Spirit of his Son

 

 

I sat here this evening for time with Gods Word, specifically to practice the presence of God as I have been hearing about from various sources for several weeks. I harbored no idea of what that would 'look like'.  I began to read scripture, then stopped after this one verse.

 

Galatians 4:6
Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."

As you know, there are several titles for the Holy Spirit that are very familiar to me,  they are names, and evidences that we are accustomed to: The promised Holy Spirit, The Counselor, Teacher.  But this description, 'Spirit of his Son', stood out to me. I pondered that.  What followed in my time of devotions tonight, I want to share.

I know this may be a bit juvenile, but as all matter exists in one of three ‘forms’, solid, liquid, vapor, I have found it helpful sometimes to think of God like this. The Holy Spirit represented by ’vapor’ flowing, filling vessels, taking their form for His dwelling or the fragrance in the breath of praise, and so on.

But for some reason, when I read …”The Spirit of his Son”…Spirit of his Son  in  our hearts, I was a little bit shocked.  WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?
Such a precious, expensive, costly gift.  What Power poured into such weakness! What glorious majesty living in such a humble clay pot!
“God, help me to comprehend what that means.!”

I know, there are doctrines, and verses and snippets of sermons in my mind. The knowledge is there. God is Gracious and Merciful to me, and gives me Faith to believe what I read in His Word, but… 

"God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts!"

I sat and pondered this for a few moments

My mind, (as it is wont to do quite often), wondered to a room in the Assisted Living Home in New Brunswick, Canada. I can see in my mind my parents lying there asleep. I easily envision them, but wait, is Mom up and wondering around, in Alzheimer's confusion, tidying up and putting away things where they may never be found again? Is she filled with one of those awful waves of anger that come over her unbidden as the disease progresses through her brain? Are they remembering each other? Is Mommy afraid to get back in that bed with that strange man? Is Daddy reaching out to his bride of 64 years, reassuring her that he is indeed her Gordie?

Oh God I begin to cry, “lay your peace around them!”    And I turn to prayer, with hands outstretched toward My Father for these His children. I imagine an angel by the bed, then I imagine Gods hands around them, and peace replaces my anxiety.

I turn to praising God.

  Almost without a conscious effort I am worshiping Him, and together, it is as if I move in flight, I sprinkle faith and love, to each member of the family and others that come to my attention. I am conscious of not being alone, of course I am not, for how can I a mere human, even imaging this kind of ministry.

 I am Not alone….I am humbled, yet happy and I am surrounded by warmth and a most mellow Peace.

  Even when my attention is directed to a little crack house where exist souls I love and weep for, even there….most powerfully there, Faith, Love, Forgiveness, The Sprinkled Blood of Jesus, plainly do the work that I long for and cry in anguish for on other occasions. Tonight, the work of prayer was done peacefully. And my soul felt satisfied that blessing was directed to those I prayed for.

 

 Romans 8:26

 American King James Version
Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered

Weymouth New Testament

"In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness; for we do not know what prayers to offer nor in what way to offer them. But the Spirit Himself pleads for us in yearnings that can find no words,"

 

  and once again I had no requests, just worship and adoration and thankfulness.

After some time I returned to reading.

I was using my laptop tonight and as began to read again the scripture for the day, my eyes went to the cross references.

Now, those of you who know me best know that I have felt that the ‘locust have eaten’ many of our last 40 years; that the journey, for several reasons has been a wilderness, and as we work through the effects of the wilderness experiences we often ask “Why?” This is never far from my heart especially when my mind goes to my children and grand children


 

Well, the Holy Spirit used this time tonight to pour out a Double Blessing on me. Through that wonderful time in the Presence of God, this mounting up with wings;  not only was there ministry to others through the power of prayer, but to my heart as well.
That amazes me,

And this amazes me:

 there in the margin of today’s devotional these Words catch my eye:

“…in the wilderness these forty years…”

 

I felt a tug at my heart, then I skimmed the verse, a little surprised that it was listed as cross reference for the main verse. I have heard it before many times of course, but tonight it was a message for me. My Rhema.

I read the passages as a whole as they were written there in the Daily Studies http://biblehub.com/

 

John 13:7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter."

 

Deuteronomy 8:2 "You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Ezekiel 16:8 "Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine," declares the Lord GOD.

Hebrews 12:6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."

1 Peter 4:12,13 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; • but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

2 Corinthians 4:17,18 " For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, • while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

And that, my friend, was Gods gift to me during time of devotion tonight. Isn’t God good!

 

 

His Eye is on the Sparrow

 

I found this letter I had written to Mom and Dad about 3 years ago.  I decided to use it today because the message in it never grows old, it applies to me today, and most of us with aging parents can benefit from the comfort spoken of.

 

I will break into the second paragraph of that letter.....
     "My heart has been heavy as I pray for you both sometimes.  I have been looking in the Bible to see how God has directed us to pray for and care for our aging parents.  I know that you are in a safe and nice home there at THE GOLDEN YEARS ESTATE,  but I wish I was nearby to be able to spend time with you both and take care of you when you need it. 
     I think it must be hard to grow older.  I am already at 56 feeling some apprehension about the future.  I can’t imagine how you must be dealing with being in your 80’s and 90’s.
I know your faith is in Jesus.  That is what gives me Peace about being so far away from you.
     I was praying for you both one night last week.  The TV was on a Christian station but it was turned down low.  I wasn’t paying it any attention.  I was feeling the pain of separation from you and the miles in between us seemed so long.  I suddenly thought I heard a familiar song on the TV and then I realized what it was.  I turned it up and tears come to my eyes as I heard a lady singing this song that Mom always sang, especially in the car:

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

 

Refrain

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
for His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches me

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
for His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches me

 

     This was pretty amazing to me that God would bring this song to me just when my heart was burdened for you both.
     I think God was whispering to my heart that because you both, Mom and Dad, love the Lord, and have followed and served Him these many years, this song applies to you.  I can trust Him to take care of you, even better than I could if I were there.
     So, for today, pretend that I have come in the door and given you a big hug and I brought this message to you.  HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW, AND I KNOW HE WATCHES YOU. 

     AND ME.

Lots of love to you both,
Charlene"

As with all my blogs, my goal is to strengthen and edify the sisterhood of believers, thus strengthening the family.

I welcome your comments that will shed insight on this aspect of our lives, and encourage someone else.

CfR

LOVE LIKE THAT

 LOVE LIKE THAT

 "Who was the elderly lady that gave me a special hug Wednesday evening after church?" I asked my new friend Beth.

   "Oh", she smiled, "that had to be Claire. She has the beginnings of Alzheimer’s" she added, almost, it seemed to me by way of apology. "That's just what Claire does."

   My initial response had been to say " Oh, that's too bad',  but I caught myself because I remembered the gentle genuine love I felt from Claire through that welcoming hug.

 

   Beth moved off to another duty and I stood there that Sunday morning amid the same group of people as they mingled in fellowship.

   I was happily holding up the south wall of the Fellowship Hall, content with my people watching and musings

   You see, I had just  joined this little church, and after years of walking basically unseen in a large congregation, I was overwhelmed by the attention, the hugs, the welcomes I received here.

   I was also wondering if this was really the place I belonged. Had I made a mistake? Would I still shy away from this small group as I did the huge crowds? I remember I was just about to escape for the solitude of home that evening when just two steps from the door to safety, I was surprised and warmed by Claire’s hug.

I stood there watching the small crowd of closely knit church members that morning,  my musings were interrupted by the sight of two heads in communication, one grey and one black.

There in the middle of the lunch bustle, stood Claire and little Isaac and just as I suspected, two worn, warm hands gently cradled his little face, and she planted on that chubby young face a tender kiss, just as she had on my chubby old one.

  He smiled and let her wrap him in a grandmothers embrace and off he raced, a more confident, more happy boy.

   And Claire beamed.

   I suddenly felt tears in my eyes and recognized a warm kinship with Isaac for we share a secret.

 I have seen similar exchanges between my Mom who lives in an Alzheimer’s haze, and the unsuspecting residents in the Home where she floats in her confusion.  At first I was a bit embarrassed by her just as Beth was with Claire.  There she was, in all her motherliness, hugging and communicating with Miss Margie as if she were her long lost bosom friend.  I had attempted to distract her with some made up task, only to be ignored again, for her task of greeting and comforting Miss Margie was the most important business in the world to her and she would not be deterred.

The psalmist wrote:

"And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come."

 I am comforted to consider that when "the embarrassing ones" were younger and not yet in the dark journey, they may have prayed much like David did.   I know I do, the more as the years pass.

   I can imagine Mom and Dad, in the privacy of their time with God, praying something like this.

" O God, You have been my refuge and strength from my youth. When I am old and grey-headed do not leave me alone. If I ever come to the valley of senility, let me still be a glory to you, of use to you. 

Let me find a way to tell of your strength and power to save and sustain even when I can no longer remember names or where I live or who I am.  

Maybe God, I could just love and encourage others like you have loved and encouraged me. Maybe I could just touch a face with these warm, worn hands, and look into someone’s eyes with your safe and real love. Would you O God, even then, let me tell someone, with a warm embrace that you love them."

And this is the secret I know;  That God answers those prayers.

    So when I see the ‘embarrassing ones’ reach out the next time I will smile and be proud.

     Just as I see my Daddy’s face glow with pride as he watches Mommy share that kind of love with her neighbors,  I believe that Our Fathers face glows when His unselfish, unfeigned love is shared.

I am praying;  “God, conform me, renew me, let me forget myself now, so that I won’t have to wait until some devastating disease tears away my reserve before I am able to love like that!”

    For those of us who painfully watch our aging loved ones go through that hazy valley, we should be able to take some comfort to realize that there is a bright resting spot in the dark journey.

 I think it is that prayers are not forgotten, the old hymns still can be sung and they are still able to love. Not always…but they are still able to love.

   Thank you Claire that Isaac and I could run off more confident and more loved because of love like that.

   And Mom and Dad, for all the ‘worm and worn hand moments’ I thank you.

I promise you that as much as it is in my power to do, I will help facilitate you sharing that kind of love with others for as long as you live.

PS…A few captured moments of Love Like That….how I wish I had more.