children (8, 6, and almost 4 years old). They are a missionary family at Camp Forest Springs and Oak Forest Center
in Wisconsin. Lisa loves Jesus, her family, laughing,
coffee, mentoring, singing at the top of her lungs, and a good deal. You can stay updated with their family and ministry over at Our Walk In The Woods.
Read Psalm 125
“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore” (Psalm 125:1-2).
Jerusalem is a city that is elevated on a plateau in the Judean mountains. The writer, well lyricist, as it actually is a song, was describing God’s promises to His people through a picture that they saw daily.
God is worthy of trust. And will not be shaken or moved.
God will always wholly protect them forever.
Take a moment to reread those two promises. Take stock. Does your life reflect the belief of those two promises? Do your choices reflect the belief of those two promises? If I am to be honest, often times mine does not. I utilize God as a last ditch lifeline when I give him a portion of trust. Sometimes almost as if I was playing a game of chicken with God, to see who will move first. Duh, Lisa. I have lived in fear and surrounded myself and my family with a lifestyle of ‘safe choices’. Please do not misunderstand me. We ought not be wreckless. But doesn’t His Word also say “God has not given us a spirit of fear. But of POWER, and LOVE, and sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
This winter my parents got the chance to take the trip of a lifetime to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Destination: Israel. They were a mixture of excitement and nerves. When they arrived they immersed themselves: local sites, local tastes, local sounds. Local life. My parents have loved the Lord a long time. Have served the Lord a long time. Have deep roots. But I can say that after this trip, they were forever changed.
When they came back, they recounted details of their trip and they spoke differently. Scripture was given a freshness for them like they had a 1 Corinthians 13:12 moment, “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!”
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| Photo Credit: Howard Hinnenkamp |
It was almost as if a God opened their spiritual eyes to a new dimension of understanding.
As they gazed down from the area of the Mount of Olives, this was their view. An ancient Jewish Cemetery. In the distance The Dome of the Rock and the Western (Wailing) Wall. From that vantage point, they also heard the sounds of a city in conflict. Ram horns in the distance calling Jews to pray and the Muslim call to prayer. They described with teary eyes an awakening in their spirits. Another ‘a-ha’ moment.
That’s nice and all Lisa BUT I cannot pick-up and go to Israel today. Well, me neither (hopefully someday, but not today).
My challenge to you is not only to read scripture but DIG into scripture. Research why certain things are important. How does that group of scriptures tie-in with something that has happened or is foreshadowing what is to come? What did the area, that the writer was talking about, really look like? Who is the writer speaking to? What are we to do in response to what is being written (change, accept, love, grow, give, pray… and on and on the list goes).
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| Photo Credit: Imprints Photography |
I have grown up in the church. I have mistakenly been taught that scripture is for me and what I can ‘get’ out of scripture. While that is partially true, it is falls short of helping us understand the FULLNESS and RICHNESS of what has already happened, God’s present work and, most importantly, what is yet to come! It is not our story with God in it, but God’s story with us in it. God has allowed us to have access to His HOLY WORD. His messages. His thoughts. His instructions. His future playbook.
Psalm 125:1-2 “Those who trust in God
are like Zion Mountain:
Nothing can move it, a rock-solid mountain
you can always depend on.
Mountains encircle Jerusalem,
and God encircles his people—
always has and always will” (The Message).
Peace be to Israel.
Amen.
Sincerely,
Lisa
Deep Breaths:
1. Reread Psalm 125, what did you learn?
2. Where is your trust level with the Lord? Ask God to help you grow in trust as you take Him at His Word.
3. What is one step that you can take to dip deeper into God’s Word this week?
Lisa,
I also have never been too Israel, but even with the picture you shared, it calls me to a deeper understanding and love for Israel (the land AND the people). God's love for those He chose draws us in, and I am so grateful that I was grafted into His family.
That God cannot be moved, that He surrounds His people always, that He does not allow evil to persist, that He draws His own back to righteousness, that He does GOOD for His people, that His path is peace…such hope!
Peace be upon Israel!