Online Christian Newspaper

Hey there Friends! I just wanted to let ya'll know about a great online Christian Newspaper. They have devotions, articles - they are really just a start-up paper and I found out about them when they requested permission to provide a link to my blog. I subscribed. They are looking to build up a subscriber base on the internet with a goal of being published in print someday. I believe that they have a numeric goal, but cannot remember the exact total they are shooting for - my brain is tired! Anyway! Please visit, check out their links and if you subscribe list my blog and my name as the referral site. It is a great way for us to get connected.
Check it out here: The Inspirational Times. There is also a link in my side menu.
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Blessings.

Jehovah - The L-RD!

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I want to begin this post with a question and quote from Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch's book "The Jewish Book of Why," 2004, Johnathon David Publishers, Middle Village, NY - p. 295
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Question: "Why is 'God' often spelled G-d?

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Mr. Kolatch's Answer: " The third of the Ten Commandments reads: 'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain' (Exodus 20:7). But what is God's name? The biblical reference to God as Yehova (Jehova), spelled out with the Hebrew characters yad, hay, vav, hay, is generally considered the 'authentic' name of God, a name never to to be pronounced (except by the High Priest when officiating on Yom Kippur [the day of atonement]) or written out.
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Over the centuries other names for God, such as Adonai (also pronaounced Adonay), 'Lord,' were given the same status. Adonai was (and still is) used only in prayer. On other occasions ha-Shem or Adoshem were used in its stead. Ha-Shem means 'the Name.' Adoshem is a contraction of Adonai and ha-Shem.
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In the last few decades, a new practice has come into vogue: that of not writing out in full the English names "God" or "Lord." Most authorities consider this to be without foundation and no more than a passing fad."

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“Then Moses said to God, ‘Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?’ 14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " 15 Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'”~Ex 3:13-15 (NKJV)
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Hebrew Strong's Dictionary Number: 3068
Transliteration: yhwh
Phonetic Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw'
Root: from
Cross Reference: TWOT - 484a
Part of Speech: n pr dei
Vine's Words: Lord
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Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV: LORD 6510, GOD 4, JEHOVAH 4, variant 1 [Total Count: 6519]
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from (hayah); (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God :- Jehovah, the Lord. Compare (Yahh), (Yehovih).
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From Vine’s Expository Dictionary:

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yehovāh – “Lord.” The Tetragrammaton YHWH appears without its own vowels, and its exact pronunciation is debated (Jehovah, Yehovah, Jahweh, Yahweh). The Hebrew text does insert the vowels for ‘ādōnāy, and Jewish students and scholars read ‘ādōnāy whenever they see the Tetragrammaton. The use of the word appears in every period of biblical Hebrew.

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The divine name YHWH appears only in the Bible. Its meaning is much debated. God chose it as His personal name by which He related specifically to His chosen or covenant people. It first appearance in the biblical record is Genesis 2:4: “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord god made the earth and the heavens.” Apparently Adam knew Him by this personal and covenantal name from the beginning, since Seth both called his son Enosh (i.e., man as a weak and dependent creature) and began (along with all other pious persons) to call upon (formally worship) the name of YHWH, “the Lord” (Genesis 4:26). The covenant found a fuller expression and application when God revealed Himself to Abraham (Genesis 12:8), promising redemption in the form of national existence. This promise became reality through Moses, to whom God explained that He was not only the “God who exists” but the “God who effects His will”; “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord [YHWH] God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord [YHWH] God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites…” (Exodus 3:15-17). So God explained the meaning of “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). He spoke to the fathers as YHWH, but the promised deliverance and therefore, the fuller significance or experienced meaning of His name were unknown to them (Exodus 6:2-8).
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From the Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament, Victor Books, Walvoord and Zuck, 1985:

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Exodus 3:11-15
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“That Moses was shocked by God’s words (vv. 7-10) is evident by his consternation. He found the command hard to believe. Immediately Moses objected to God’s command because of his lack of ability (v. 11) and his lack of authority (v. 13). Moses doubted his ability to confront the new Pharoah (AmenhotepII) successfully and to lead the nation out. God responded to this objection with two promises: the assurance of His personal presence (I will be, v. 12; cf comments on v. 14, with you) and the promise of Moses’ return to Mount Horeb (you [pl., referring to Moses and the people] will worship God on this mountain).

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“The purpose of the deliverance was that Israel might ‘worship God.’ This purpose is stated frequently in Exodus (4:23; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3, 7-8, 11, 24, 26; 12:31). The Hebrew word for ‘worship’ is the same word for “to be a slave” (̔ābād). Israel had been slaves (̔ābōdim) of Egypt (6:6), and was in slavery (̔ābādîm, 13:3, 14; 20:2). Having served as slaves to Egyptians, Israel was now to serve the Lord, worshipping Him as His subjects.
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“In Moses’ second objection he felt the Israelites would challenge his assertion that God has sent him to deliver them. God told Moses to tell them I am who I am (ʾehyeh ‘āšer, ‘ehyeh, v. 12) and I AM (‘ehyeh) has sent me to you (v. 14). This One said He would be with His people in their time of trouble and need. ‘Ehyeh is probably a wordplay on Yahweh (LORD) in verse 15. Thus, the name Yahweh, related to the verb “to be,” probably speaks of God’s self-existence, but it means more than that..

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It usually speaks of His relationship to His people. For example as Lord, He redeemed them (6:6), was faithful to them (34:5-7), and made a covenant with them (Genesis 15:18).

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“The word also (Exodus 3:15) point to a second reply to Moses’ second objection (the first reply is in v. 14). The always-present God had demonstrated His character in the past to the fathers (patriarchs; cf. vv. 6, 16; 4:5) and that willingness to look over His people tenderly is an abiding attribute. He is to be remembered by that name forever. Perhaps Moses knew of God as the distant Sovereign but not as the immanent God who cares for and loves His chosen ones. Both of Moses’ objections (3:11, 13) were answered with lessons on the nature and character of God (vv. 12, 14-15).”
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Today we take a look at the personal name of God. The name that identifies God as the covenant, relational God. A name so revered by Jews that they refuse to express it in speech or in writing. Now, that takes me back to a post I wrote about Eve in recent weeks. Eve, when questioned about God's instructions about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, gave her own interpretation of God's instruction. "We shall not even touch it lest we die." (Genesis 3). She made the fruit somehow more forbidden than it was.

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Consider this: We, as Christians, tend to use freely and sometimes carelessly the names of God, specifically in calling Him Lord or God, even the name of Jesus. It is used as a curse word, a declaration of favor - whether it is of God or mankind. It is used casually in conversation to express shock, dismay or surprise... but how often do we speak His name is reverent awe? How often do we speak His name as if He is in the room with us... How often do we truly consider what this name means, really means, by intention and expression to God, Himself?

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On the flip side, the Hebrews would not even utter the name for fear of misusing or profaning it. Blaspheming God was the worst sin that could be committed. They made the name of God, in and of itself a "dirty word." They would not cry out to Him for fear of offending Him. The did not acknowledge Him as the God of their covenant, not the God creator... no, they would not even speak His name aloud.

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God wants us to be humble, recognize Him with awe and reverence. However, He does not want us to be afraid of Him, cowering in fear - making rules He never intended that would entice us to view a relationship, personal and intimate, with Him where we call Him by name --- He never intended for that to be viewed as sin.

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God wants us to be balanced. To honor Him and to love Him, to receive His grace and His provision in humility and relate to Him in truth. We should not come before the throne of grace cowering in fear - we should be confident in our relationship and come to Him in that confidence and relate to Him as the God of covenant, the God who makes promises and keeps them. The God who is eternal, self-existent and the God who calls Himself to us by NAME! He is our LORD! He is the Master, the God of all and the creator of all... He is the God who promised to make one man a nation and did so, He is the God who promised Eve a Redeemer and did so, He is the God whom Isaac trusted to make good on His covenant even though the recipient (Jacob) had deceived him into giving a blessing that was not Jacob's to receive. He is the God who blessed a wild donkey of a man because the boy's father was Abraham and his mother recognized and valued God's ability to respond and act on her behalf. He is God, not just Elohim... but a personal, up close and real relational God who desires to not only be known to us, but also to be made known through us. Who is Jehovah, the LORD our God to you?

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As we look at the following verses of Scripture I want to ask that you join me in Identifying God as the personal, covenant keeping LORD in your own life.

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Proverbs 3:12, 26 (Amplified) - "When you walk, your steps shall not be hampered [your path will be clear and open]; and when you run, you shall not stumble... Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright." God's promise in this Scripture is that He will enable us to walk in His covenant, that nothing will hinder the promises in our lives if we will walk in accordance with the covenant He has given us. We will not stumble when we run the race before us, our path will be established and our direction will be in right standing with God. Our Lord is the one who says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding, Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6. Trusting Him even when His ways and our circumstances defy our reason and understanding gives us a depth of relationship built and established on faith. Acknowledging God in all our ways identifies Him as our God, our Lord and Master. It keeps our lives from getting off track and keeps our minds and hearts from going astray. These verses speak of a God, a covenant keeping, promise delivering God who can be trusted in every area of our lives.

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Proverbs 18:10 (Amplified) "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man [upright and in right standing with God] runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] and strong." God is our strong tower, a safe place of refuge from the attacks of the enemy. Being in right standing with God begins with salvation - in Christ we become positionally righteous. It continues through repentance and confession of sin on a regular basis. We must deal with the sin in our lives. Not one of us will ever be perfectly righteous this side of eternity, however, we can come honestly before God and be impoverished in our spirit acknowledging our guilt before God. Daily practicing 1 John 1:9 by confessing our sins, agreeing with God about our nature and our daily transgressions and iniquity does two things: 1.) It cancels the debt by placing it under the New Covenant of Christ's blood payment on the cross, and 2.) Denies the enemy ammunition with which he attempts to accuse us before the Lord when God holds court with him. This verse makes me think of 1 Corinthians 10:13 and how God will not allow anything to come into our lives that He has not already graced us to endure, overcome and be redeemed from. He always provides the way to not only stand under whatever temptation or pressure He allows into our lives... He delivers on His promise to be a strong tower and to deliver us from whatever temptation we face. His promises are to prosper, not to harm us and to give us a hope and future. (Jeremiah 29:11) He is the God who delivers us, redeems us from our trials and provides us with safety and protection even in times of trouble.

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Number 6:24-27 (Amplified) "The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; 26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually). 27 And they shall put My name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them." In this passage we discover a truly rich promise related to the covenant name of God, YHWH. It is the source of our blessing and our relationship with God. In the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6 God gives us these beautiful promises: 1.) Blessing - He will bless us, provide for our needs, deliver us from our enemy and the trying circumstances of our lives and ultimately provide for us the eternal blessing and hope of heaven when this life is through, 2.) He will keep us - watching over us, after us and looking out for us along the way, He will guard us - even our hearts and minds and keep us safe from harm and close to Himself. 3.) God will make His face shine upon us - His glory will be visibly evident as it is manifested in our lives. He will give us enlightenment and reveal truth to us in our relationship with Him, He will be kind and merciful to us in His grace and grant us favor. 4.) When the countenance of God's presence and approval rests upon us it bring peace, calm and tranquility to our lives and our hearts continually. 5.) We will be marked by the very name that speaks covenant with Him to the world and it will bring with it the many evident blessings of God. Our lives will be full. Is this the God you believe Him to be, a God of covenant who keeps His promises and has marked you by His name so that you are truly known as His. He is the Lord, the Lord who blesses, keeps, reveals, promises and endures. He is so worthy of our praise and we should be ever anticipating His blessing, His promises and His glory in our lives everyday.

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As you weigh the Word today, continue to look for how you can Identify with Yahweh, our Lord who meets with us, makes a covenant with us and relates to us in every imaginable way. He is the God who keeps His promises and marks His people for eternity.

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READ Psalm 103 (NKJV)
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1 A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
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2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
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3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
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4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
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5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
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6 The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed.
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7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.
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8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
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9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.
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10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
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11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
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12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
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13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
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14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
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15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
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16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.
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17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children,
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18 To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
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19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.
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20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word.
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21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
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22 Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!
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Be blessed as you go forth walking in intimacy with Jehovah our Yahweh. The God of Covenant who promises us every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus who is our Lord, and the best part is He has already delivered!

"27 Dresses" - Girls Night Out

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Hey Friends. Just wanted to write about the best time I've had in a while with a group of women. My husband and I recently began attending small groups/life groups in our church. A great way to get connected to a church of over 12,000 members.

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Our group leader for couples set up a Girls Night Out for Friday. And, I figured no time like the present to jump in and get to know them. We had a grand time, the movie was wonderfully funny and a little refreshing. Not to give anything away, but the reviews are mostly deeming it "cliche." However, I thought it was a good story about two people with wounds who find out that what they thought they were looking for is not at all what life is all about. Actually, three if you count George, but that is all together another story.
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Beyond the cliche of the story there was regular perusal of alcohol and several bar scenes. A smattering of suggestive sexual content - which had real world type consequences, and a handful of swear words. It was funny, insightful and you could see the growth of the characters during the course of the movie. This movie reminded me of "While You Were Sleeping" with Sandra Bullock.
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Go and enjoy the movie! Take some girlfriends and connect!
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Rated: PG-13Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Theatrical Release: Jan 18, 2008 WideBox Office: $70,649,785
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(This review is from the Plugged In Movie Review at Focus on the Family's Website)
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Penned by Aline Brosh McKenna (who also wrote the screenplay for The Devil Wears Prada), 27 Dresses is a sassy, sometimes crass, sometimes poignant celebration of marriage. It's got foul language. It's got inappropriate sex. It's got drunken karaoke. But it doesn't confuse carnal relations with committed relationships, and that in itself is fairly refreshing in a cinematic world most often devoted to brainless, lesson-less Will Ferrell or Vince Vaughn comedies.
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When they first meet, Kevin tells Jane that "believing in marriage is like believing in Santa Claus." It's a hypocritical spectacle, this "last legal form of slavery," he says, the sole purpose of which appears to be to prop up a battalion of overpaid wedding planners, event caterers and cake decorators. It rarely lasts, so what's the point?
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Statistics suggest that a growing number of Americans agree with Kevin—their actions showing that they somehow believe marriage is an old-fashioned idea with little relevance in today's changing culture. According to a report from Rutgers University, the percentage of folks getting married has been nearly cut in half since 1970. And the number of cohabiting couples has jumped from half a million to nearly 5.5 million in that same time period.
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Jane doesn't buy it. She absolutely refuses to give up on her conviction that weddings—those celebrations that can be solemn, spiritual and whimsical all at once—are an acknowledgement of the power of love, and a promise to forever nurture, foster and celebrate that love.
In the end, even Kevin understands. And that's no laughing matter for a comedy these days.
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Genre: Comedies
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Starring: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Edward Burns, Melora Hardin, Judy Greer

Director: Anne Fletcher
Screenwriter: Aline Brosh McKenna
Producer: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Jonathan Glickman
Composer: Randy Edelman

“In Other Words” When God’s People Pray

Christell is hosting this week's "In Other Words." Stop by her blog to read all about it or click the "In Other Words" link above to find out how you can participate in this challenging and fun MEME!

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“Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.”
2 Chronicles 6:40 (NKJV)

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A number of years ago I was a member of a small rural Baptist church in a community (actually in between two communities) with a population of less than 1,000 people apiece. Our small congregation had built a new church building by faith and was experiencing the normal growing pains and spiritual attacks that a growing and ministering church faces when they are moving in God’s direction. I was among those growing and experiencing the burden of this attack. We had only attended the church for about a year when this season came along… a sifting season. Sifting seasons are interesting to me possibly because it seems I have been through so very many in my recent walk of faith – and as my sweet teacher, Beth Moore says, “Anything that needs siftin’, I want sifted out… Amen?”

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The troubling thing about it was the struggle was prevailing and so many were praying and believing God to change what needed to be changed, but the struggle hurt and it was hard. As I lay on my face in my small office/den/”whatever the need was at the time” room, I pled with God daily to move, to change our hearts: Change our minds, our lives, our desires… God change us all and change me first. I prayed ardently for my pastor, for the services each week and the wonderful people who attended our church. I cried out and carried a burden that I felt would crush me. During this season, I laid not only my heart bare before the Lord. I stood on His promises and had what Henry Blackaby calls “A Crisis of Belief:” A time when my reality and my faith would collide and prove God real to me.

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As the changes came, slowly at first – the changes seemed hurtful, wrong – people were leaving and some of them were angry and wounded. There was dissension in our midst and trouble brewing just below the surface. I found myself writing in my notebook, “This is not about God.” I prayed for pride to be broken among us and healing to take place – I prayed for His love to fall on us and invade us, for God to turn our hearts toward Him. This was the season of my life when I would begin to believe God for big things, step out in areas I would never have dreamed of ministering in and I began to seek God through in-depth Bible study. I had two encounters with God in that year. The first was in doing Henry Blackaby’s study “Experiencing God.”

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I was assigned the task of spending an afternoon seeking God in nature and I was anxious to do it. We were living with my parents at the time so several hours before my children were due home from school on the bus I took a walk down to the creek and brushy landscape full of Texas Cedar trees and prickly pairs, large boulders and snake dens and the most wonderful trickling stream that feeds into the mouth of a cove off Lake Granbury. It was a relatively calm March day that year, the sun sending the first warm rays of the forthcoming spring into my life. It was a season of growth and change. As I picked and stepped, even stumbled marveling at how remarkably small this place seemed, I came upon a small crystal clear pool that had been cut into the limestone bedrock that was the foundation for my childhood playground. I remember catching tadpoles in that pool as a child in the early days of spring and pretending to be pioneers on the wagon trail while the boys were Indians. I sat, tapping my finger on the glassy surface and smiling as the soft waves lapped their way back to the limestone backdrop. I stood and dusted the soft red mud off of my pants before turning and walking further down to the cove. As I walked I began to talk to God, to thank Him for a childhood rich with memories of such a marvelous place. I talked to Him from my heart and smiled at the thought that He was there, walking with me in that moment. Just as I got to the mouth of the cove were the mud grew deeper and wider, I had to leap from one rock to another to make it to my destination. I finally arrived at the edge of the cove where my father taught us to swim on busy summer days when we would take a break from building my father’s dream home.

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He once caught a snake, a water moccasin, in a fish trap and we watched as he hacked it up into little pieces after he crushed its head. I sat fearfully amazed as those snake parts wiggled around on that hot rock. My daddy said that the snake would keep on wiggling until sundown, and somehow I knew it was true. The place where we fished with cane poles and laughed as we swam in lifejackets in the forest green water: It was a place of wonder from my childhood that had turned to precious memories for this adult. I was so blessed in that moment. Just as I stepped up to the water’s edge, I felt the gentle stirring of a wind coming through the trees above my head. The water began to rock gently as the wind softly kissed the top of each wave. A soul stirring moment if I’ve ever had one.

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Just then the warm spring sun began to burn blazing hot, it grew brighter and beat down on me in a warm and flowing rush of heat. I was comforted, encouraged by it. I heard what I thought was the sound of many people running toward me through the trees and leaves I had just trekked through on my way to the cove, but as I turned I found the mightiest rush of wind washing over me in an exhilarating rush of cool, refreshing life. I felt I could not stand as I threw my arms wide and laughed loudly praising God all the way. Just as quickly as the wind had come, it left. I was standing there fully alive and aware of the glorious presence of God. I would describe this moment as a day when God showed up and let me know He was there. It was the first time in my life that I ever experienced the full baptism of the Holy Spirit – the first time in my life when I could say I knew for certain God was real and active in my life.
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A year later I would have a deep baptism into the love of God and that would send me reeling again as I saw God all around me and knew for sure He was personally interested in me. This brings me to the day when God so showed up at church. It was in May 2003, shortly after my rich encounter with God’s love. I sat in church praying as the worship service ended. Things were coming to a boiling point in the congregation and I begged God from my heart to meet with us that morning. He showed up huge. Pastor rounded the pulpit and shared the verse of Scripture I opened this post with.
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As he preached, my heart soared! I was hearing the exact message I had been praying for: A call to our church to step up to pray as a body of believers. Pastor admitted that he felt the church had been riding the previous season of blessing and had forsaken prayer. He told the story of the nation of Israel after Solomon built the temple and how Solomon cried out to God in just the same way our pastor was calling us to pray that day! I could hardly stand it! This was what I had been looking for. He told us to begin to turn our hearts toward God, to cry out to Him as a congregation with one heart and to stand together in prayer. Many felt the Holy Spirit fall in church that morning, God’s presence was palpable.
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When he closed the service he called for the members to consider serving on a committee to build a prayer room within our church. He called us to pray together until the prayer room was completed and for anyone interested to come to a meeting. He closed with this passage of Scripture: “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.” 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 (NKJV).
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In the month that followed many of us met, planned and I was very involved with the assembly and development of the prayer room. We opened it with 72 hours of prayer and in the months that followed, we saw God do a great work among us. The church began to grow, the dissenters left and new, fresh visionaries arrived. We began to flourish and grow as a body, united for the cause of Christ. Prayer requests came in and people signed up for hours of prayer. We posted the prayer requests and praise reports we received on a bulletin board in the lobby and we saw God do so many things in our lives I cannot even recount them all today. Still, God was doing more amazing things in the community of our church. He had set into motion the provision for a community member to give us a $1,000,000 dollar gift. He conveniently arranged for me to grow into a role as Women’s Ministry leader and cultivated the growth of many women of the church through that season. He healed cancer, provided spiritual healing and deliverance from drug addiction. We saw Him heal marriages and take a small children’s ministry and use it to reach an underprivileged group of kids hungry for love and for God through van ministry. We saw people saved and come to repentance… We enjoyed the favor and presence of God in every way. God can move mountains with faith as small as a mustard seed, and when we come together in the name of Christ with unity of mind and purpose seeking the will of God we will see Him do amazing things… sometimes Face to Face!

My Friend Bev's Giving Away A Free Book!

Okay, hop on over to Mrs. Bev's blog and read her post about the leap day give-away. Leave her up to seven of your favorite quotes from your favorite authors and she will put your name in for a drawing of an pre-publication release of John Eldredge's new book due out in a month or so...

You will find our Bev here.

Jehovah Jireh - The LORD will see (to it)

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14 So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide. And it is said to this day, On the mount of the Lord it will be provided.
~Gen 22:14 (AMP)~

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Jehovah Jireh, literally the LORD will see (to it). The name is the combination of two Hebrew words, Strong's 3068 YHWH, (Yehovah) and 7200 (ra'ah). Please see the following definitions from the Hebrew Strong's Dictionary:

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From the Bible Experience 4 - Talking Strongs Bible Dictionary - WORDsearch Corp
STRONG's Hebrew REFERENCE: 3070

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Transliteration: yhwh yirʾeh
Phonetic Pronunciation:yeh-ho-vaw' yir-eh'
Root: from and
Cross Reference:
Part of Speech: n pr loc
Vine's Words: None
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Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV: Jehovahjireh 1 [Total Count: 1]
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from (Yehovah) and (ra'ah); Jehovah will see (to it); Jehovah-Jireh, a symbolical name for Mt. Moriah :- Jehovah-jireh.
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See Also: STRONG'S REFERENCE 3068 (YHWH)

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Hebrew Word: ‏יהוה‎
Transliteration: yhwh
Phonetic Pronunciation:yeh-ho-vaw'
Root: from
Cross Reference: TWOT - 484a
Part of Speech: n pr dei
Vine's Words: Lord
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Usage Notes:
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English Words used in KJV:
LORD-6510, GOD-4, JEHOVAH-4, variant-1 [Total Count: 6519]
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from (hayah); (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God :- Jehovah, the Lord. Compare (Yahh), (Yehovih).

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See Also STRONG'S REFERENCE 7200

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Hebrew Word: ‏רָאָה‎
Transliteration: rāʾâ
Phonetic Pronunciation:raw-aw'
Root: a primitive root
Cross Reference: TWOT - 2095
Part of Speech: v
Vine's Words: See (To), Perceive
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Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
see-879, look-104, behold-83, shew-68, appear-66, consider-22, seer-12, spy-6, respect-5 perceive-5, provide-4, regard-4, enjoy-4, lo-3, foreseeth-2, heed-2, misc-74 [Total Count: 1313]
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a primitive root; to see, literal or figurative (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative) :- advise self, appear, approve, behold, × certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, × indeed, × joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, × be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see (-r, -m, one another), shew (self), × sight of others, (e-) spy, stare, × surely, × think, view, visions.

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From the Lexical Aids: Complete Word Study Old Testament, AMG Publishers
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REFERENCE 3068 - Yehowah: The covenant name of God most prominently known in connection with His relationship with the nation of Israel; also known as the Tetragrammaton. It was never pronounced by the Jews who generally substituted synonyms such as ʾadhōnāy (136). The name is found with reference to God's dealings with men before the flood (Genesis 2:4, 5; 6:3), during the patriarchal period (Genesis 15;1; 27:7; 49:18), as well as during the period of the Law (Exodus 20:2, Deuteronomy 6:4).

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REFERENCE 7200 - Rāʾah: to see; to see intelectually (Job 3:16 [cf. 33:28]), to look; to look at, view, inspect, regard; to perceive (Deuteronomy 4:28; in the sense of hearing, (Genesis 2:19); to feel; to experience (Jeremiah 5:12); to understand; to learn; to live to see; to enjoy (Isaiah 44:16); to show oneself, appear, reveal oneself; to show; to ascertain (Genesis 16:4), to verify (Genesis 26:28); to make one feel or know; to cause to enjoy; to gain understanding (Isaiah 52:15); to be fully aware (in life, Job 4:8); to have a position of trust (2 Kings 25:19); to examine, investigate (Genesis 11:5); to supervise (Genesis 39:23); to attend to (2 Samuel 13:5); to select Genesis 41:33); to observe; to imitate (Judges 7:17); to discover (Judges 16:5). See the Greek horáō (Greek 3708 NT). The Qal participle means seer, prophet, vision, oracle. According to 1 Samuel 9:9ff., this word had been used from ancient times. It is applied to Samuel (1 Chronicles 9:22; 26:28; 29:29) and other prophets (2 Chronicles 16:7, 10). The three words for the functional prophet are found in 1 Chronicles 29:29: rōʾeh (Hebrew 7203), nāvīʾ (Hebrew 5030), chōzeh (Hebrew 2374). "Seer" communicates the means by which a prophet communicates with God, the means by which the revelation was received (1 Samuel 9:9) in relationship to vision (Isaiah 27:8). Rōʾeh is the alternative term for nāvīʾ. Nāvīʾ stressed the objective or active work of the messenger og the Lord in speaking God's Word.

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Wilson's Old Testament Word Studies, Hendrickson's Publishers includes this definition:

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Jehovah, a name applied to God, and rendered LORD in our version, seems to have an especial reference to the purpose of redemption revealed to our first parents after the fall. The promise that "the seed of the woman should bruise the serpant's head" led to the expectation of a Redeemer to come. Eve gave expression to her faith in this promise on the birth of her first-born in saying, "I have gotten a man Jehovah," using the future tense of the verb (to be), Jahveh, or Jehovah; which term became the name used by the Church in future ages of their hope in the promised Saviour. Jehovah in the [Septuagint] is rendered Κύριος, the title subsequently used of Christ in the New Testament; Jireh, to look; to look out anything for oneself, to provide, to choose.
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NOTE: We will be looking at Jehovah next week, and studying mostly from the Strong's and Vine's.
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Vine's definition for See (to), Perceive is:
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verb: rāʾah - (7200) - to see, observe, perceive, get acquainted with, gain understanding, examine, look after (see to), choose, discover." This verb occurs only in Moabite and all periods of Hebrew. It appears in the Bible 1,300 times.
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Basically rāʾah conotes seeing with one's eyes: Isaac's "eyes were dim, so that he could not see" (Genesis 27:1). This is its meaning in Genesis 1:4, its first biblical appearance. The word can be used in the sense of seeing only what is obvious: "... For the Lord seeth not as a man seeth..." (1 Samuel 16:7). this verb can also mean "to observe": "...And there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women that beheld while Samson made sport" (Judges 16:27). The second primary meaning is "to perceive," or to be consciously aware of - so "idols neither see, nor hear" (Deuteronomy 4:28). Third, rāʾah can represent perception in the sense of hearing something - God brought the animals before Adam "to see what he would call them" (Genesis 2:19). In Isaiah 44:16, the verb means "to enjoy: "...I am warm, I have seen the fire." It can also mean "to realize" or "to get acquainted with": "When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth..." (Ecclessiastes 8:16). The rebellious men of Jerusalem tell God they will not "see sword nor famine"; they will not experience it (Jeremiah 5:12).

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This definition goes on to say that the word can also mean to know intuitively, to experience, or to see intellectually in the sense of living.
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I want us to take the time today to seriously peruse all the definitions. While we have been taught that Jehovah Jireh means "the Lord will Provide" it can mean so much more to us if we stop looking at it as a provisional statement and begin to look at it as a relational statement. As we view the verses today, please take the time to relate to God.
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I also want to make the point that in the Hebrew transations that I consulted, the term yireh is specifically related to the fact that God is seen by Abraham. It is the seeing that is important, the perception of God that Abraham came away with. I evaluated copies of the Pentateuch and the entire translation of the Hebrew text for the Old Testament in two different translations found that the translation was the same, the terms Yireh or Jireh indicates that the Lord is seen, not an emphasis on the provision but the Lord who is seen through it. That is why Abraham called that mountain - On the mountain of the Lord, He will be seen. (loose paraphrase)
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The Bible Knowleged Commentary - Old Testament, Walvoord and Zuck, Victor Books has this to say:
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22:9-14. God's intervention - so dramatic and instructive - showed that He never had intended for Abraham to go through with the sacrifice (child sacrifice was not be practiced in Israel) but that it indeed was a test. The Angel of the Lord... stopped Abraham just as the patriarch took in his hand the knife to slay Isaac! Now God knew that Abraham would hold nothing back and that he did in fact fear God. To fear God means to reverence Him as sovereign, trust Him implicitly, and obey Him without question.
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A true worshipper of God holds nothing back from God but obediently gives Him what He asks, trusting that He will provide. The key idea of the entire passage is summarized in the name Abraham gave to the place: YHWH Yir'eh, the Lord will provide (or, "see"; v. 14). The explanation is, On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided (or, "seen," yērāʾeh, v. 14; cf. v.8). This is the basis of the truth often repeated in the Old Testament: The Lord was to be worshipped in His holy mountain by the nation. "Three times a year all the men [of Israel] are to appear [yērāʾeh, "be seen"] before the Sovereign LORD" to worship Him, bringing Him their offerings and sacrifices (Exodus 23:17; cf. Deuteronomy 16:16). The Lord would see (rāʾah) the needs of those who came before Him, and would meet their needs. Thus in providing for them He would be "seen."
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Okay...now we have taken in a lot of INFORMATION! So, just breathe and think. If you need to come back to this after reflecting on it a while, do it. I know I must. Ask God what He wants you to see about Him, let's stop right here and pray.
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Lord, show us who you are through this study. Reveal yourself to us as the God who sees our needs and meets them. Be personal with us, be real and fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that we may have Spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear and may gain wisdom as well as understanding. You are our God and we love You. We ask You to bless us with Your presence today. In Jesus Name I pray all that I have asked for... may Your will be done in our lives. Amen.

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Now, let's look at the context of the one time Jehovah Jireh appears in Scripture: Genesis 22:14. READ Genesis 22:9-14. Abraham is being tested by God. He has been told to take his son to a place God would show him and there sacrifice the child of promise, Isaac. Imagine the angst of Abraham as his flesh warred with what he knew about God. If God indeed was requiring him to sacrifice Isaac, then Abraham trusted God would provide a better way. Just what he had done when he released Ishmael and his mother to the desert only a chapter earlier in this saga. On the journey, Isaac is aware they are going to honor the Lord in sacrifice, he just has no idea that he is the intended sacrificial offering. I love what the Bible Knowledge Commentary says, "He never intended for Abraham to go through with the sacrifice." In other words, God wanted to know if Abraham believed God because He was God or because he had been given Isaac. In our lives, do we trust God because of what we have received from Him or because of who He is? Provision or Relationship?

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Let this test of faith settle on you a moment. Abraham and Sarah longed for children all their lives. Then God delivers a magnanimous promise for delivering to them a child, a seed of many nations, they initially try to help God out, but in His wisdom, God finally makes good and Sarah, in her old age, gives birth to Isaac: A precious child of promise. They have what they longed for, prayed for... believed God for - now they are going to treasure this child, raise him up and they are going to teach him about God so he can carry out the promise God has placed over his life. In this portion of Abraham's journey God is asking Abraham to trust Him completely without reservation. Do you trust God completely without reservation?

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In my own life I had to learn to where my son was concerned. In the final year of his life - nothing was making sense, my prayer requests did not add up to my reality and then in May, 2005, I received the impression that I was about to lose my son. It was as if God was saying, "It's coming. You cannot change it, but will you trust me anyways? Will you stand on my promises even in the very circumstances that frighten you the most? Will you love me in spite of what you see, feel, touch or understand?" I had to cry out yes, to thank Him in the midst of suffering and know that the God I worshipped was bigger than the devestating loss I may have to face. And I did: I praised Him, I believed Him and I cried out to Him - I trusted Him beyond my reality. I testify today, without my relationship and close intimacy with God, I could never have walked through this season of my life. Living out the worst confessed fears of my adult life: outliving one of my children. Our God is faithful. Abraham knew that and he trusted God in spite of the reality that he was about to face.

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Now let's look at how this name of God is evidenced in other passages of Scripture:

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READ Deuteronomy 15:4-6 (AMP) "But there will be no poor among you, for the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess, 5 If only you carefully listen to the voice of the Lord your God, to do watchfully all these commandments which I command you this day. 6 When the Lord your God blesses you as He promised you, then you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you." Okay, consider how this fits into the definitions we have learned today. Jehovah Jireh is a term derived from two words: Jehovah - the covenant name of God, revered by the Jews. It was a name that signified a personal relationship and connection to God. And Ra'ah. Ra'ah indicates vision, seeing or perception. He is our God who sees to our every need. He anticipates them, sees us in our need and makes provision to meet it. Under what Conditions? "If only you carefully listen to the voice of the Lord your God (relationship), and do watchfully all these commandments (obedience)." God does not want our allegiance because we appreciate what He does for us, He wants a loyalty from His children born out of blind trust and relationship. He does not want us to observe the Law without basking ourselves in His glorious love. He wants our obedience to be a natural response to our devotion to Him. His provision is there - He provides for all that inhabit the earth, but special blessings await those who come into relationship with Him, allow His Word to penetrate their hearts and consume their minds and flow from their lives in obedience, trust and love. God is a benevolent, giving God. He sacrificed everything for our sakes, He promises blessings beyond measure - but, we have to be tuned into His voice and living our lives reflecting the relationship we have with Him for it to bring Him glory. The evidence of God's provision makes Him seen. (Bible Knowledge Commentary.)

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READ John 1:29 (AMP) "The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look, there is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" [Exodus 12:3, Isaiah 53:7] God as the provider who sees and meets all our needs. In the passage from Genesis 22, God provided a substitutionary sacrifice to take Isaac's place - a ram. The sacrifice represented the coming Messiah who would make the final sacrifice once and for all. Until Jesus' death on the cross, substitutionary atonement had to be made. Unblemished lambs and others livestock were sacrificed to redeem the unclean and to atone for sin. Think of that... When John made this statement he was saying, "Look, this is the man our fathers and our father's fathers have been waiting for... God's provision is here, the Lamb is provided to atone for our sins completely." Once and for all - the price was paid. Jesus made the way for all who will come to Him and acknowledge Him as God's provision for our sins. Again, what does it require to receive this provision - entering into a relationship with Him, listening for His voice and submitting our lives to Him out of love and gratitude for the grace He offered. We have only to receive it. Look up Exodus 12:3 - this is the account of the Passover. The lamb slain so that death would pass over the house of Israel when the plague of the Firstborn swept through Egypt. A sacrifice provided to spare the lives of God's children. That is who Christ came to be for us, provision for redemption. Think of this: the plague of the Firstborn brought death to all of Egypt's firstborn children. Adam's sin brought death to all who were born to God's firstborn of mankind. Yet Jesus came as Mary's firstborn to be the "Firstborn" [to God and] "of many brothers [us]..." Romans 8:29 (emphasis mine). Think that over... Jesus is God's provision that we may be His brothers. GLORY!!! Glory, she cried... All the Way HOME!

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READ 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (AMP) "Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands [who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind and is standing firm], take heed lest he fall [into sin]. 13 For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He[can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently." Are you taking and soaking all of that into your sweet spirit, one of the most dangerous conditions of the Christian existence is our tendancy to become prideful in our walk with the Lord. We walk in obedience, we learn His ways and then we gain confidence not in Him, but in ourselves. Think of that - this passage in verse 12 is a warning - those who believe they have their feet planted on firm ground - solid rock actually- must still be careful. Why? Because the mighty fall, that's why. Proverbs warns us that Pride goes before the fall, and when our confidence is in what we have done to earn God's favor over what God does to get us out of our pit of sin then we run the risk of not only falling ourselves but taking a few others down with us as we go. Temptation comes to all, no one is spared. Jesus was tempted in the desert - He had to cry out to God in the Garden of Gethsemane to gain strength to face the agonizing death of crucifixion. When we are tempted we must turn to God, rely on Him as the provision for our times of trial and trouble. We cannot rely wholly on our own understanding or track record, we must continually be renewing our mind with the provision of His Word and trusting in the provision of His sacrifice - believing Him for grace to endure the deepest trouble and love to overcome any sorrow. God is our source, our provider - everything is filtered through His hand of grace. He provides the way of escape, but we must be patient to watch for the opening to follow His lead.

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Provision is not a problem for God. He wants to restore His provision to us, but that will not come apart from a trusting relationship where we seek intimacy and obedience as true worshippers who come before Him in reverence and humility desiring that the Lord will be revealed through the provision He has made in our lives. "Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and temble for the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it." Jeremiah 33:9 NKJV
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Do we trust in God for the things in our lives or for who He is? How is our faith when He asks us to sacrifice, to give up for His sake? What happens when the trouble comes - when we run out of money before month... how do we spend what He provides and what does it reflect back to Him? Have we taken provision for granted and do we approach the Throne of Grace with an attitude of entitlement rather than an attitude of gratitude?
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Today as we close, I want to show you a glimpse of the provision God has made for us in Christ. Read through these Scriptures as you Weigh the Word today and note the ways that God has met our need by example in Jesus Christ.
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From the New King James Version

Hebrews

Chapter 2
We must guard against inattention and neglect of God's message through His Son

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1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.

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2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward,

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3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

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4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

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5 For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels.

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6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him?

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7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands.

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8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet." For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.

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9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

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10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

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11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

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12 saying: "I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You."

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13 And again: "I will put My trust in Him." And again: "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me."

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14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

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15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

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17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

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18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
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Hebrews 7:25 "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

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Romans 8:27 "Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

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Luke 22:31 "And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.'"

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When we begin to see everything in our lives from the perspective of God's provision, we begin to recognize how vast and how imcomparable our God truly is. All His answers are Yes and Amen in Jesus Christ. Whatever your need is, Jesus came to meet it - to free you from it and to show you that God is about more than the things He provides, He is the provision Himself.

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(Whew! YOU MADE IT! This was intense today! I pray you were blessed indeed!)

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Feel free to post about this devotion on your own blog and share you own comments. Use the Mr. Linky to provide us a link to your post and then leave a comment. This journey is more special when we share what we learn with Others!

Tuesday’s “In Other Words”: Momma Prayed

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Heather at Titus 2 Woman is hosting this week. Be sure to stop by her blog and check out the other posts.
For More Information about the “In Other Words” Meme click the link at the top of this post and get in on the fun!

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“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna’ get.” - Forest Gump
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“When Momma prayed…” I love this song. You know I think back to my own childhood and how my family rarely darkened the doors of church, but I knew my parents loved the Lord and can remember my parents telling me just a few years ago how they would lay awake at night and pray for me and the choices I was making in my life. I am the result of answered prayers because my momma and my daddy prayed.
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In my own life, I did not know anything about the power of prayer until I landed in the middle of my own parenting crisis. I am the mother to two daughters and one son, and the step-mother of one son and one daughter each. My son, Justin, went home to be with the Lord on August 23, 2005 at the age of 17 years after a hard fought battle for his life following a car accident eight days earlier. Not only was he fighting for his life with the help of doctors and encouragement of family, but spiritual warfare was taking place as well as I and my family and friends from church hit the battle lines as prayer warriors for his young life.
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In the year before Justin’s accident we had come face to face with the reality that more than one of our hopes and dreams for his life might very well have been shattered by reckless choices and a mental illness that was growing in depth and reach in his life by the day. On October 4, 2004, my husband was readying himself for work and I was groggily wandering toward the bathroom when our home phone rang. My husband, much more alert than I, picked the phone up and checked the caller ID. I was deeply concerned as he read, “Wise County Sheriff?” He started to hand the phone to me, but I shook my head and muttered, “You answer it.” I was sure they were contacting us concerning my parents, after all my children were in bed upstairs. There was no way anyone was calling us about them.

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Scott took the call and I could hear the muffled mail voice on the line ask to speak to me. As I took the phone and listened to the dispatch officer’s voice my mind scrambled for clarity. Justin was out in an alley in town at 5:30 AM and I didn’t know about it? How could that have happened? The officer gave me the address and instructions and I hung up shaking and contemplating what to do next. I didn’t even know what to think or do… I just felt like quitting, or killing him – I really couldn’t decide.
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I turned to my husband and said, “We have to go get Justin, and you have to go with me because I might kill him and murder is illegal. The police are there.”
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We walked quietly to the car, my head still spinning from the relief of knowing he was okay and the anger of realizing he was out breaking the law and having to be picked up from the police. You see, I had been leading women’s ministry at my church for about a year and I was working hard to keep my family on the right track, but no matter how hard we tried – Justin always seemed to slip right off into the ditch. We did everything, counseling with the pastor, seeking mentors in the godly men of our church, sending him to every youth activity we could think of and praying over him, teaching him and guiding him. In that car that morning as the cold mist loomed ominous in the air I told God, “I don’t want to do this anymore. I mean, God what am I supposed to do – I don’t want to be his mother anymore.”
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God began to work on my heart all the way up that dark and lonely street until we saw the lights glowing in the alley behind his friend’s house. I saw my son standing in the dim glow from the headlights of the patrol car and tears wet my eyes. He was wearing a white, grunged up, t-shirt with three large wooden crosses emblazoned across the front, the word SALVATION written in large red letters underneath. As I shook my head in disbelief God gave me a picture of that child as an infant. The little baby boy I brought home from the hospital and then in a flash I saw my young son in a suit as a man teaching young people about Jesus. I couldn’t even think straight, I can still hear the words running through my mind, “You have to be his mother now because I gave him to you then and you have to help him become who I created him to be.”
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I released the door handle on the car and slid from my warm seat to the ground. I walked numbly up to the officer, Officer St. Claire of the Rhome Police Department, and never let my eyes leave my son once. I nodded as the officer spoke, but I don’t recall a word he said. All I could do was open my heart with love to my son and what he must have been going through. His large frame standing with his hands shoved in his oversized jean pockets, his baseball cap cocked to one side and his head hung low. I was frightened for and compassionate toward him all at the same time. We later learned that he was struggling to keep his mind under control, unable to sleep at night he was dabbling in alcohol and drugs and he cried that night as he came clean about the drugs he had tried and the problems he had been secretly working to handle on his own.

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We took him to the doctor that week and had him drug tested, the test came back negative to his credit. We also learned he was dealing with Bi-Polar disorder and he was placed on medication. He returned to school and things got better for a while. The entire church seemed to be praying for my child. When I confessed I didn't know what to pray anymore, my pastor’s wife gave me a Scripture, Philippians 1:6 and I began to pray it along with about ten other Scriptures over his life. I hoped that this would be the season of change in his life – and it was a season of change, none of it for the better.
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By early 2005, my son was in and out of trouble again at school. He was back running with the same crowd he had been with before though we tried to limit his exposure. We found it hard to keep up with his every move. One morning I sat in a meeting with his principal and the special education instructors as we determined he was going to be placed in a disciplinary alternative education setting. I looked at him with pure love as I wondered what was going on in his mind. His clothes were wrinkled, unwashed for days and the faint odor of sweat and urine mingled with his cologne seemed to be filling the room and my senses. He refused to bathe and the evidence was laced underneath his fingernails and in his grimy hair. At this point he sat beside me dejected trying to understand what was being proposed. He read through the paperwork, as a young adult he wanted to decide what was best for himself. He didn’t understand it and asked me questions, which I answered. He finally nodded his head and agreed. Signing his scrawl across the line marked “student.” I signed below his name and the decision was made. He was 17 years old and spending the remainder of his sophomore year of school in DAEP.
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The next few months would hold more bumps, potholes, pit falls and even some devastating explosions. By the spring the police were at our house regularly each week and my son was doing one reckless thing after another. In a fit of rage one afternoon he kicked a large dent into my car and hacked up our rose bush with a golf club. That was the last straw for my husband, he called 911 and we filed a complaint against him for criminal mischief. I watched with silent tears as they took my son away in handcuffs.

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I can remember taking his calls, and him begging me to bail him out… but I couldn’t. I prayed with him in those hours on the phone, I told him how much I loved him and how I hoped he was really seeking God from where he was in jail. When I wasn't speaking to him by phone, I wrote him letters. Heartfelt pleas for him to seek God to the uttermost. A cry from my mother's heart to God for redemption of my son.

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Justin had said he was reading a Bible the chaplain had given him and a Tim LaHaye book from the jail library. He pled out the charges 7 days after we had him arrested and we picked him up. He seemed different, he knew Proverbs 3:5-6 by memory and turned right to it as he told me God gave it to him in jail. This verse would come to be life to me as I lived out the days after his death trying to make sense of everything. All the while, I was asking God why He had not answered my prayers. Why everything in my son’s life seemed to be moving constantly from bad to worse… I told God I didn’t understand… and I still prayed Philippians 1:6: "Please God, complete the good work you began in him at salvation."
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By the end of May I was no longer asking God for answers, I was thanking Him for them by faith. I had attended a funeral for a young woman I had known as a teenager. She had been in a car accident. I remember leaving that funeral feeling I was going to lose my son and that God was preparing me for that journey. The one person I confided in told me we were going to refuse to accept that. Yet, the sense of loss settled all over me and never quite left the quiet recesses of my heart. As spring turned into summer my son began to own the consequences of his choices. Things settled down, he had another encounter with God and by August he seemed to realize he needed to get his GED, something we had encouraged him to do, and a good job to help him work through his probation and get on with his life.
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On August 15, 2005, we were waiting to hear about his job interview and drug test from the weekend and he was scheduled to begin GED classes that evening. But, none of that would come to pass – Justin instead was in a hospital by 2:00 PM and lay in that bed in a coma for 8 days before going home to be with the Lord.

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I at first prayed for a hallelujah miracle recovery that would set everyone to praising and whooping glory to the Lord. But by the end of the week I begged God to have mercy on my son, to make the decision clear and give me peace to accept whatever happened.

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I remember clearly one day a couple of months after the funeral when I had settled with the insurance companies. I was on my way to the bank to deposit the rather large check. Tears streamed down my face as I asked God how this could be the answer to my prayer requests for God to bless us. I can still hear those words rolling through my mind and my heart as I drove along that day, “I completed the good work I began in him the day he came home to heaven.”
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I don’t know if he says it or not, but I know what a difference it made to my son and his life when his momma prayed.

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END NOTE: It has been a while since I really recounted this story in writing. Last night I went to a wonderful class at church about learning to hear God's voice by meditating on the Word. I was telling a friend about my desire to give everyone in my life a "Birthday Blessing" this year. More than just the Birthday Verse you can pull off the internet, but a real blessing. I go through the entire Bible looking at every verse containing the month and day of a particular birthday until I settle on one, then I make a certificate with their first name and its meaning on the top, followed by their verse and a prayer or note of blessing and encouragement with the date. It is only a few weeks until Justin's Birthday, and each year our observation of this day has been so different - still we honor the day in some magnificent way!

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Last night, I could not sleep as I lay awake contemplating the day when suddenly a realization flashed before my eyes. Justin's life verse - the one he received in jail - the reference is Proverbs 3:5-6 (If you take the reference chapter 3 for the month of March, and add together the verse references 5+6= 11) it is the month and day of his birth - March 11, 1988. I could hardly believe it as the comfort in the moment washed over me anew. I will leave you with this verse: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight." (Not sure if this is a firm translation or my own paraphrase - I type it from memory these days.)