HOPE!
The war became personal this week
What was once head knowledge touched my heart
Where is she? Is she safe?
I have never met this lady but I feel as though I know her.
She has become a part of the fabric of my life.
She is a “kindred spirit” as Anne of Green Gables would say.
She has a gentle spirit – a homebody – a cook – a baker – a gardener – a knitter – a crocheter – a lover of nature.
She lives in Israel, in the midst of war, she quietly goes about her life trying for a semblance of “normal” and sharing her life on a vlog called Mdays.
That is where I found her. And I have learned much about grace under pressure watching as she cooks meals for her family, cleans her home, tends the plants on her balcony, creates new knitting and crochet patterns for her Etsy and Ravelry sites, all the while commenting in her quiet voice on the events complicating her life.
Until Saturday a week ago, when her vlog showed the damage done to their home when a rocket hit their building. They were safe in the basement shelter but they heard and felt the impact and knew it was close. Their neighbor’s apartment took the direct hit but their apartment was damaged. The post ended without them knowing if they were going to be able to remain in the apartment or have to leave.
Everyday I checked to see if there was another post and there was nothing – until this morning.
This morning she posted an update. They are safe and waiting for repairs to their building. For now they remain in the apartment but when the repairs begin they will have to leave.
I am thankful that God has kept this family safe.
I am also very aware of the cost of war.
Watching her cope with the constant sirens, the frequent trips down seven flights of steps to the shelter, interrupted sleep, interrupted meals, interrupted lives.
On this fourth Sunday in Lent I believe that God is trying to get our attention.
Some will ignore God’s prompting because they don’t believe in God.
Some will ignore because they are biblically illiterate.
We ignore God’s prompting at our own peril.
We feel so superior, so safe with great oceans on the east and on the west.
But we are vulnerable because Israel’s enemies consider any who do not bow to them their enemies also. As recent events have shown we are no longer immune to attack.
In Michigan, a man drives a truck loaded with explosives into a synagogue where 140 children were trying to learn.
In Pennsylvania, two young men built homemade bombs and drove to New York City in an attempt to kill protestors outside the mayor’s home.
In Virginia, the Old Dominion University Campus was the site of another attack.
In his book “Epicenter” Joel Rosenberg writes:
While it is fashionable in our times to analyze world events merely by looking through the lenses of politics and economics, it is also a serious mistake, for it prevents one from being able to see in three dimensions. To truly understand the significance of global events and trends, one must analyze them through a third lens as well: the lens of Scripture. Only then can the full picture become clearer.
The Bible is not shy about describing itself as a supernatural book, written by an all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful God who chooses to give His people advance warning of future events He deems of utmost importance. To the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah, God said, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
He goes on to say:
Yet how many today, living in the twenty-first century, are truly familiar with the many ancient biblical prophecies concerning the second coming of the Messiah and are able – much less willing – to connect the dots and see what is coming?
And He said to the people,
When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say,
There cometh a shower; and so it is.
And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say,
There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth;
but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
Luke 12:54-56 KJV
Then He turned to the crowd:
“When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say,
‘Storm’s coming’ – and you’re right.
And when the wind comes out of the south, you say,
‘This’ll be a hot one’ – and you’re right.
Frauds!
You know how to tell a change in the weather,
so don’t tell Me you can’t tell a change in the season,
the God-season we’re in right now.
The Message
What is God trying to teach us?
His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
Get into the WORD!
We do not need to be fearful, just be aware.
God is working out His plan as He has been since the beginning of time.
Thus saith the Lord unto you,
Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude;
For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
II Chronicles 20:15
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