What could God be saying right now # I?
In 2010 the Father spoke to Meryl and me. It was not the kind of calling moment most of us long for. By the flawed limits of our humanity, we generally tend toward comfort, convenience and abundance. This was not one of those moments. After 14 years of hard labor, with a rather remarkable team, we saw Southlands Church move from great brokenness to the first fruits of healing and restoration. She was beginning to look really beautiful.
Then the Father spoke to us to hand on the leadership of this beautiful community and move on to an unchartered "road less travelled". This was probably the most difficult thing the Father ever asked us to do. We did not want to do that. I think it was the closest I came to resisting the will of God for our lives.
Meryl had to find her own comfort and sense of reassurance. Two things the Father said to her during those dark days held her in grace even when she was fragile and her faith faltered. The first was from Isaiah when the text read to her: "I would rather walk in darkness than by the light of my own torch". Then the second was from the Narnia series when Lucy was the only one of the children who believed that Aslan was still around. To Meryl's beautiful mind and imagination, the Lord said "Will you trust me if all that you have is a flick of my tail?"
Trying to make sense of these times is not easy or simple. It requires much humility and trust to find the Lord in times of such "uncertainty, unknowing and uncontrollable". (Dave Gibbons).
I was out praying about a week ago and asked the Lord to speak to me…"what part of yourself are you trying to reveal to us in these times?" I felt like I heard him say “I am serious”. Now I don’t know how you hear the Lord. God generally speaks to me in short phrases and that is enough. In a time where the mercy of God, the love of God and the grace of God is made much of, we can be forgiven for getting a biased perspective on the person and purpose of God. Remember Solomon wrote in his proverbs that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. God is serious.
In fact he is so serious that in Amos, this short prophetic book of messages, poetry and visions starts off in chapter 1 vs 2 with "The Lord roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem"
What is that roar? I suspect it is the Lion's roar of both ruling king and a deep guttural pain …maybe weeping for the rebellion of his people. Maybe the Lion is grieving...
What could the Father grieving about? Amos gives us a peep into the throne room.
‘I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
The Lion is roaring. Amidst the pain, grief and anxiety, the Lion is roaring. More than finding a simple solution through the sudden lock down, we have to find Him who is sovereign and true.
We will further explore what the Father could be saying over our next blog conversations. What a way to land with C.S. Lewis-
“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Then the Father spoke to us to hand on the leadership of this beautiful community and move on to an unchartered "road less travelled". This was probably the most difficult thing the Father ever asked us to do. We did not want to do that. I think it was the closest I came to resisting the will of God for our lives.
Meryl had to find her own comfort and sense of reassurance. Two things the Father said to her during those dark days held her in grace even when she was fragile and her faith faltered. The first was from Isaiah when the text read to her: "I would rather walk in darkness than by the light of my own torch". Then the second was from the Narnia series when Lucy was the only one of the children who believed that Aslan was still around. To Meryl's beautiful mind and imagination, the Lord said "Will you trust me if all that you have is a flick of my tail?"
Trying to make sense of these times is not easy or simple. It requires much humility and trust to find the Lord in times of such "uncertainty, unknowing and uncontrollable". (Dave Gibbons).
I was out praying about a week ago and asked the Lord to speak to me…"what part of yourself are you trying to reveal to us in these times?" I felt like I heard him say “I am serious”. Now I don’t know how you hear the Lord. God generally speaks to me in short phrases and that is enough. In a time where the mercy of God, the love of God and the grace of God is made much of, we can be forgiven for getting a biased perspective on the person and purpose of God. Remember Solomon wrote in his proverbs that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. God is serious.
In fact he is so serious that in Amos, this short prophetic book of messages, poetry and visions starts off in chapter 1 vs 2 with "The Lord roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem"
What is that roar? I suspect it is the Lion's roar of both ruling king and a deep guttural pain …maybe weeping for the rebellion of his people. Maybe the Lion is grieving...
What could the Father grieving about? Amos gives us a peep into the throne room.
- Spiritual lethargy that comes through luxury (Amos 6:1 - 5)
- Worship of self created idols (Amos 2:4 - 5)
- God’s ache that "You did not return to me" 5 times (Amos 4)
- No sense of seeking him (Amos 5:4,6,14)
- Complete loss of righteousness and justice (Amos 5:21-24) New International Version
‘I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
The Lion is roaring. Amidst the pain, grief and anxiety, the Lion is roaring. More than finding a simple solution through the sudden lock down, we have to find Him who is sovereign and true.
We will further explore what the Father could be saying over our next blog conversations. What a way to land with C.S. Lewis-
“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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