"I will not keep silent because of Zion, and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem, until her righteousness shines like a bright light and her salvation, like a flaming torch." (Isaiah 62:1)
When Elizabeth came into my life last Dec, I really had no idea about the life & weight she carried for me. It was my response to the Lord’s gentle nudging from within that had me get her from the local nursery, but little did I know that a journey of sorts had just begun.
Over the months, I saw her go from a beautiful, bright red-leaved plant to a dry, dull green-leaved survivor that honestly, was quite discouraging.
Presenting Elizabeth!
After a 3-week battle where I shifted her in and fought for her, I knew I had to let her go.
So I prayed for her, committed her to the Lord and sowed her as a seed in the ground before finally bidding her adieu.
Friend, how often do we hit a curveball like this in life, and then think it’s all over when it’s actually only a new beginning?
Had I simply dumped Elizabeth on the pavement, it would have been a different story. But committing her to the Lord as a seed buried in the ground has fetched me a completely different result.
A few weeks later, I began to notice the entire landscape & geography of my living space shift. The Lord had been working within me, through me and also on my behalf in a way that has served to release a most beautiful, diverse and buoyant plant family in my life!
These folks initiated the release 💚My first succulent planter 🪴Except that it’s a snail 🐌 🙃 Yes he is! 🌴In a capsule 🙂
All this to say that should you have lost any thing/person dear and precious to you, then take heart. All is not lost.
As surely as I grieve with you, I also simultaneously encourage you to sow the thing/person as a seed in the ground, for Jesus is faithful to receive your seed, honor it and multiply it. In the kingdom of God, what is dead and buried is often used to raise a harvest of righteousness and bring in newness of life that could never have been anticipated.
For me, it looks like a brand new plant family springing up to life in the wake of one seed – Elizabeth – that was an unwitting sacrifice. For you, it can look completely different. But what we do have in common is the perfectly righteous God we serve who can and who does use all things for our good and his great glory!
‘These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?
But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out.
The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished.
Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.'”
(Deuteronomy 7:17-21)
For He still is the God who parts open the Red Sea, pushes back River Jordon and tears down the walls of Jericho.
He still is the God who turns bitter waters sweet, and commands the sun to stand still.
He still is the God who leads us with a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.
He still is the God who provides manna from heaven, and brings water from the rock.
He still is the God who shuts the mouths of lions, and turns the heart of the king around.
He still is the God who brings dead bones to life, and calls things that are not as they were.
The Lord still is a sovereign, miracle-working God who goes before like a devouring fire, comes between the enemy and His loved ones and makes a way where there seems to be no way.
Because the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same – yesterday, today and forevermore.
So can I encourage you?
Don’t yield to your fear. Yield instead to the revelation of who He is.
Of the many publications I have written for so far, partnering with Upperroom has been by far a most excellent experience for me. So friend, today I am thrilled to call you over to their website –
Not to the next beautiful destination, friend. But to the beauty of what has been thus far in 2022.
And trust me. Though it wasn’t perfect, there sure were some incredibly beautiful spots along the way.
So let’s hone in for a bit.
Shall we?
“The best is yet to come.”
The anthem of hope firmly fastened to my heart was how I entered into this new year.
God had been speaking to me throughout the previous season, and I knew my expectations from life moving forward were good & glorious.
Looking back to reflect & learn all that 2021 had packed within itself, and reaching forward to lay a hold of what 2022 promised was the delicate beam I found myself balancing on as I made my way into Jan ’22.
Ok.
Now brace for impact.
A day into the new year and I was tested positive with Covid.
Really now?
Friends, over the course of 2021, the Lord had taught me not only the power of his Word, but also the power of standing on his Word. Once he speaks, it is finished. The matter is settled.
So though I had begun this year with an unexpected diagnosis, I knew what the Lord had promised. I knew he would see me through yet another valley and that I would come out not only unscathed and unharmed, but seven times stronger than I was going in.
Because that’s how the Lord works. The restoration he brings about is always to a place better than before. As it is says in the Passion Translation,
“And then, after your brief suffering, the God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in his eternal glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you stronger than ever. Yes, he will set you firmly in place and build you up. And he has all the power needed to do this—forever! Amen.”
(1 Peter 5:10)
Friends, the Hebrew word for glory is – kabod. Experience with the Lord has taught me that whatever the enemy means for evil will not only be overturned by the hand of the Living God, but also used by him to bring about the manifestation of something good that releases his kabod, his glory into my life.
Please, Lord. Show me how.
God uses All Things
So though I got down with Covid, I found myself involved with two amazing challenges online – a 31-day Wisdom Challenge hosted by Pedro Adao as well as a 5-day Prophetic Planning Challenge by Roma Waterman.
Honing into the voice of the Lord was the number one thing that I needed spiritually, because where the enemy brings chaos, God brings clarity. So I learnt to lean in closer and hear what the Lord was saying and what I heard back from him, friends has given me much hope moving on, not only for a promised future, but for life as it happens – right here, right now.
Let me try and break down the fruit I have received thus far, from this rather uncommon time here:
1. Facebook Lives:
Watching a dazzling array of powerful speakers like Bill Johnson, Lisa Bevere and Heidi Baker across a time span of 31 days in Pedro Adao’s Wisdom Challenge during this time was the very thing that gave me the unction to go ahead with my first set of FB lives!
Though I was physically battling weakness, I experienced the Lord’s anointing work dynamically to create beauty within and bring meaning to an otherwise bleak landscape. I was truly reminded of what they say,
Every dark cloud has a silver lining.
2. The Book of Proverbs:
It was Dr Brian Simmons who in Jan beginning kicked off not only the Wisdom Challenge, but also my own personal time in the Book of Proverbs. Not only have I been enjoying my time in this book, but it has produced much fruit – challenging me, exhorting me, calling me higher.
Lady Wisdom, it seems, must be pursued. And this past season, I have found myself running.
3. Divine Rhythms of Grace, Rest & Play:
Learning to lay down creative projects for a bit and to prioritize instead my personal healing and recovery has been a huge part of my process thus far, but also a kind of eye-opener concerning the true heart of the Father towards me.
I’m learning, friend, that He isn’t after my works. He is after my wholeness – body, spirit and soul.
Author, Hannah Brencher encapsulates this sentiment beautifully as a part of her own personal journey with Jesus this season as she affirms,
I AM IMPORTANT + I MATTER
So with the right order of priorities, I now am learning to create in a grace-filled, restful and playful way through the Lord’s unforced rhythms that keep me whole, and don’t leave me broken.
Because the truth is works don’t validate me. Love does.
4. Soak-Sprout-Sautè:
I have also been learning from Jesus the art of soaking + sprouting lentils and whole grains. Finding myself in the kitchen – chopping and sautèing – a mixed bag of carrots, beans, cauliflower, capsicum and broccoli has been symbolic of a subtle, but sure shift from my tendency to have processed foods to a much more healthy intake.
Nope, I am not giving a class on cooking, but rather offering on a plate the perspective that my body (and yours) is not a dumpyard, it is a temple of the Holy Spirit – the very house of God.
And what he calls holy ground, I’m learning to too.
5. Switch the Lights:
I also learnt this season a very interesting fact – the white lights that we use in our rooms & homes after sunset deceive our senses into believing that its still day time, which causes us to remain subconsciously alert even after the sun goes down.
This increased brain activity at a time that God designed for our bodies to rest & renew, results in prolonged evenings/nights and crabby mornings.
So what’s the antidote?
A very small change has made a big impact for me, friend.
I decided to ditch the idea of using white lights after sunset, and stick to a yellow table lamp instead. One could actually try candles too. The idea is to create an environment that helps reduce activity and promote rest instead.
Switching the lights can most definitely switch the script.
The God of All Things
Candid confession time now.
Until recently, I believed that God was only interested in moving the big mountains that stood in my way, and didn’t really care that much about my day-to-day life.
But looking back on my experience as I write this today, I am so amazed, friend, at how wonderfully He has revealed himself to me to be both,
The God of the Practical + The God of the Miraculous
My experience in these times testifies that God is a hands-on Father. He is so crazy about His kids that He insists on being involved in the details of our lives.
From hiding tiny surprises for us as He meets our everyday needs to manifesting divine interventions that part the proverbial Red Sea, He is invested in it all as the God of the mundane, but also as the God of the mighty.
So as I wait upon Him to perform the signs, wonders & miracles that I know He has promised me, I am also deeply content in knowing Him as an intimately connected Father who walks with me in the cool of the day, and is hugely interested in revealing His kabod to me – not only one day when, but also right here, right now.
OK.
Enough said.
I’m taking my foot off the gas, friend. We’re almost there!
The ride may have been bumpy at times, I admit. But you chose to stick it out with me, and I commend you for it.
You’ve been brave.
So as I get ready to roll up the windows, I thank you for the priviledge of your company.
I do need you to know that I am proud of journeying alongside a worthy fellow traveller like you. The roadblocks and humps we have needed to manouver were very real, but so was the beauty and the glory that came with the trip.
All because of the reality of a God, who despite my taking leave right now, promises to be by your side forever – without a shadow of turning. So remember to let him in, friend and let him take over.
For its this kind of genius love that gets in the driver’s seat for us, and taking a hold of the steering wheel of our lives; leans over waiting patiently as we settle into the passenger seat, to hand us a steaming cup of mocha with a glint in his eye that lovingly says,
“Buckle up, babycakes. Its your Father who has the wheel.”
Bringing in the New Year with fresh hope & vigour, friends. Thanks for being a part of this tiny space this year. Hope and pray God’s very best over you and yours in 2022!
In a few days, friends, we will be moving into a brand new year. But as we do, may we look back on the year that has been 2021 – not to stay stuck in what we are gearing up to wrap up, but rather to reflect & learn so that we can grow as we go. For me personally, this year has been both, difficult + monumental. It has had me traverse the roughest terrain, navigate my way through snakes and adders, but it has also seen the Lord’s hand move me through my pain so mightily that it has grown me closer to His heart than I have ever been.
I call this the art of finding the ‘beauty in the brokenness.’
It will need us to get alone with Jesus for some time so that God is invited in to clean up the lens of our perception and show us the glory of what has been as He takes us into what will be in 2022.
The Father has good plans for us. For each and every single one of us. I believe that with all my heart.
For Jesus writes the script of our lives with grace, hope and promise. He does not plot our pain, but He does use it to evolve us.
So as we prepare our hearts this time of the year, let me leave you with some thoughts.
What was may not have been easy, but I bet it transformed you. I bet it gave you greater grit, purer faith and more strength of character than ever before.
I bet it developed things on the inside of you that couldn’t have been developed any other way.
I bet it taught you to turn your back on the inferior and pursue the superior.
I bet it introduced you to a version of yourself that reflects the image of its Creator better than it ever has.
And I bet that that’s worthy of celebration, sweet friend.
I bet that’s reason enough to tie a bow on 2021, receive the glory it carried and let that fuel us into the next.
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
“Christmas doesn’t have to be spectacular for us to experience Christ, but because we know Christ, we can experience Christmas to be spectacular.”
Bunny slippers – Hot chocolate with whipped cream – Advent Devotional by Hannah Brencher – Elizabeth, my beautiful new, red tree – Outdoor walks & conversations with Jesus
aren’t just ‘a few of my favorite things,’ but some of the most wonder-full things that have made my Christmas full, thus far. Having begun Advent this year thinking it would perhaps be bleak, my story reveals the opposite is true.
For it is a knowledge of Christ that enables a spectacular experience of this season, and not necessarily a spectacular experience of Christmas that enables our knowledge of Christ.
The latter can help, of course. But it isn’t a necessity to behold the reason for the season.
A small, sharp look at the snap shots and I reckon the things listed aren’t too big of a deal. But when viewed through the lens of a personal walk with the Messiah which reveals His fingerprints all over the roadmap for this season, the dynamic changes.
Where I wrote, ‘bleak,’ He wrote, ‘wonder.’ Where I wrote ‘barren,’ He wrote ‘fruitful.’ Where I wrote ‘dormant,’ He wrote ‘latent.’ Where I wrote ’empty,’ He wrote ‘beauty.’
And this is why I love Jesus. This is why I love this season. Because He changes everything.
He flipped the script on its head 2000 years back when God became man and came as a humble babe in a manger.
The Light in the darkness. The Hope in the despair. The Miracle in the mundane.
And He is the same even now.
Because ‘knowing’ Immanuel – God with us – is the real celebration.
May we trace Him. May we behold Him. May we adore Him.
SoulandSubstance27 