Sabbath Sanctuary: Celebrating the Word

Today is a beautiful fall afternoon; I am witnessing the divine change of the season all around me. The last of the apples have fallen to the ground; save one or two stragglers hanging on to the last glimmer of warmth. I have chosen to let those on the ground return to the ground from which they came, to enrich the soil through the winter.

The plumbago exchanges green for a beautiful red that is only found on the brush of the Master of the universe—the Grand Artist.

Signs of life are still to be found; the grass proudly displays its lush green with pine cones for ornaments.

One wildflower shares my rebellious heart to hang on to dear life...

I love fall, it is my favorite season. The reds, oranges, and yellows are breath-taking here in Colorado; I catch myself wanting to walk the museum of God’s creation endlessly. Creation displays God’s glory and I want to bask in that glory for as long as I can. 

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit {John 12:24 NASB}.

Though I love fall, I know that it leads to winter; the cold, harsh, freezing, dark. A time when everything must die to make room for new life in the spring. Spiritually, winter is not an enjoyable season either, but God prunes us to grow more fruit, and though it is painful, new life will spring up in abundance. I purpose not to worry about the coming winter and enjoy the beauty of fall.

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together {Col.1:16-17 NASB}.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it {John 1: 1-5 NASB}.

At sundown on October 17, the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah began. It is a celebration of the Torah; the Word of God, and concludes the Feast of Tabernacles. For believers in Yeshua, it is a celebration of Him, the Word made flesh; He came and tabernacled with us. Simchat Torah  shares this evening-morning day with the Sabbath, a time to rest from all the distractions and worries of this world and turn our gaze upon the Lord.

This evening I lit two Sabbath candles to usher in the rest of God to my world, along with this blessing: 

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to be a light to the nations and who gave to us Jesus our Messiah the Light of the world.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12 NASB

Jesus is the Light of the World. When life seems cold, harsh, and dark, Jesus is our Light and He will give us rest for our souls. 

When we focus on the cares of the world---our trials, the cross becomes blurry...

Rest your soul this weekend; create a Sabbath sanctuary in your world and allow Jesus to minister to your tired, weary soul. Let His light refresh you as you celebrate Him—the very Word of God, who tabernacles with you.

Chasing God

I began chasing God as a small child. My Nana and mother told me that a minister who lived in our neighborhood would take walks with me. I don’t have any recollection of those walks, and though they were few, the story touched my heart deeply. I like to think that he spoke things to me about God that sparked a fire in my heart. I long to know what we talked about; I will on the other side of eternity.
I also remember my grandmother’s piano and playing on the keys with such passion, that one might mistake me for a proficient player. I didn’t know how to play or read music, nonetheless, with the hymn book in front of me, and singing my heart out, I pretended to play. After playing several hymns, I would read from a Bible that rested on an antique book stand near the piano. I did not realize it at the time, but the Lord was nurturing in me a heart for worship, and a desire to teach His Word. A young girl growing up in the 1970s did not aspire to be a minister, however, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts (see Is. 55:8).
When I was six I stretched out on the lush, green grass of the church around the corner from my house, and prayed to God in harmony with the ringing church bells; I want to know you, whatever you want to do with my life, I will follow. I had many talks with the Lord on the lawn of that church; those prayers would prove pivotal to my life.

Christ remained an intricate part of my life growing up. I attended private school, and was confirmed at fourteen. I studied diligently; memorizing Scripture and my catechism. I joyfully performed my acolyte duties, and took my position seriously. Confirmation was a crucial period, and laid a foundation for my life in the Word, and in ministry. My pursuit of God may seem simply liturgical, but this liturgy developed in me a heart for worship, and a desire to serve the Lord.
My teenage and young adult years proved challenging. Unfortunately, I strayed from the path and lived outside of God’s will for my life. I would come home from nights of carousing, and cry out to God with my Bible clenched to my chest; God, don’t give up on me, don’t let me go. Though I strayed from His path, and was running from His will, He relentlessly chased me.

One night the evening of festivities broke me. I walked into my bedroom, and Jesus was waiting for me. Something compelled me to fall on my knees, and I cried out to God. “I cannot continue living this way anymore!” I repented, wept, and surrendered all to Him; Christ captured me forever. That was twenty-five years ago; I have not relented in my pursuit of Him.


The grace and mercy that the Lord has rained down on my life has captured my heart. How can I not pursue Him? How can I refuse Him? God’s heart beats for me; mine must beat for Him. I pursue Him every day of my life. I want to know Him deeper.
God is chasing after you. You only need to cry out to Him and He will answer. Reach out to Him and He will rescue you. His heart beats for all people and He will not rest until He captures your heart.

Psalms To See Me Through: Psalm 10—The Cry Of The Righteous For Justice

Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?

In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, and the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord.  (vv. 1-3)

This is without a doubt one of the most frequently asked questions of God through the ages. How many times has heaven’s throne been bombarded with the whys of the troubles that plague the earth? No doubt the weeping Daughters of Jerusalem, along with many others, asked why as they wailed and mourned the injustice perpetrated on Jesus. History hails many witnesses to the martyred saints, and many of the Apostles died brutal deaths as well. According to some many of the Church's traditions:

Matthew: suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed from a sword wound. 

Mark: died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead.

Luke: was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost. 

John:  Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death.

Peter: He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

James: The leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club. 

Paul: Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire.

Many other saints were thrown to the lions for sport. 

One need only watch the news to be familiar with the injustices seen across the globe; why seems to be a just question. 

The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, “There is no God.” Verse 4

God has endowed man with free will, each man can decide whether to perform acts of evil or righteousness. Though it may seem that those that choose wickedness flourish, it is fleeting. A day is coming, a Terrible Day of the Lord and the wicked will cower before the Almighty God. Their notion that there is no God will be obliterated in the blink of an eye. 

His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.  He says to himself, “I will not be moved; throughout all generations I will not be in adversity” (vv. 5-6).

God cannot be defeated. He is El Echbad, the one God; He is El Emet, the God of Truth; He is El Shaddai, the All Sufficient One; He is El Elyon The Most High God, and El Olam, the Everlasting God. He is El Gibbor, the Mighty God, the Warrior God and He cannot be defeated or moved. 

God is not like the wicked, and the deeds of those who seek to destroy God’s people are evident in the earth:

His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is mischief and wickedness. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate. He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net. He crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones. He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.” vv. 7-11

Does this not describe the evil that is operating in the earth today? An evil army is wreaking havoc and destruction in the Middle East and this describes that army quite stunningly. Hence those who seek good and serve God are crying out to Him;

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted.  Why has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, “You will not require it.”  You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan. Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, Seek out his wickedness until You find none. vv. 12-15

One of my favorite traits of the Psalms is that though the psalter cries out to God for all the injustice around him, with a slight accusatory tone, the poets always come back around to praise God for all the good things He does, and that praise leads to worship. When God is worshiped nothing can defeat us. He reigns in all the earth. He reigns in our lives, in our troubles, in our failures. He reigns over all the evil-doers, where sin abounds, grace much more abounds {Rom. 5:20}. We will have troubles, but He has already won—He wears the Victor’s crown. 

The Lord is King forever and ever; Nations have perished from His land. O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror. vv. 16-18

When we worship Him, our troubles no longer have the victory; it helps us remember the goodness of God and He strengthens us through our worship and our time alone in His presence. God promises in the end that the wicked have a terrible fate awaiting them, and God will end the power of evil in the earth. 

In His Grace,