Claire's Prayer

In Zimbabwe we could smell the rain before it arrived and we would say to each other, “𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯!” Hope and excitement would arise, especially after a long, dry season. In Canada we lived near the train tracks, and we would always hear the train before it got there. As soon as the sound of that train horn was heard my little 4-year-old would run to the living room, jump on the couch, excited to catch a small glimpse of that train as it whistled by!

In Hebrews 11:1 we see a much-quoted verse, “𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏.” There is an absolute conviction that we will see the miracle we are hoping for. We may not yet see it or hear it, but we know it is coming! Why? Because our hope is in the LORD, in His Word, in the absolute reality that He keeps His promises.

Just as we could smell the rain before it came or hear that train before we saw it – so is faith the ‘𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲’ we use that enables us to believe for the unseen, the concrete confirmation of that which we pray for. Elijah declared to Ahab when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky; “𝑮𝒐 𝒖𝒑, 𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒌; 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒃𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏.” 1Kings 18:41. The Great I Am had given Elijah a Word and by faith Elijah declared the end of the drought. Incredible faith! Faith allowed Elijah to see the rain long before it came.

I know that some of you have been in a long, hard season. You are believing for an end to the drought in your lives. I pray that the LORD would give you a word, that He would strengthen your faith. That you would find that word in the Bible, a promise that you can hold on to, knowing that you can trust the Promise Keeper, our glorious Savior – Jesus Christ.

I like clear directions, distinctive, and well-defined. A GPS versus a vague turn right by the blue house or go north at the end of the road. You could say I like to hear; loud and clear! There are times in the Word of God when God’s people hear that audible voice of the Great I Am, but more often it is that ‘still, small voice.” Take Elijah for example; “𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓.” (1 Kings 19:12)

As Elijah rested in a cave at the top of Mount Horeb an incredibly powerful wind tore through the mountain, ripping apart the rocks. Then a fierce earthquake shook the mountain and finally a burning fire, but the LORD was not in any of these significant events! Finally, a small, gentle whisper breathed into the air, in Hebrew, ‘𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲!’ A quiet voice, a powerful whisper!

You see, so often a loud shout or yell can frighten us or make us nervous, but a soft, gentle whisper is the sound of soothing calm and quiet serenity. Absolutely, a loud noise can certainly get your attention, but that whisper is the sound of closeness, of intimacy. If I would like my husband’s attention in the middle of a crowd, I may raise my voice, but at night, just before the lights are turned down low, in the closeness of our bed, I whisper – “I love you.” When our loving Father takes the time to whisper in a still small voice; it means He is near.

God’s desire is to be close to you and He wants you to draw near to Him and so He whispers! He speaks to you in that still small voice. In the secret place where it is simply the two of you our LORD leans in and whispers gently! Draw close, draw near, and listen carefully, our Abba Father is in that still, small voice!

Martin Luther once said; “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴, [𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩] 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘦, 𝘮𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘺 – ‘𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦’, ‘𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥,’ ‘𝘚𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘦.’” It is the difference between a Savior and MY Savior, the distinction between the LORD is a deliverer and the LORD is MY deliverer!

𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲! My LORD, my Rock, and my Redeemer. It is the difference between saying “Look at that beautiful house, and that is MY house!” Suddenly the relationship is personal and individual, you are taken from knowledge to knowing. Knowing that the God of the Universe is your personal God.

Psalm 91 is certainly the Psalm of pronouns; verse 2 says this; “𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫, “𝑯𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒎𝒚 𝑮𝒐𝒅, 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝑰 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕.”

In these uncertain times and stormy days, we really do need to know that we have a God who is our refuge. One in whom we can trust with our lives, one that delivers us, rescues us, and takes all fear from us.

But how do we go from knowledge to knowing, learning to understanding? I believe that secret sits rights at the very beginning of Psalm 91; “𝑾𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑯𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒍𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒚.” He who sits and remains in the presence of the LORD, will experience protection, refuge, God’s faithfulness, God’s power. When you call on Him – He will answer you, and He will be with you in trouble, and will deliver you! When you take the time to sit with your Savior you will get to know Him, you will experience His goodness, His kindness, His constant faithfulness, and He will become Your God, Your Savior, and Your King.

In the days when Jesus walked the earth grape vines were grown all over Israel and so when Jesus said; “𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔. 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑴𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒕; 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑴𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈,” (John 15:5.) this was something the disciples could relate to. Today, not as many of us are familiar with the grape vine or the great level of care it takes to encourage them to bear fruit!

In the second verse of John 15 Jesus describes our wonderful Father’s care for us by telling us that “𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝑴𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒕 𝑯𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚.” A good look at that Greek word for ‘take away’ tells us that it means, 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘂𝗽, 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘂𝗽. Not remove altogether!

Sometimes we are battered, perhaps broken, or weighted down with the cares of the world, and we are not bearing fruit, and so our Loving Father comes along and lifts us up. As any good farmer would raise up the vine that was trailing on the ground, so our God does this for us. If the vine was left lying in the soil it would be eaten by bugs, mold and disease would form in its leaves, no delicate flowers or fruit would form. Our Father doesn’t leave us untended; He is the lifter of our heads. Psalm 3:3 tells us; “𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑶 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫, 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆, 𝑴𝒚 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔 𝒖𝒑 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅.”

It’s interesting to note that Jesus repeated the phrase “𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆 ,” this time telling us that if we abide in Him, we will bear fruit. If we take the time to read His Word, draw near to Him, abide in Him, we will be fruitful. Jesus wants us to be as close to Him as the branches are on a vine! His desire is intimacy with you, time spent with you.

It’s so very easy in our busy, hurried lives to slip into a state of ingratitude, one where we forget our countless blessings and comforts. Almost a place of autopilot where we go through the motions every day and lose sight of the goodness and greatness of our God. One where we miss the beauty, overlook the wonder of God’s creation, or take for granted the gifts of our children and family.

I remember how, as a child my mother would sing a song to me, a timeless song, one written in 1897, I’m sure you know it! “𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦!” Can you hear it echoing in your head? I went on to sing it to my children and perhaps it will continue to resound through the ages.

𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀! In 1 Sam 7:12 we see Samuel doing exactly this, “𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑴𝒊𝒛𝒑𝒂𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝑬𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒛𝒆𝒓, 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈, “𝑻𝒉𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒔.” Samuel set up an Ebenezer stone, a place of remembrance, a place where God’s children could remember that He had parted the Red Sea, caused the walls of Jericho to crumble, stopped the sun in the sky, caused water to flow from a rock, provided for them night and day as they wandered through the wilderness, and the list goes on.

So many blessings! It was a stone to remind them that God had redeemed them, that they were victorious, that they served a God who is faithful, always responding to their cries for help, and a God who continuously provides. But it was more than a stone that reminded them of their Creators goodness, it was a stone that pointed to the future, bearing witness that they served a God who would be their help forever. An Ebenezer stone.

Samuel was right. Time and time again the Great I Am, stepped in and saved His children, over and over He delivered them, even when they were disobedient and didn’t remember His greatness. Through the years and the books of the Old Testament and through to the New, God helped them.

And now, centuries after Samuel raised that Ebenezer Stone, here we stand and if we take the time to remember, to count our blessings we will realize that God still helps us, that He has delivered us, saved us, set us free, healed us, done miracles for us, and will continue to all the way into eternity. Join me today and let’s remember, “𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆; 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒅.” (Isaiah 12:4)

Research fascinates me and I often come across the most interesting information. I know, I’m definitely a bit of a geek! Back in 2014 a research team went out to an isolated place in the Himalayas. There had never been an outsider there who had come to visit with the 200 families that lived there.

The researchers showed the villagers a variety of emotions and the families recognized each one of them until they came to contentment. The guide and translator who traveled with them told them this; “In our culture, this emotion is very special. It is the highest achievement of human well-being, and it is what the greatest enlightened masters have been writing about for thousands for years.” He went on to say, “It’s hard to translate it exactly, but the closest word is chokkshay, which is a very deep and spiritual word that means ‘the knowledge of enough. It basically means that right here, right now, everything is perfect as it is, regardless of what you are experiencing outside.”

𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵! Wow, this remote tribe, not spoilt by culture and the outside world knew that this was the highest achievement of any human being. Contentment. For thousands of years, it had been written about and sought to be attained.

Our wise Abba Father also wrote down much about contentment, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says this, “𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚, “𝙈𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.” 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙚. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨, 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨, 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨, 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜.”

For the sake of Christ, I am content with my weaknesses! Oh Father, how I need that kind of contentment. How I need to be like Paul and have the knowledge that you are enough, that your grace is sufficient! Today I pray that the LORD would bring you to ‘the knowledge of enough.’

Yesterday I learned something new. Something that totally surprised me because I had always believed the opposite to be true. It wasn’t anything major, but it did make me sit up and think. 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗯! Now, that may not be a shock to you, but it seriously was to me. I had always believed that sheep were intrinsically stupid! In fact, the contrary is true. The comparison to Christians is what gets me, in so many sermons we hear of dumb sheep and then how we are like sheep. But that certainly isn’t true either, you are not dumb, and neither am I!

Let me tell you a few things about those sheep and how intelligent they actually are. Sheep are incredibly relational, they have a sharp cognitive capacity and will form close bonds with other sheep, fighting for them and grieving when they’re gone. Those bonds are extended to people, a sheep can recognize someone from a picture! In 2001 the University of Cambridge did a study on a group of sheep showing them pictures of celebrities, not only did the sheep repeatedly recognize these individuals but they could pick them out in a crowd of other pictures! These sheep would recognize and form bonds with those handling them, with their shepherd! Sheep are kind and loving, curious and courageous. Interestingly, sheep have those little rectangular eyes which allows them to see more, their field of vision is over 270 degrees compared to us humans with 155.

Isaiah said this about sheep; “𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙥, 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮, 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙮; 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙊𝙍𝘿 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡.” (Isaiah 53:6). Yes, sheep do go astray but it’s not because they are dumb, it’s because they are dependent. Sheep cannot protect themselves and so they are dependent on their Shepherd to do that for them. But isn’t that a good thing? Sometimes they wander off, looking for that next juicy patch of grass, unconcerned about which direction they are headed in because they trust the leadership of the shepherd. Their dependence on the Shepherd is a good and wonderful thing, they recognize him, they know his voice, they trust that he will take care of them even when they go astray.

And, of course, a good Shepherd does just that! In John 10:14-15 Jesus says this, “𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙙; 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚— 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧—𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙥.” Jesus is our Good Shepherd, He protects us, seeks us out when we go astray, provides for us and we as His wise sheep know His voice, we know the Shepherd, we are in relationship with Him and thus dependent on Him. No wonder the Savior chose the sheep, that smart, sweet intelligent sheep that knows how to surrender to the good leadership of his Shepherd!

It seems as though pursuing happiness is the creed of this age. We will do anything to be happy. Of course, media and culture tell you that if you have more, buy more, achieve more, then you will be happy. Your happiness is at stake if you don’t have the latest vacuum cleaner which will make your home so shiny and beautiful! And that beautiful new car that drives you in ecstatic happiness with the love of your life to your favorite destination! A bigger house. More clothes. Less wrinkles. More muscles! More money!!!

It alarmed me to find that on Amazon you can find over 20,000 self-help books with ‘happiness’ in the title. How to be happy. The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama. 52 Lists for Happiness. The Happiness Recipe. Transformation to Happiness. The Happiness Advantage. How Happiness Happens. The list is endless! Those who have unlimited wealth have not found this elusive happiness, John D. Rockefeller said, “𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.”

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹?

1 Tim 6:6-10 says this; “𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚, 𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮, 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛𝙨.”

Godliness with contentment is great gain! That’s the advantage, that’s the reward – contentment. My heart breaks to see those who are discontent, those who want to get rich, are plunged into ruin and destruction and some of them wander from their faith.

I remember so many years ago when I read how Paul had ‘learned’ to be content, I decided that if Paul could learn it then I could learn it too! Here’s how the Amplified Bible puts Philippians 4:11, “𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 [𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡] 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 [𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩, 𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙗𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮] 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨.” This didn’t mean that Paul was pacified with the status quo or didn’t want to change the world, but he was never disturbed or uneasy, self-sufficient through Christ!

And so today I have a challenge, one for me as much as for you! 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿, 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀. Let’s set aside ‘happiness’ for contentment and ask the LORD to teach us how to do this. Let’s stop looking at what others have and hungering after anything but our God. This I know, our Father wants us to be content, satisfied with who we are, trusting in who He is, and He will show us the way.

Have you ever heard of Mephibosheth? Now that’s quite the name to be starting out in life with! I can’t imagine having to write that on the top of my page at school! Not only was Mephibosheth more than a mouthful but the name itself meant “𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦!” Maybe Mephibosheth had a nickname, I know I did, perhaps it was Mep, let’s call this little boy that.

Mep was a King’s kid, the grandson of King Saul himself, and so for the first five years of his life, he lived in the lap of luxury. But as so often happens, calamity came, not only was Mep’s Dad killed but his grandfather too. In the ensuing panic, his nurse picked him up and began to flee but dropped him causing his feet to become twisted, making him lame for the rest of his life. Mep was moved to an unpleasant slum called ‘𝘕𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨,’ and there he expected to live out his days. Not a happy ending.

We pick up this story in 2 Samuel 9:1, about 20 years later, King David is on the throne. A mighty, fierce warrior, a great leader of Israel, and a man who keeps his word! “𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙙 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙙, “𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙖𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙢 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙅𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣’𝙨 𝙨𝙖𝙠𝙚?” You see, David had made a covenant with Jonathan, Mep’s father, a promise of protection and loyalty that stretched beyond a lifetime.

And so, Mephibosheth, perhaps about 25 with a son of his own, was summoned to the royal palace.

Can you imagine how nervous he may have been, was this an ‘𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱’ moment? I love David’s very first words; “𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙,” 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙢, “𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙅𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣. 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙖𝙪𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.” Don’t be afraid, I want to show you kindness for your father’s sake. I will restore you and you will forever dine with me!

What glorious parallels there are in this story. What a shadow of the fulfilment of a much more meaningful covenant! Here we are broken, crippled, dead in our sins, deserving nothing. But God, in His incredible mercy, shines His loving-kindness upon us, He seeks us out, pursues us because of his everlasting covenant towards us. With great tenderness, He restores us, sets a banqueting table before us, and invites us to dine with Him for all eternity! Like Mep, we will always eat at our Abba Father’s table, always dwell in His house.

That wasn’t the end of this miraculous story, remember Mephibosheth had a son called Mika, well Mika had 4 sons, and those sons had sons who had sons. God not only keeps His covenant promise with us but with our children and their children too!

Have you ever taken a pen and written on your hand, perhaps something important that you needed to remember? This was a practice I once used quite often, perhaps I still should as I seem to forget more as I get older. When I was a teenager, it may have been a phone number, or something needed from the grocery store, maybe even a boy’s name! When I was even younger it was my 7 times table. I have always struggled with that one! How frustrating it was when the last two digits of that phone number washed off and I couldn’t remember them! I’ve even written bible verses on my hand to memorise them, that worked quite well.

In 2016 there was a Talking Hands Campaign where thousands of people wrote I Can or We Can on the palm of their hands to raise awareness on World Cancer Day, and then there was the Black Dot Campaign where those struggling with domestic abuse drew a small black dot on their palm.

Why the palm of the hand? 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻. Every time you lift your hand you recall what it is you need to do, who you need to pray for, or you memorise that verse a little more. It is always in front of your face.

One of the most exquisite verses can be found in Isaiah 49:16 “𝑺𝒆𝒆, 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔; 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆.” Our Gracious God has engraved your name upon His hand. It is not written in pen that it may fade or wash off, no, this engraved means cut out, carved like the laws being cut into stone!

Your name is forever before the eyes of the LORD and will be there for all eternity.

Sometimes it’s easy for us to think that God has forgotten about us, to feel as though we can’t hear His voice or see His hand at work in our lives. But the fact remains, your name is carved into the Creator’s hand, you are never forgotten, never forsaken, never left alone.