The Suffering Servant

So, for those of you who are now following through email, you’ve probably figured out by now that not all my posts will necessarily be all about the specifics of my journey to Jerusalem. Everything I post on here are  the things God is showing me and revealing to me (which ultimately lead to my journey in life  and contribute to the preparations and walking through) this journey into His Holy Land.

This post is for an update about my time over in Israel though.

First I have to say thank you, thank you, and may the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth bless everyone who is praying for me and the people over in the Middle East! God has really blessed me by answering the prayer requests I posted a week or two ago. Half my funds for the journey have been met, the Visa information is being worked out (as much as it can be at the moment), and I have a plane ticket for Saturday, Dec. 12 to fly half way across the world and into the land of milk and honey!

Not only are those technical details being worked out, but God is really working on my heart as well. He is preparing me for the things to come. The theme lately is that Love is not true Love without suffering. I just finished reading a wonderful book by Dana Candler, Deep Unto Deep: The Journey of His Embrace (which I very highly recommend). In the last chapter she discusses topics like being “consumed in Love’s fire” (Song Sol. 8:6-7) and the “sting of that fire” as well as “the heights and depths of Love’s consumption” and “divine possession” (all in relation to intimacy with Jesus Christ). She walks through those times in our journey where the tops of the mountains have been covered up by the clouds and we dwell within the deep valleys of His love, when our faith is really tested as we reach through the shadows and the dark of night within our spirits for our Beloved Bridegroom.

One thing she talks about in particular is the story between the Lover and the Beloved in Song of Solomon 5, where the Beloved is knocking on the door of His lover in the middle of the night drenched in the dew of twilight. This picture has stood out so vividly in my mind this week. As Dana is describing the story she writes, “. . .we see this kind of powerful possession when Jesus comes as the SUFFERING SERVANT to the bride in the Song of Solomon (5:2)”.  She continues by pointing out how the Lover is so possessed by the love of the Bridegroom that even in the middle of the night she goes out to search for Him in the darkness because she is lovesick for Him (Song of Solomon 5:8).

The picture of Christ as the SUFFERING SERVANT standing before me, asking me to come and to follow Him, even thought the dark of the night, has gripped me. It has made my heart melt, knowing that depth of love that forsook everything to have all of me. It went outside the city gates (Hebrews 13:11-13) so He could be a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1-2) so that the veil might be pulled back (Matthew 27:51, 2 Corinth. 3:17-18) and so that I may enter into the inner chambers of His heart (Ps. 27:4, Song of Sol. 1:4) and commune with Him (Song of Solomon 2:4).

Oh, how my heart desires to respond in the same way! To forsake everything to have all of Him! To lose my own life to gain life through His own – for there is a love as strong as death, a jealousy unyielding as the grave, and many waters cannot quench this fiery love (Song of Sol. 8:6-7)!!! Oh, to be consumed wholeheartedly within His passionate flame, to surrender all I have to His power and His tenderness, that the words of His mouth (His living word) might kiss the depths of my soul and awaken the sleeping desires within me!!

How I pray that the consuming fire of love would catch a flame within your hearts and burn away all that is dead within you, and awaken the seeds of love between you and the one who is the Bridegroom over all the earth! I pray that the veil would be lifted from your face, like a bride and that you and the Son of Man could just gaze into the eyes of each other. Oh, that He would awaken your heart to the deepest intimacy possible with Him and that when all the world looks upon you they may know that the Lord Almighty, El Shaddai is your King and your beloved and that they may arise and call Him blessed! Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh Ata El Shaddai (Holy, Holy, Holy are You Lord Almighty)!! In the name of the slain Lamb, Yeshua, Amen!

There Is A Trembling

There is a trembling in my belly, a trembling in my bones, a trembling in my heart. My lips quiver with Your words. My tongue is soaked with the honey of Your spirit; my stomach is soured by the weight of Your words. My soul is stilled by Your presence and I am caught captive in Your hand. I have been entrenched into stillness. I have been provoked to my face by the power of Your spirit, by the thunder of Your voice. It rumbles within my body and I cannot contain it. It is so intense that all I can do is lie still, facedown in Your hand. I cannot move until You move me, I cannot speak until You move inside me.

Your works are too great to be weighed! Your power is too awesome to be comprehended! You spirit is too intense to withstand!

 

You are the bright and morning star

Of David

That glows within my trembling heart

Who can contain it?

I am the branch grafted into Your tree

You are the vine that nourishes me

 

Holy

Holy

Holy

Is the King

Holy

Holy

Holy

Is the One who sings over me

 

“Deep calls to deep

in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers

have swept over me.

By day the LORD directs his love,

at night his song is with me—

a prayer to the God of my life.”

Psalm 42:7-8

Following the Lamb Wherever He Goes

I am so excited and blessed to tell you about a wonderful opportunity that I have. Over the past decade, the Lord has placed a burden on my heart to reach out to the nations and over the past year, to stand as a “watchmen” over Jerusalem through prayer:

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night, you who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” Isaiah 62:6-7

In God’s word He says that if we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4) and He is doing just that! In December of this year, I have the blessed opportunity to travel over to Jerusalem to work with two amazing ministries. The first ministry that I will be serving with is Succat Hallel (Hebrew for Tabernacle of Praise), a 24/7 house of prayer in Jerusalem that desires to minister first unto the Lord, pray for peace in Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) and intercede for Israel and the nations. The building overlooks Mount Zion and the Old City of Jerusalem. There is also a second prayer room in the City of David, the area where the original Tabernacle of David stood.

I will be considered short-term staff, serving a minimum of 30 hours per week from December 15, 2009-March 10, 2010 at Succat Hallel by interceding for Jerusalem and the nations through worship and prayer, assisting in the practical help (cleaning, admin, etc), as well as participating in outreach to the city with partnering compassion ministries. To learn more about them you can visit their website at http://www.jerusalempraise.com/website/.

The second ministry I am blessed to have the opportunity to serve with is Living Bread International Church. I will be with them from March 2010 until November 2010.The corporate offices of Living Bread International are located in the City of Jerusalem, where I will be residing with them. The Church is located in Jerusalem at Damascus Gate as well as in Jericho.

Living Bread has an aching heart to bring the wonderful news of Christ to the refugee camps within Israel.  There are 27 refugee camps in the country that were formed in 1948 and 1967. In these camps the people are lacking education, basic humanitarian needs, and job skills. Living Bread is committed to serving these people by providing them with aid and education while sharing the love of Christ. They also spread the Good News of Christ through “Door of Hope”, a television broadcast, which now this past year is being broadcast to 133 mainly-Muslim nations within the 10-40 window, as well as in Israel, West Bank, Australia, America and Europe. The Living Bread International Church website can also give you some more insight to their ministries at http://www.livingbreadchurch.com/.

I’m excited about the opportunity and experiences that lie ahead. As you can imagine, a trip like this requires financial support from a number of people. Since I will be “living” over there for almost a year I will need financial support for a monthly basis. The cost for both ministries per month is about $1,000 (about $16,000 for the whole trip – including air fare). This will cover housing, food, transportation, and any other various needs. If you could pray for God’s provision for this journey I would be so grateful (I will have more information about the financial details a little later). And, most importantly, I also need your prayer support for the entire time I will be over there. Prayer is the fuel that allows us to be successful as we follow God’s leading to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).

I am hoping to use this blog as a way to inform all of you what God is doing on my journey. On the toolbar to the right of the page the second box labeled “Subscribe” you can follow the link to sign up for email updates for whenever I publish a new post. That way you will always be informed of what is going on.

In addition, I will be updating the first box on the toolbar to the right labeled “Praying for Israel” with the different verses that God reveals to me to pray over in regards to Israel. I would encourage you to join me in prayer for Israel, God’s chosen people and the Arabs and all who dwell within God’s Holy Land.

I will be praying for you, that God would bless you in a tremendous way and that you may experience the majesty of His love daily!

Links To Check Out:

Succat Hallel Video : This video that is a really good description of what Succat Hallel is (the ministry I will be with from December – March). It’s half way down the page (the video w/ the fire animation above it). The guy who is talking the most is Rick Ridings, the founder of Succat Hallel.

Burning In the Womb: From the belly of Jerusalem: Video from Jerusalem. The man – Sean Feucht, is the founder of The Burn, a group that does the 24 hr prayer and worship here in Corpus – and all over the world, focusing on the idea of “contending, worshiping, and blazing” ! The woman, Karen is the director of Living Bread Ministries in Jerusalem.

PS – If you could join me in praying about visa information right now I would be so grateful. I am trying to discern what to do about the transition between the two ministries, because I will either have to renew my visa (by leaving Israel and then returning) or apply for a different one from the start. Please pray for God’s direction and hand upon this aspect of the journey – that He would move things exactly the way they should be.

Ezekial 21 – The Lord’s Heart

“O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.” 2 Chronicles 20:6

This morning I was reading Ezekiel 21 and my heart became heavy as I read about the intense judgment of the Lord. Then I thought about the day when the Son of Man will return again, and how that judgment will be (Nahum 1:6, 2 Chronicles 20:6) and how is heart feels towards the people of the earth. He began to speak to my heart about His and these are the things He reveled to me:

~~~

Do you see the pain on My face when I have to cut off my children? Do you see the anguish in My heart when they must be rebuked? Time and again I have waited, I have longed for their hearts and time and again they refuse.

The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” Hosea 3:1

Oh, that they would stop hiding their faces from Me! Oh that they would cry of their wilderness to Me – “I love You” in return!

My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Song of Songs 2:14

“Therefore I am now going to allure her;

I will lead her into the desert

and speak tenderly to her.

There I will give her back her vineyards,

and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.

There she will sing as in the days of her youth,

as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

“In that day,” declares the LORD,

“you will call me ‘my husband’;

you will no longer call me ‘my master.’ Hosea 2:14-16

Do you hear the intense pounding of My heartbeat? Do you see the fire that surrounds my heart that will consume all those who are not already already within Me?

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.” Zechariah 8:2

For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:24

Why are the tongues of my sons and daughters so silent? Have I not asked them to stay with Me and watch? Have I not asked them to open their mouths and their hearts to sing My heart song to the nations that My glory may be complete?

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Mark 14:34

I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ Jeremiah 6:17

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 18:18-20

I am gathering My army – I am calling My true disciples who will follow Me wherever I go. They will know the call by the beating of My heart that will reverberate inside theirs like the pounding of a thousand drums, and they will come, and the banner they will carry will be My banner of love.

. . . They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. Revelation 14:4

He has taken me to the banquet hall,

and his banner over me is love. Song of Songs 2:4

Anointing the Feet of My Beloved

This past weekend I was so blessed and privileged to have a “Mary of Bethany” (Mk. 14) moment with my Savior. It started with me getting pretty sick (sore throat, etc) on Thursday and not giving my voice or body rest. Friday I went to the Burn and still I did not rest my voice. After about two hours, my voice was completely gone. I couldn’t even hum or whisper a prayer. At first I was so frustrated. What can I do to cry out to You, my God? So for a while I danced, but even in the dancing I was tired and weak. I tried to push through it because even in my weakness He is strong and my love for Him doesn’t fade. After quite a few hours I finally came to a place of resting and intense longing to worship my King! My heart was literally aching to show Him love, but how? In that moment it was as though He reached straight into the depths of my heart and melted everything inside of me and all I could do was sit in awe of the one who first loved me.
A picture of what it must have looked like as Mary kneeled down upon the dirt floor amidst the disciples and the Pharisees, and poured out her perfume of love to anoint the feet of her Redeemer all of a sudden flashed through my mind. She must have taken one glance into His eyes – those eyes that burn with desire, and overwhelmed by those eyes that gazed into the depths of heart, all she could do was weep at His feet. There were no words to speak, there was no melody to hum because a “love that is a strong as death, jealousy unyielding as the grave, and a love that cannot by quenched by many waters” gazed upon her and called her love towards Him “beautiful” (Mk 14:6). Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, calls my love towards Him “beautiful” and tells all around me, “Why do you bother her? This is all I long for. She is mine and I am hers. Nothing can touch her because I am here.”

Here, in this moment, there is nothing else
All that I know is the beating of Your heart that vibrates all around me
And the sustaining power of Your breath that fills me with the quiet of peace
In the stillness, it’s just You and me

Words cannot be uttered
Songs cannot be sung
That are worthy enough to ascribe to You the glory of your love
Your fiery gaze peers into my soul and I am overcome
My heart reaches in longing to bless You, to love You in return

Here in this communion let me stay
To know the awesome power of Your love
To hunger and thirst and to be filled to overflowing from the cup of Your love
In the embrace of Your wounded arms I melt
Your blood covers me
It is the very river of desire that flows through my heart
You reach into my soul and with just one touch You awaken the consuming fire of love within me
And all I can do is fall down at Your feet
And place my little heart within Your own

This is all You desire
This is all You long for
Beyond the music
Beyond the words
Is the complete devotion of my heart
To live for You out of worship
In the fullness of Your spirit
And in Your life giving truth

This is how I will worship
This is how I long
By laying at Your feet
And pouring out my heart
Beyond the music
And beyond the words
And in the quiet
I am wholly Yours

Kol Lashon Todeh (Every Tongue Shall Confess)

So this is so cool! That we have the ability to partake in worship with brothers and sisters across the world at the same time through a live webcast and conference call- lifting up the name of Jesus – and crying out to Him “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!” This is what my generation is experiencing and crying out. I know sometimes you feel that this may not be the case but God is everywhere! His presence is in Turkey and Japan and Sweden and Corpus Christi and all over the universe! He is rising up a generation to fearlessly declare His name! It’s not just reserved for my age group but every believer in Christ. He is calling His children to worship Him, to lift Him up, to declare the name of Jesus among the nations! Not out of anger but out of love and mercy, realizing that it is “God’s kindness that has led us to repentance”, that we may humble ourselves in the nature of Christ. That we may cry out to Him and “give Him no rest until He makes Jerusalem a praise in all the earth”! His spirit is moving, Christ is moving among the nations. All that He desires is that we may fall at His feet like Mary, Lazarus’ sister and pour out the perfume of our love upon the one who loved us before time began. That we could reach out in faith for the hem of His robe and believe in His power to heal and to save not just the souls of others but of our own souls as well. He is mighty to save, He is willing to save, He is waiting to save. Christ came not for religion but for love because “God so LOVED the world that He gave His only son”.

Check it out (live Burn from Turkey!):Come watch my SyncLive.com show at 12:30 PM on 9/15/2009

Embers

The other day in my quiet time, God showed me some pictures of His spirit. I saw it raining, not water but glowing, sparkling embers. It was gentle and tender yet our hearts are set ablaze with the glory set inside it’s light – Christ.

I perch myself in Your arms and glimpse into Your heart. It is full of burning embers that are churning and moving like lava. Rivers of divine glory swirl around inside. Just to have one ember of Your heart inside mine – just to be swept away by Your rivers of glory – to be entwined within the swirl of Your love – that is what I have been made for – above the battles and the warfare – above any relationship. I was made to swim in Your glorious, holy love. I am being made – let me stay – locked into Your righteous gaze! I love You – Jesus!

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”

Zechariah 8:2

For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 4:24

Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.

⁷ Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of his house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

Hosea 8:6-7

The Dry Land

¹ “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness
and who seek the LORD :
Look to the rock from which you were cut
and to the quarry from which you were hewn;

² look to Abraham, your father,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was but one,
and I blessed him and made him many.

³ The LORD will surely comfort Zion
and will look with compassion on all her ruins;
he will make her deserts like Eden,
her wastelands like the garden of the LORD.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

~ Isaiah 51:1-3

There is a land distant from these shores that lies in the heat of a sweltering sun. Their land is filled with dust and flies fill up the air. The people are malnourished and needy. They have no resources to replenish them and make them strong. Water neither comes from above or below and the only food they consume is the dust of the earth.

Your own heart is heavy for theses people but do not be so quick to judge. Not far from your own sight are the same hands that grope for water or any sign of nourishment. Not far from your sight are the same feet that wonder aimless in search of somewhere to settle. Not far from your sight are the barren wastelands that lie in ruins – stones that are uncut and ground that is not fertilized.

Do not despair though for hope is not so far. Lift your eyes to the sun that has dried up all your land for it is from the heavens that hope will pour down once again. Do not be fooled by the sting of the rain for you are unaccustomed to its texture. It is only purifying that which is unclean; it is washing the dust away from your feet, and the flies from your skin. It will rush down and flood the malnourished lands and replenish them once again.

After the rain subsides the plants will break the surface of the Earth, the animals will come to use its plentiful resources and the people will find hope once again. The water will wash down the uncut stones to form precious elements of the Earth that will bless you. Do not let the blessings of success lead you astray once again though, sons and daughters of God, but let it be the story you may tell to generations.

Take the stones that have been cut and cleansed and set them aside for your children to see that they may know the wonders your God can provide. Let your hearts be like the stones that they may be washed over with the blood of our Savior, that He may refine them into a shining gem. Then the world will look upon you and see your creator’s handiwork, they will see the divine masterpiece He has created and they will give Him praise, for He is glorious.

Oh, sons and daughters of God, again, do not forget where you once came from. A desolate and starving place where the melting heat swayed your vision and the dust covered your lungs. Remember these things for the years to come.

Love Song

To my Redeemer:

The riches of Your beauty, the vastness of Your love

Stir my heart within me and awakens me to Love.

The Truth within Your breath – the words that birth eternal life,

Are the hope in which I cling to – the foundation I live by.

The grace that You bestow – in which no way I can earn,

Kiss the frailties of my soul – it is Your touch for which I yearn.

Consuming Fire that engulfs me and reveals what’s deep below,

Humbly, in my weakness – before You I’m exposed.

Gently and so tenderly You give to me Your heart,

And wrap mine firm within it – for eternity we’ll never part.

You sing Your precious love song, over the deepest parts of me

And impart in me Your spirit, and in faith I whisper, “I believe”.

Out into the wilderness You have wooed me, and there betrothed me to Your love,

And with all that is within me, I cry out “Yes” to un-abandoned love.

Oh that You would forever, each day remind me of Your love so powerful and true

So that I may continually return that love in fullness back to you.

How beautiful are the eyes that gaze into my soul

How strong are the tender hands, in which my heart you hold!

How glorious my lover who leads with wisdom so divine –

Forever I am Yours, and eternally You are mine!

“I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.” Hosea 2:19-20

© Rebecca Lee, All Rights Reserved

Fall Face Down

(Another song

I see You coming upon the clouds
Your face is beaming with light
The praises ring loud
And I fall face down
At Your feet
I am overwhelmed
As You surround me

I want to dance in your presence
I want to lift my praise so loud
With the elders I want to fall face down
Just to love You
Just to pour out my heart
To the King who is worthy
To the Lamb who boar the scars

You hold me in Your hands
And You will never let me go
From here to eternity I am Yours alone
I want to give You all my love
And break that alabaster stone
To worship the King
Who sits upon the throne

I want to dance in your presence
I want to lift my praise so loud
With the elders I want to fall face down
Just to love You
Just to pour out my heart
To the King who is worthy
To the Lamb who boar the scars

© Rebecca Lee, All Rights Reserved

Awake, Awake, O Sleeper!

7When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Mark 11: 7-9

9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,

Who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb.” 11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying:

“Amen!

Praise and glory

and wisdom and thanks and honor

and power and strength

be to our God for ever and ever.

Amen!”

Revelation 7:9-12

Christ is coming. Whether He comes 1,000 years from now or tomorrow, it doesn’t change the unshakable fact that He will return (Matthew 24:43-44). In Mark 11:7-9 we see Christ embarking on His last entrance into the city of Jerusalem before His death, and as we can see, it didn’t go unnoticed. Crowds gathered to pay honor to the humble King. They didn’t merely just stand by and watch either, they actively participated in His entry by, “spread[ing] their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields“. The people literally sacrificed the shirts off their back in order to help prepare the way for Christ. They brought forth the works of the land (branches from the fields) to lie down at His feet. In addition, they went before Him and behind Him, proclaiming His glory! We see this same model of respect and worship acted out in Revelations as well (“they were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands“), after the gathering of the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel (marking the glory of Christ’s return)!

As I was reading these two verses the other day I got to thinking about the significance of the branches laid before Christ. If you think about it, these branches represented the hard labor the people had put into their fields for the harvest. Constantly throughout the Bible we see God requesting, and the people willingly giving up a portion of their harvest to Him. At these two particular times in history: the entrance of Christ into a city where He would become the final sacrifice for the whole world, and His glorious return to establish the Kingdom of God throughout the Earth once and for all – we see this harvest sacrifice accompanied with praises. After His death and resurrection, Christ gave the charge of the Great Commission to His disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), He sent us out to harvest the Earth for Him, for His glory (Luke 10:2-3).

This made me wonder, what will I lay down before Him as He returns – what fruits of the harvest can I lay before Him – what do I have to give Him? Will we join in the joyous procession that declares His glory or will we just stand at a distance and watch?

Then I tried to picture what that scene must have looked like: what was the expression on Christ’s face and the people around Him? I imagined His compassionate, loving eyes searching through the crowd – searching for you and me amongst all the people. I wondered how He would find us – would we be on our knees in reverence or dancing around Him with joy?

All of this really hit home with me and made me really consider the condition of my heart towards God. Is my heart at a position ready for His return?

This position of readiness can only be attained when we seek Christ out, when we learn to love Him wholeheartedly, not by works but through faith. It is making sure we have the oil (intimate relationship with Christ – Matthew 25:1-13) so that we may have light (Psalm 119:105) for our lanterns as we go to meet the Bridegroom (Revelation 22:17).

Abba, You are mighty and glorious! Thank you for Your abundant love and faithfulness! Lord, let us continue to drawer closer to You with each day, that we could know Your heart, that we could love You more than we can comprehend! Prepare our hearts and minds and bodies for the mighty works You have planned for each of us. Let us take Your words and live them out. You are so awesome! It is through the blood of Christ that I have come before You, thank you, Amen!

Song of Solomon 8:6-7

PS – Check out Misty Edward’s song, “Matthew 25″.

Who Am I?

God is so sovereign and righteous! Who am I that He would stoop down from the glory of His throne to rescue me – to grant me freedom? I am nothing. I loose it all to gain all of Him. Though I am imperfect and fallible – He is my rock and my refuge. Though I am weak and broken – His love for me still abides, even when I have crawled into the darkest of caverns – His love is never, ever separated from me.

In the midst of His flesh being torn, His capillaries bursting within Him causing Him to sweat blood, the sharpness of metal piercing through His viens, the spit of others seaping into His wounds – He looked down to the foot of the cross – where I had run in desperation for grace, for love, and in His brokenenss, He made my brokeness whole. Despite the pain, behind His eyes is the passion of the highest love. The force that drove Him. His heart was so in love with mine, He gave it away, so that mine could be saved. Who am I? Who am I to ever deserve this?

Gaze of Love

These things I’ve done
To pierce Your skin
As blood flows down
And covers my sin
My heart is open
My heart is broken
And only You can make it whole again

I will die to myself
And let Your spirit in my soul
I let it go
To be with You

Your gaze of love
Is wooing my heart
And I will die to myself
And become a part of You
I empty it all before Your throne
It’s just You and me alone
I give it all to You
Here, where I’m Yours
And Yours alone

You sing over me
Your song of peace
And quiet my restless soul
That wants to fly away
Wants to soar,
But I can soar higher with You than on my own

Play the strings of my heart
Orchestrate my life
I want to be your symphony
Take it all from me

Your gaze of love
Is wooing my heart
And I will die to myself
And become a part of You
I empty it all before Your throne
It’s just You and me alone
I give it all to You
Here, where I’m Yours
And Yours alone

© Rebecca Lee, All Rights Reserved

The Great Rescue

“He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.” Psalm 18:19

“The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, “You are to live with [wait for] me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with [wait for]  you.” For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.” Hosea 3

To be rescued – what does that mean exactly? Rescuing is something someone does actively. Imagine being rescued from a fire. The fireman doesn’t just wait outside the house until the smoke and the fire go down some to get in there and find you. As soon as they get the call they suite up and go. When he gets to that house, he runs in, amidst the flames and falling ceilings to seek you out, grab a hold of you, and take you out into the fresh air, out of the flames and ashes, to make sure you keep living.

God is very much the same with us. He has relentlessly pursued us; He has actively sought us out. He has run to us in the time when we are in the deepest depths of the valley – so deep that we can hardly see the sun and when we are on the peak of the mountains. He does this because He loves us – really passionately and intimately loves us! He is our ultimate redeemer!

The First Commandment

Wow. I am so humbled. God is so patient and kind! I was reading through a blog tonight by Alexander Jules Tompkins (involved with IHOP) about finding God’s will for your life. This has been the forefront of my thoughts the past few months, being that I am about to graduate college. I really want to make sure I do things God’s way – I want to be where He is – I want to do what He is doing – I don’t want to screw it up by my own reasoning (Proverbs 3:5-6). Every time I seek His heart on what He desires for me to do – I keep getting the same response, to WAIT and LOVE Him. There are times I have quieted my soul to be patient and to lavish love on the One who has loved me since the dawn of time but there have also been times I have been like a little restless sparrow that God is holding in the palm of His hand. I wriggle about wanting to fly when God is trying to quite me with His love (Zephaniah 3:17).

In the blog by Alexander, he mentions Matthew 22:37-38 as being the “ultimate expression of God’s will for [our] life”: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

After I read that I felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks. This is one of the first things I ever learned in my relationship with Christ – and how quickly we get forget the simplicity of His will – love. Alexander continues on to mention how when love “is our chief aim, our will is bound to be conformed to His”.

God’s will is about being in an intimate relationship with Him. It is about filling our hearts with the oil of His spirit in that intimate time alone with Him (Matthew 25). No one can do it for us. It is all about love – loving Him and being loved by Him. How funny that we try to make it so complex.

Against the Tide

So I have been going on these walks lately down to this nature area/bird sanctuary. It has become the highlight of my day. I love sitting out on the dock and watching all the pelicans sleep or see the butterflies hovering in and around the flowers. It just takes my breath away. God is the ultimate artist and I love seeing His work.

This morning on my walk I saw something that got me thinking. There is an area by the dock where the water comes in and goes out from the bay – like a little canal. There are usually the same group of birds chilling on the roots that rise out of the water in that area, but today they had a guest. There was a big old pelican paddling around. I sat and watched him for a while (because for some reason I find pelicans to be funny birds). I noticed that he was swimming against the current down the little canal.

It made me realize that as “little Christs” that is what our journey is like. We are paddling against the tide, against the mainstream flow of the world that tells us to indulge in our flesh, to be independent and go it alone, to put our faith only in ourselves. When we listen to the world, we start to swim away from the ocean—the ocean of God’s great love and His divine inheritance—but when we allow ourselves to be in Christ before God, He picks us up and turns us the other direction—towards Him, and towards the greatest love anyone could ever know. It’s not necessarily the easiest journey by any means, but the cool thing is, is that we have Christ standing behind us, giving us strength to keep paddling.

Don’t give up little warrior, Christ has got your back, and He will never forsake you. Put your trust in Him and He will lead you. He’s got it under control, He has since the dawn of time. Dwell in His love and let Him be your Shepherd. He loves you. He’s got you in those strong, loving arms. Don’t be afraid.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
do not depend on your own understanding;  seek His will in all you do,
and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

© Rebecca Lee, All Rights Reserved

Jewels of Heaven

Falling into heaven, I see a treasury of jewels and precious stones of so much worth. Different colors, different textures, every one of them is different, each is its own. You pick them up one by one, polishing each until it shines like a star in the night sky and place them each in their own little case for safekeeping. You hold them out to me and tell me their stories. This one was covered by mud on a riverbank; this one had been in the shadows of a cliff, this one use to lay deep in the dirt. I marveled at the transformations as You showed me pictures of how they were before you sought them out and had made them into beautiful creations. “These are the hearts of my beloved children,” You said as You smiled, “I love them all and treasure each one, for they are more precious and far more special to me than anything I have ever made.”
To Abba, our Father, we are all His precious jewels of heaven. We all have a past, our testimony. Abba, has dug, climbed, and gone to the corners of the earth just to find us and bring us home—to polish and transform us into things we can’t even imagine—into “Beautiful Creations”. Each of us has been given our own special case and texture and shine—and the neatest thing is, that we are all still in the making. No one is finished yet. We are all His “Beloved Children” and our loving Father treasures us for all eternity!

Originally written: 6/22/2001

© Rebecca Lee, All Rights Reserved

The Garden

⁶ “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. ⁷ I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. ⁸ ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ⁹ ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

Haggai 2:6-9

My parents recently moved about a year ago. In the new house there is a large backyard that leads to a pond. Partially due to time, they haven’t landscaped too much of it. The area down by the pond is mainly just natural plants that were already there. One day while I was home, right after the semester was over, I was spending some time with God out there and He revealed something to me.

This garden is much like the Body (the Church) at the moment. It is overgrown with weeds and insects that seek to destroy it because we have not cared for it like we should. There are no flowers or colorful plants to make it beautiful. There are so many plants that have tried to grow but don’t know how, because they have not been fed properly; but, there is a new growth preparing to rise up. The Bridegroom, robed in white, will come and weed out the overgrowth. There are two new trees  that will be planted and flowers will, and are starting to bloom (the hearts of men). This garden will not be quenched with the water of men but will be quenched with a fire water from His Spirit. No longer will we be satisfied with tradition and theology but our satisfaction will only come from the living Spirit of the Most High, with the warmth of His heart, and the power of His presence. He has been gathering His gardeners whom He is teaching how to care for His garden. They will garden with the tender love of God.

¹² You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride;
you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.

¹³ Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
with choice fruits,
with henna and nard,

¹⁴ nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,
with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh and aloes
and all the finest spices.

¹⁵ You are a garden fountain,
a well of flowing water
streaming down from Lebanon.

Song of Songs 4:12-15

The Bridegroom

I can see You coming. Your face is filled with joy and peace. Your countenance is glowing. Your eyes are bright and overflowing with love and Your smile is of delight and excitement.
At the sight of Your face, my heart and stomach jump inside of me, like a bride seeing her groom from down the aisle. The feeling is almost too overwhelming to describe. I feel like my soul is gushing at Your gaze. As much as I want to/feel like I want to run to You – You tell me to wait, but the wait is peaceful.
The glory of Your splendor trails behind You in the beautiful tapestry of Your woven church. This has been our honor to clothe You in glory and righteousness. You alone are worthy.
I see the dust swirl at Your feet as You walk and the clouds roll away. In front of You, people and Your kingdom bow low before You and behind You arms and voices are lifted in praise as the dancers dance up flowers to adorn You and the drummers pound out the rhythm of Your heart. It is a glorious sound  – to hear the angles and Your children sing as one, all to glorify You!
Your gaze is more glorious than any thing I have/will experience. Your touch moves my heart and my soul melts under Your hand. Your words are like a blanket that cover and protect me. Your breath is like a breeze that brings me to stillness and into a cloud of peace. You are marvelous! You move me in the most intensely gentle way. When You stir me, my heart dances to the rhythm of Yours.
Here I am –
Caught in the gaze of Your tenderness,
Captured by the intense intimacy of Your love.
You gently fan the passionate flame that burns within my heart for You. Everything I am made of longs for You. I am completely surrounded by You. There is no substance or person that could ever measure to Your love. It can only be fulfilled through You – wholly – the way You intended it. Others may be able to demonstrate it, but no one can completely fill it out – how Your love feels.
You are teaching me how to love You and how to be still. This has to be one of the most marvelous chapters in my life!
You are so peaceful and comforting.
You quite my restless soul.

Here I am to love You.
Here I have been made to praise You.
Here it is that You find me
In the midst of a restless and weary land.
You take my soul and breathe into it peace.

Here I am captured in Your gaze,
Stilled by Your peace,
Comforted by Your love.

Here I am humbly grateful for Your persistence and Your pursuit.

You take me out of my mind and into Your heart,
There I rest, amongst the orchestrated strings that play to me
Your symphony.

Here I am in Your grace,
That wraps around me like a blanket
And I humbly lay down at Your feet.

© Rebecca Lee, All Rights Reserved

Huiothesia

*Huiothesia:
1.  adoption, adoption as sons
1. that relationship which God was pleased to establish between himself and the Israelites in preference to all other nations
2. the nature and condition of the true disciples in Christ, who by receiving
the Spirit of God into their souls become sons of God
3. the blessed state looked for in the future life after the visible return of
Christ from heaven

Compound of:     Huios
2. son of man
3. used by Christ himself, doubtless in order that he might intimate his Messiahship and also that he might designate himself as the head of the human family, the man, the one who both furnished the pattern of the perfect man and acted on behalf of all mankind. Christ seems to have preferred this to the other Messianic titles, because by its lowliness it was least suited to foster the expectation of an earthly Messiah in royal splendour.

*For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father !” Romans 8:15

*And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. Romans 8:23

*1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises,  5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. Romans 9:1-5

*4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba ! Father !” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. Galations 4:4-7

*5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,  6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6

A few months ago I came across this Greek noun for the word “adoption” when I was actually trying to find a title for this blog. This word struck a special cord in my heart for multiple reasons. If you look at Romans 8:15, I believe the verse holds a huge part of the definition of what it means to be an adopted child of God. We can cry out to Him, “Abba, Father!”

I myself was physically adopted on this Earth by my parents when I was born. Through the years (with lots of struggling) God has revealed to me some very special things about what it means to be adopted (which hold meaning to the spiritual term of adoption as well ☺.

1.  Obviously, being adopted to my parent’s means I took on their name as my identity – through them I am given a recognizable identity in this world. Before all the papers of my adoption went through (legally) the world only knew me as “Baby Girl —“, but once I was adopted I was recognized, and I belonged to a family – my parent’s family. The same is true of us as children of God, when we accept Christ as our Savior, we take upon His holy name: Huios (being one of them) and become the Huiothesia! We are recognized by the God of Heaven as His beloved children! We become part of His family!

2. As I grew up, I also took up on their habits. I have the strange eating habits of my dad; I talk like my mom, etc. The older I get the more and more I become like them. Again, the same goes for us spiritually in regards to our relationship with Christ. The more we grow in our faith, the more we take upon the characteristics of Christ. We love what He loves, we respond more the way He would respond, we move the way He would move, etc.

3. I even grew up looking like them. For years growing up, people always asked if my sister and I were twins (when my sister wasn’t adopted). I have also been told numerous times that I look like my dad. How wonderful that when we become adopted into God’s family we begin to look like Him! When we truly give our hearts over to Him, He will start to work in us and people will start to no longer see “us” but they will begin to see Christ within us.

4. I belong to a place in this world because of them. As sons and daughters of the Living God of Zion, we belong to His holy kingdom. There is a place just specifically for you, and specifically for me in that glorious city!  We have purpose in this world because of Him – we belong to something greater than we can or will ever comprehend. We are no longer alone, but have the God of the universe to claim us as His own!

5. I am heir to my father’s inheritance because they adopted me. We are heirs to the kingdom of Heaven, through Christ, who stepped up for us, so that we may be adopted into God’s family!
6. I was redeemed into this world through my parents. When at one time I was cast aside to be left to chance, my parents (through the grace of God) stepped forth and desired a child to which I was given. In that same respect has Christ (our spiritual redeemer) stepped forth desiring love from all humanity because of the love He poured out, and claimed us as children that we might be redeemed from the un-forgiveness and darkness of the world and brought forth into His family that is life giving.

Another thing God once revealed to me about my adoption is that there was that period in my life (about a week or so) when I was unclaimed by any person. I lived in the hospital and nurses took care of me, but one time quite a few years back God revealed something glorious to me about that time. Due to that time of being unclaimed, there were a few moments when I was left unattended (not in a bad way). In those times when I cried and no nurse was able to give me comfort, God held me in His arms and rocked me and loved on me, when no one else would. I was not alone before the world claimed me; God had already held me in His arms as His daughter. (Ezekiel 16:1-14, see below) That vision applies not only to me but to you as well. During those times when you feel that no one is around to love you, that no one is there to hold you and support you, God is there holding you in His arms like a little sparrow trying to calm your restless wings. He loved you before you were even born (Psalm 139:13-16)! I pray that He removes any scales from your eyes that would prevent you from seeing that, because it is so precious.

It is hard for me to accurately describe everything God has revealed to me through my adoption. I pray though that through these revelations it my help bring you into a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be a Child of the Living God! You have His name written on your heart, carry it with pride and love because He loves you more than you will ever be able to comprehend.

Ezekiel 16

An Allegory of Unfaithful Jerusalem

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices 3 and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 5 No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.

6 ” ‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!” 7 I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare.

8 ” ‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.

9 ” ‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. 10 I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. 11 I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, 12 and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine flour, honey and olive oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. 14 And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD.

*****http://www.searchgodsword.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=5206

© Rebecca Lee, All Rights Reserved