alone, and how to lead mottley sheep in a dry land.

He learned to lead a nation there.

Next he followed God’s voice to deliver his birth-people out of godless Egypt.

He learned to lead a nation there.

Another 40 years of leading refugees, former slaves, through another desert.

There he learned to hear and speak with God,

receiving 10 crucial commands for his people to live by.

He learned to lead a nation there.

From a mountain top he saw the Land that would be Home for his small nation.

He learned to say, “Good-bye” to his nation there.

And found his Home with God.

He learned how to rest in the Arms of God.

And lead a nation there.

 

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ACTS 12 COMEDY

There’s one in every bunch who seems to provide some comic relief to their friends.  I think Peter was “that guy” for the 12 disciples of Jesus.  I find him delightful, and love to “see” the color he often painted into the stories of Jesus.

Setting:   Jerusalem.  An intense time in Israel, with a maniac King (Herod) who had become obsessedwith abusive activities toward followers of Jesus. He had just had James (brother of John and one of the 12) executed.  That went over so well that Herod arrested Peter, too.

Peter now found himself in a prison cell under the 24/7 watch of 4 squads of soldier guards. Sixteen guards in a 4-squadron rotation. Two sat beside Peter in his cell, hands bound by two chains, while 2 more guarded the door to his cell.  We don’t know what Peter had been through under arrest, but King Herod was famous for brutality and torture, so Peter’s condition couldn’t have been good.  Yet, he slept.  Deeply, apparently.

A Glowing Angel from God suddenly appears in Peter’s cell, flooding it with Light.  I picture this shining angel’s sudden appearance in that dark, smelly, moldy cell.  It would have normally elicited shock and fear from the four soldiers and Peter. (Angels are used to that kind of reaction.)  But Peter didn’t even open an eye. Nothing stirred him.  I imagine the Angel sighing as he literally had to go over and nudgePeter.  He was “out!”  Not a common situation for an Angel, I would imagine.  Glowing Angel said,(likely in a whisper)  “Hurry!  Get up!” and Peter’s chains immediately fell off.

Glowing Angel returns to his regal stance of glowing.  But there’s a problem.  Peter’s still just sitting on the ground.  Perhaps nodding off again.  He’d been through alot…beatings, chains, probable death sentence.  You know….part of Peter’s “new life” in following Jesus.

Noticing the lack of activity from this sleepy fisherman-follower of Jesus,  Glowing Angel tells him to put his shoes on and get ready to go.  Go?  Go where?  Who are You?  Yikes…  OK.  Shoes on.   Again with the Regal Glowing Angel, “Put  your coat on, and follow me.”    I almost hear the celestial sigh and rolling of the glowing eyes.

Scraggly Prisoner and Glowing Angel walk right past the armed guards at Peter’s cell’s door and then past the next prison guardposts.  When they get to the iron gate that would lead to the city, the big old heavy thing opened by itself!  Groggy Peter thought he was dreaming.  The unlikely pair walked out, and headed up the street.

Glowing Angel of God had completed his brief, irregular rescue mission and disappeared. I wonder if it wasn’t one of the most unusual he’d ever been assigned.  Certainly a most uncommon reaction from the chosen Prisoner Peter.

Left on his own, with his shoes and coat on (hopefully), Peter went to Mary’s house, where a secret gathering of followers of Jesus were hiding….and praying.  For him.

Fully awake now, he knocked.  Here was a safe place for him.  Here were people surely praying for his safety…and freedom.   Through the door, Servant Girl recognizes that voice.  It’s Peter!!  Peter awaits a swift, stealthy opening of the door, ready to make quick steps into this safe house.  But instead, only silence as Servant Rhoda rushes back to tell the gathered friends that Peter was at the door knocking.  Knocking Peter keeps knocking.  No one in the room believed it was Peter, assuming he was now dead in prison.  The Knocker must be Peter’s angel, they thought.

Nervous Peter is in a predicament….he can’t call out, lest he be caught.  He can’t get in, as the door is locked.  At any moment the guards might burst from around the corner looking for their missing prisoner.

As the hushed conference continued inside the house, the Knocking Peter continued his frantic knocking…as quietly as he could.

The door finally cracks open…just enough for several eyeballs to see it was Peter.  Shushing them with his hand, Peter slips in.  What a story he had to tell them!  The whispered celebration must have continued the rest of the night.

Meanwhile….back at the jail, frantic guards were searching for Peter.  Even Herod was out there looking!   But Peter had disappeared.   And the most unfortunate guards realized they had spent the last night of their lives in the presence of a Sleepy Peter (and a Glowing Angel) who disappeared without a trace…shoes, coat and all!

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United Nations Petition

UNITED NATIONS

FOURTH COMMITTEE PETITION

OCTOBER 2019

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and members of this committee.

I come to you as a non-governmental, humanitarian American.   I have spent much time in the Saharawi refugee camps near Tindouf since my 1999.  During that first visit, I was approached by two United Nations personnel, working on a list of legally identified Saharawi adults who could be included in the pending referendum.  Of course, I did not qualify to be on that list.  That was 20 years ago, carried out by United Nations personnel!   What happened to all that documentation of the adults in the camps who could cast their vote  for their own futures?  What happened to your promise?

This was under your watch.

There has been no referendum.  That was the agreement for which they laid down their arms, fighting to return to their homeland free of Morocco’s occupation and control.  This has been under the UN’s watch.

It has now been 20 years of personalinvolvement for me, leading our humanitarian work in the camps.  I have also overseen dozens of volunteers who have been an on-going presence among the refugees for 15 years.  That represents hundreds of eye-witnesses of the realities in the refugee camps, with experience of allof their realities.  We have witnessed and livedtheir reality.

Under your watch, there has been no referendum.

Under your watch there is steadily decreasing food in the camps.

Under your watch, the refugees in the camps continue to receive news of family members suffering brutalhuman rights abuses, even death, by Moroccan troops.

This situation continues to be a horrible travesty by governments, including the UN, against a nation that was forcibly displaced by the invasions of Morocco and Mauritania, and with the cooperation of Spain at the time.  Mauritania and Spain chose to do the right thing and leave the conflict decades ago.  Morocco has chosen the opposite course and become brutaly entrenched in the homeland of the Saharawi people.

I have made it a practice to ask the common people living in the camps what they remember of their country…Western Sahara.  One of those stories I want to tell you now….

Muna was 5 years old. One morning, she saw her father come rushing through the front door, hurriedly spoke with her mother, and then watched her mom and dad begin frantically packing clothes, food, water and important papers.  She did not know what was happening.  Her mom gathered Muna’s baby sister and bigger brothers, giving them  belongings to carry, and rushed out the door to their car. Muna, wide-eyed and beginning to cry, was taken by her daddy’s strong hand and pulled out their front door.  He locked the door…their blue front door, trying to be calm and told Muna they must hurry.  He said they would come back soon.

Holding her father’s hand, Muna’s little legs had a hard time keeping up.  She began to cry.  Looking back at her home, her eyes fixed upon the blue door.   With her final view, she made herself a promise.  “Someday I will come back, and I will find my blue door,  and I will be home.”

Muna still waits. She longs to see her blue door again. Now, without her mother and father who died waiting in the camps years ago, she waits for her promise to come true….to return to her home in freedom, now with her own children, to find her blue door, … walk through it and finally be HOME, as a nation.

Under yourwatch, I  BEG you to MOVE this thing.  Do what is right.  Go there…talk to the people….see for yourselves the horrible injustice that the United Nations has been a part of for decades now, yet with NO justice or resolve. 

IF YOU CANNOT or WILL NOT DO ANYTHING, THEN SAY SO, AND LET EVERYONE MOVE ON.

Janet Lenz

International Faith and Peace Dialogues

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Holding Hands

“A person’s fear sets a trap for him,

but one who trusts the Lord is safe.”

Prov. 29:25

Fear has been a core theme of my life, unfortunately!   When I think of a fearful person, the picture I get is of someone looking all over the place for the “danger” they fear.  Up, down, side-to-side, head ducking down, shoulders and arms held close for protection, and a serious crick in the neck.  Basically, trying to make yourself small and least noticable as possible.

On the other hand, Trustis a very different image.  Trust isn’t focused on the ground, or making yourself “small.”  Trust looks toward the goal and keeps moving ahead, step by step.  Not foolishly nor carelessly nor even very confidently, perhaps.  But just enough courage to take the next steps . . . one at a time.

Sign language for the word “TRUST” is that of one hand above, one hand below, palms coming together in a clasp.  God’s Hand extended toward mine, my hand moving up into His, open and empty, ….until our hands meet and clasp…like a child holding Daddy’s hand.

When we are looking all around us, eyes darting to see any possible danger, we’re not focusing on the goal of our journey. If our hands are full of all the items that we think will help us be safe, we don’t have our hand free to grab onto His.  Being preoccupied with being safe may be the very distraction that causes us to miss what was actually the goal.

I remember one very dark night in the desert (no electrical lights existed) I was walking, having come from a very upsetting situation.  So absorbed in my emotional turmoil, I took a step into “nothing”, and landed in a very dark, very large, deep hole.  A strong man’s hand reached down to find mine, and pulled me up onto solid ground.  In the blackness of the night, I couldn’t see anything, but that strong hand brought me out of the dark pit and onto solid ground. 

Whose Hand are you holding?  It isn’t possible to hold a Hand from a distance….you can only be an arm’s length away.  Stay close to Him.  Hold His Hand, and never let go!!

 

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Perfect Peace

“With perfect peace

 You will protect those whose minds cannot be changed,

    because they trust You.” 

Isaiah 26:3

The long history of God’s people is full of really tough times and experiences. Drama was always around the next corner, it seemed.  Wars, captivity, living in exile, being refugees, running for their lives, long periods of extreme cruelty, and Death.  God allowed all of this to be woven into their Story.  He saw it all.  He allowed it to go on.  That’s a tough thing for us to contemplate.

When I reverse the order of this verse, there are two things that are “on us” as His people:  His people trusted God, and their minds could not be changed.  Life on this earth is tough.  Sometimes it seems impossible.  TRUST requires intentionally putting our small hand into His enormous, powerful Hand….and hanging on.  No matter what.  It means accepting the fact that I cannot control the events of my life.  I can really try, but it is not humanly possible. What I can dois hold onto His Hand, like a child with his/her father. There we touch His Strength, His Presence, His Protection and Assurance.  Our Perfect Father has the perfect view of what is ahead, around and behind us.  We might even close our eyes as we squeeze His Hand.  That’s fine!  Hang on for dear life!

Unlike a human father, our Heavenly Father will not let go when we put our small hand in His.  And each time we experience Him as He walks us through this life, our trust grows. Each experience adds to our level of confidence  in HIM.Step by step, He will not let go…only wecan do that. We may have to walk through frightening times, painful experiences, rocky paths, dark days…life on this earth.  But, holding on tightly, our trust slowly grows.  Our minds begin to absorb the reality of His Presence, His Love, His trust-worthiness….especially through the most frightening times.

And slowly, slowly, with each experience we walk through holding His Hand, our mind becomes more believing because of what we’ve been through together.  Our trust grows, because He has walked withus.  We realize that keeping hold of His Hand becomes our safest place on earth. And out of the years of walking together through life, peace….PERFECT Peace…becomes our experience…It becomes part of our hearts….our minds.  It becomes TRUTH for us.  The pain and troubles of this earthly life do not change.  But the PEACEthat has grown and deepened through it all…remains.

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Growing Old

“Even when you’re old, I’ll take care of you.

 Even when your hair turns gray,

 I’ll support you.

 I made you and will continue to care for you.

 I’ll support you and save you.”

 Isaiah 46:4

God’s tender words to Isaiah are so sweet…gentle…and intimate.  Isaiah had lived a long, long life.  He’d seen many Kings come and go throughout his long life as God’s mouthpiece to His people.

Prophets are often loners.  Their lives are focused on watching for and listening to God.  They’re not afraid to speak words…give messages….that “rock the boat” of other’s lives.  (I lived with one….I know what that’s like! Major boat-rocker!)   They need to get away from the crowds and be able to position themselves to listen to God’s quiet Voice.  They need to focus.   Practical things of life – especially plans for old age – are not a high priority. They’re far more tuned in to the here and now of what God is doing and saying.

In Isaiah’s time, there was no social security, no “retirement”, no medicare, and likely not much security of having children to take care of an elderly Prophet of God.  As he aged, his old bones would have been affecting his daily life.  Being alone brings a new reality to becoming old. And Isaiah was very old….

The tenderness of God’s Words directly to Isaiah’s old heart…..that “ear” that had heard so many Words from God which were meant for others – even kings – are poignantly personal and intimate for this old prophet.   God covered all of those bases that become part of the realities of the aged.   He knew. He saw.  He understood.  He was present in, and for, Isaiah.  This Message was specially for His old faithful servant.  His prophet.

Those Words give us a beautiful picture of God’s intimate knowledge of us.  When we are His, there can be no greater Love in our lives….even when we are “alone.”  Our hearts can rest, knowing that He is with us . . . with me.