Jesus Sighed

By Tawna Wilkinson

                                                                                                 

                                                                         JESUS SIGHED

 “And He took him aside from the multitude, put His finger in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” (Mark 7:33, 34 NKJV)

Prior to this verse, Jesus had gone to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Having arrived there, He goes into a private home wanting “no one to know.” But, it says, “He could not be hidden.” For a Gentile woman, having a demon-possessed daughter, found out where He was and persistently begged Him to heal her; cutting short His privacy. (Mark 7:24, 25 NKJV)

Now He’s traveled back through the region of Decapolis, where previously His fame exploded where in the midst of seeking solitude and rest, the multitude pursued Him and He wound up spending the entire day healing and feeding 5000 plus people.

Now, while looking for space again, He has yet another multitude hot on His heels begging for healing. He heals. But in the midst of it, when they bring a deaf/mute to Him, He curiously “took him aside.”

Why? 

According to Matthew’s account this wasn’t the only person with a similar issue. What was different? Why the unusual treatment?

And why does Mark’s record add that after Jesus spits and puts His fingers in the man’s ears, He looks up to heaven, and sighs?

The word sigh in this passage means: to make, or be in straits; to murmur; to pray inaudibly, with the connotation of grieving or groaning. It’s the same word used when it speaks of the Spirit’s groanings in Romans 8:26:

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

Here’s what I think.

Jesus is tapped.

He’s dog-tired and doesn’t know how to pray for this one, even though He’s been healing many to this point. Once again, rest and the need for quiet have eluded Him.

He’s had to deal with power going out of Him during ministry; and He’s weak and speechless. And in that place, Jesus looked up to heaven, and breathed a groaning prayer: He sighed, and the man was healed.

What an encouragement!

Although I haven’t been in the place of administering healing to thousands, I have given of myself, been past tired, and in need of solitude, just to have it interrupted, time and again.

And my Jesus, being 100% human when He walked this earth doing all He did, says to me in this passage, “I completely understand weakness and the need for solitude. Keep following Me. And when you are worn out, and have no words, look to heaven, breathe a sigh, and watch what I will do.” 

GRACE FLAKES

Your grace falls softly like snowflakes…gently…uniquely. 
Collectively the crystals gather, illuminating our
darkness even in the night when we crave your presence
or forget you are as near to us as you are.
                  
We watch flakes grow smaller then big again and sense the wooing to calm our spirits, to rest in this blanket of love, to accept the miracle of nourishment, both to earth and our inner soil and soul.


As more flakes grow into tall mounds of white help us remember we are safe,
That snow angels encamp about us outside. Continue to protect us as we trust you to be our refuge in times of trouble and stress.

 Let us feel the soft feathers of your winged love regardless of cold, flood and angst. Remind us that stilling ourselves in you brings peace that passes understanding

My Psalm 23 Prayer

By Tawna Wilkinson

                                   

Ten years ago, during a very dark night in my life, Psalm 23 came to me in a breathtaking shaft of light. The truth is that “common” scripture I memorized as a child, and heard over and over, literally saved my life in those moments of terror. It gifted me with a strange peace I was extremely thankful for.

A few weeks back, a circumstance presented itself – just one more, in a long line of challenges since the death of my dad 15 months past. I had a bout with appendicitis. Although the intensity of the experience was not nearly as dramatic as my “dark night”, or the death of my dad…. it was tough.

And on one particular night while still in the hospital, I hit a point of deep discouragement. And the Lord brought me back to Psalm 23 in an intriguing form of encouragement. He invited me to say it to Him, in my own words, as a prayer of thanksgiving; as if my life was already complete.

This is what I prayed:

“You Lord, were always my Shepherd. Throughout my life You caused me to lie down, repeatedly in soft, green pastures. You led me beside peaceful, still waters. And You lovingly and gently stored, and re-stored my soul.

Papa, all of my life You led me in Your sweet paths of  righteousness, for the sake of Your holy and beautiful name.

Even though I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I have feared absolutely nothing, because You are still with me.

Your rod and Your staff, although hard, comforted me many times. As I knew that those whom You love You discipline.

More than once You laid out a feasting table for me to sit at in the very presence of the enemy of my soul. 

Over and over, You abundantly anointed my head with oil; my cup overflowed.

Surely goodness and mercy did more than follow me all the days of my earthly life. I not only lived on this earth in Your presence. But am now living in it with You, forever.”

The comfort I was absorbed in as I chose each word was profound. To thankfully pray my version of Psalm 23 to Him as if I had actually entered eternity gifted me with another breathtaking shaft of light. He shed peace on my past, recent past and future. And He filled me once again, with a quiet calm regarding my present situation.

Contentment...What Is It?

By Tawna Wilkinson

Contentment…what is it? A thing to be grasped? Illusive, but right in front of me? A dream when awakened it vanishes? A mystery never to be understood? Something to strive for and never attain? We all desire it, yet curiously fight it, choosing not to give in.

Contentment…what is it? A state of being. An attitude of the heart and mind. Never to be grasped, but fully embraced. Illusive, yet visible. A dream to be lived completely awake. A mystery understood, but never solved. When one has attained, it cannot be measured.

Contentment…what is it? Heaven on earth – indescribable and yet, it’s like the flower that blooms, though no one sees. The tree that stands regardless of the harsh winds. The human being accepting the Divine Influence on his heart and reflecting it in his life, no matter what assaults or what blessing is sent.

Contentment…what is it?  My challenge and joy.

Flowing in Grace

By Nancy Turley

"The clearest evidence that God's grace is at work in our hearts is when we do not get into a panic."  Oswald Chambers

“Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

The word I felt God gave me for 2015 was “Grace.” I love that word. I love the concept. My name, Nancy, means gracious. It’s a trait I am growing into. I wondered if one of the reasons God gave me this word for this year was not only that I needed to grow into it–to be able to give it more–but also, that I might need to receive it. For my birthday my sister Carol gave me a necklace with a swan on it because it was indicative of grace. Part of the description of the swan said that they were graceful. Though that applies to the swan much more than me, I do want to be "grace-full."

Recently a friend replied to a special request for prayer from me that she would listen to the Spirit as she prayed to “simply move to the unforced rhythm of grace.” It came as a hopeful admonition to me as well, as I loved this translation of “Come until me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest…” in Matthew 11. 

This was a new take for me to think of moving in the “rhythm” of grace, and more so, unforced rhythm. One never knows what is around the corner, both good and bad. I wonder how the rhythm of life connects with the unforced rhythm of grace. 

There will be many times where we need to flex, where we need to flow like a river that navigates slow curve bends—those longer stretches of life. We long for answers and movement but do not get immediate replies.

There are other situations where we feel like we are pushed into a narrowing canyon while in a fast current and are suddenly just dropped down a waterfall chute. Where then is that unforced rhythm of grace when we feel we are out of control? How can we flow with the rhythm of life, and yet be in an unforced rhythm of grace?

Perhaps it is like being thrown overboard while canoeing or rafting. We point our feet downward, life jacket snug around our chests, and are navigated around the rocks by hands of grace. Instead of being forced out of control, while we are in the current, grace gently guides us around obstacles. We are buoyed by grace as we flow with the current.

I was actually in that situation once where a friend and I capsized from our canoe as we went through Class III rapids on the Colorado River. I remember being guided by others still in their canoes to go with the current’s flow and put our feet downward. About a half mile later, we moved from the fast moving water to slower water. As we flowed with the current, knowing others watched and guided us, we felt we would be safely rescued.

Perhaps that is how we accept God's grace and allow it to work in our hearts...instead of panicking, we choose to rest during those times we feel so heavy laden. We flow in that unforced rhythm of grace.

In All Circumstances

By Esther Belin

 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  ~ 1 Thess. 5:16-18 NIV

During a recent season of practicing this verse, I started reading The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. This book was the perfect companion to this season because I was drawn to examine my circumstances. Corrie hid Jewish people in her home during World War II and later became a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. She lived in daily dread and constant pressure, yet she allowed her circumstances to reveal God’s power regardless of the times she had no idea how she was going to do what needed to be done. I have read several secular texts about the Jewish concentration camps that were grueling to read because they tended to focus on the evil of humanity (sin). Oddly, her memoir was a blessing to me because of her perspective to glorify God – which many times was prompted by her sister, Betsie. Rather than focusing on each set back, each moment of injustice, the sisters focused on God’s power for daily existence – truly living out 1 Thess. 5:16-18 – by being joyful always, praying continually and giving thanks in all circumstances.

This command is simple yet requires a consistent posture, an intentional effort to make fine-tune adjustments in order to hear from God so that you may do His will. I have the luxury of so many choices, so many ways to worship God/not worship God, to be focused/to be distracted. While I enjoy my freedom to choose, I also allow that freedom to become an agent for the enemy. I am ashamed to reveal how I reposition God to fit my choices. The result is an entanglement of exhaustive busyness – a “chasing after the wind” (Ecc. 1:14). The choice to follow Him requires a keen awareness to the tension needed for stretching my spiritual muscles. When I am “chasing after the wind” – my choice is to forego stretching and sag toward complacency, waywardness.

I am in wonderment of the delicate nature of being in God’s will. At one point in the book, Corrie and Betsie prayed a simple prayer giving thanks for their latest living quarters that included a swarm of fleas! At the time, Corrie’s heart was troubled to give thanks for a flea infestation, but she obeyed God’s command. Later, Corrie revealed how that horrible flea infestation created hours of opportunity to freely witness to others since their work station was so badly infested that even the guards dare not enter. While she and Betsie enjoyed a work detail free from the harsh watch of guards, they also were constantly flea-bitten! During this time of constant spiritual stretching, they were continually praying, giving thanks in all circumstances. The practice of continually exercising their spiritual muscles tapped them into Christ’s power to endure the emotional and physical torture.  

As Christ followers, I know we are not promised a life of ease; we are however able to stand on Christ’s promises – of new life, of provision, of perfect timing. I have been in the cycle of the whirl – chasing the wind – seeking a formula rather than seeking the One who can rescue me from this cycle. 

Corrie’s story is fantastical not because of the suffering but because of God’s presence in the midst of her suffering. Staying in the presence of God is doable yet when His presence involves long-suffering, meekness and temperance, I tend to seek more desirable fruits of the Spirit. I want the love, joy, peace. I want to pick my own basket of fruit! O, how I stumble – O, how I seek shelter under God’s veil of mercy. I tell God that I am His servant yet I balk and tug at the first sign of arduous tasks; I resist eating fruits of patience and self-control. I resist God’s sovereignty as the master gardener – the One who prunes, the One who holds the blueprints of my purpose.  

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit  he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:2).  

When doing a word study on this verse, I meditated on the difference between cutting off branches and pruning branches. The cutting off is generally done to branches that are withered and already dead perhaps never reaching their full potential. They are cut off from the vine to allow the remaining branches to bear fruit. Pruning is done to healthy fruit-bearing branches in order to continue the process of bearing more fruit. Both scenarios are part of the master gardener’s plan and both scenarios are painful.

Dear Readers, now when fruits of long-suffering, meekness and temperance are served to me, I fondly think of Corrie and Betsie – sweet sisters in Christ who I am looking forward to meeting one day in heaven – and quiet my soul to be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances.

What do you focus on during the process of pruning and cutting? Are you tempted to "pick your own fruit"?

3 Reasons to Keep the Sabbath

By Jill Palmer

For some reason the modern Christian culture is a wee bit terrified of the word Sabbath. Or maybe we aren't terrified of it, maybe we just don't understand it. Either way we don't see the practice of a Biblical sabbath as a necessary part of our Christian walk. I want to challenge that way of thinking.

The word "rest" is a word the Holy Spirit has been echoing in my head over and over for several years now. My physical body, my soul and my spirit have been crying out for rest but my mind just couldn't figure out what that looked like much less how to do it. Like a funnel that starts out wide, so was this idea of rest. And as a funnel narrows, so did this idea, narrowing into the practice of sabbath.

Like many of us, I thought I was already sabbathing. I spend several hours at church on Sundays, not just because I'm the pastor's wife but because I truly enjoy worshiping with my church family. Isn't that what sabbath is? What I discovered through study was far different than my understanding! God wasn't saying to pause and go to church. He said to stop and delight in me. This is a holy day - a day set apart. A day that looks different than every other day of your week.

For me this meant no work (no returning emails or non-emergency communication), no household chores (bills, dishes, laundry etc..), no media (TV, computer, iPads and cell phones). Add in family activities, not to be busy but to be together (includes, but isn't limited to, hiking, biking, playing games, painting etc...), reading time (Bible and other books I want to catch up on), napping (love this one!), slowing down everything! It's a delight to discover what I love to do and what my family loves to do!

And the benefits?! Oh my goodness! God totally knew what He was doing when He included the sabbath in the 10 Commandments.

1) It's about our identity. The Israelites had been slaves for 400 years! Since the time of Joseph they had lived and worked in Egypt. Working for Pharaoh 24/7. Hard, hard labor! Exhausted they cried out to God for a deliverer. God heard their cries and raised up for them a leader - Moses. Moses led his people out of Egypt and miraculously across dry land through the Red Sea. Once there, God gave His people the commandments and established a new nation. Part of their teaching was "self-care" and identity.

This one commandment - the 4th commandment - immediately elevated the Israelites. No longer were they slaves having to work tirelessly every single day. God said to rest. Take one full day off a week. Trust in Him for provision. They are far more valuable than the work they do. They have value and worth because of Who He is. We have value and worth because of Who He is. We are loved, not because of what we do but because of who we are.

No longer are we slaves to this world (money, work, sports etc...). We have love, value and worth because of our Creator. Stopping for a full 24 hours reminds us of our new identity in Christ.

2) It's about loving ourselves. We aren't very good at taking care of ourselves. Truly we don't know our own limitations. Thankfully we know a God Who does. He knows what we are capable of and what we can't possibly do. He knows that we don't fully understand our new identity so we work and work and work trying to prove to ourselves and to others something that He already knows.

Why do we insist on working and serving beyond the point of burnout? In wanting to feel needed and important, we miss the signals that say we are reaching capacity. Instead we try to cram more in. More activities, longer hours. More. And then we reach burnout. Not the destination we were aiming for but because we've missed the signs that say turn before you fall off this cliff, we find ourselves in that exact spot. Mad at people. Mad at the church. Mad at God.

We must listen to, and love ourselves before we reach this point. By intentionally making sabbath a priority we are slowing down to listen to God and ourselves. Are we reaching burnout? If so, we can hear it and act accordingly before we go over the edge.

3) It's about engaging in now. Our lives are inundated with information, media, work...distractions. There is so much noise in the world around us we often miss the now that is happening...well...now! We miss the beauty of a sunset, the smell of flowers, the sound of our loved ones laughing, the feel of gentle sunshine on our faces, the sweet whisper of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the thrill of doing something we actually love. We miss the now because of the worry of the future or the regret of the past. We spend so much time going from task to task and being concerned about what's happening everywhere else but here. Our senses are on overload!

Sabbath allows us to stop and engage in the now. We don't have to be concerned with a to-do list or what's next list. We can shut out the noise and listen to the things that are quieter and oftentimes sweeter. We can hear what's really inside of ourselves and inside of our loved ones. We can hear the sweet voice of Jesus reminding us who we are, His love for us, He plans for us, the battles He wins for us. It anchors us and brings us back to now.

The sabbath is an invitation from the Lord to enter into His rest. It's not a duty or a responsibility. It's a delight! And I believe it's life-changing. 

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. 

Psalm 23:1-3a

A beautiful reminder from my Shepherd.