Saturday, September 01, 2007

Desolate sanctuary

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Daniel 10, 11, 12; Psalm 119:49-72

Daniel 9:17-19 (NIV)

[Daniel prayed]: “Now, our God, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay because your city and your people bear your Name.”

Good morning!

Daniel’s prayers are powerful. He had such a strong relationship with the Lord, it is no wonder Daniel could understand and interpret dreams and see the visions of God. How I long to apply the lessons learned from the life example of this special man of God.

There is no doubt that Daniel knew God hears and answers his every prayer. Where does that kind of confidence come from? Do you ever wonder whether the Lord is hearing you? Many people become discouraged in prayer because they do not see the answer immediately. Some prayers take a lifetime to answer, and there are many prayers that may not be resolved in our lifetime. For instance, look at how long the faithful have prayed for Christ’s second coming. He is coming again, as Scripture promises - there is no doubt of it. The time seems near, and yet, God’s timing is not our timing. His perfect plan will be revealed when He chooses. And for those of us who are anxiously waiting to see Him again, sometimes we wonder, “Why not now?” Generations have pondered the same thing. Some people have even tried to pinpoint the day and hour of Christ’s return. Jesus himself said that no one would know the day or hour of His coming. He instructed the believers to be ready, to keep their lamps lit, and to pray, watch and wait. This is just one example of a prayer that has not yet been fulfilled.

I have asked God the question, “Why me, Lord?” Have you ever asked God why something has happened in your life? Maybe you’ve suffered some sort of abuse as a child. Someone you loved and trusted left you after promising they would stay with you forever. Maybe you’ve lost a parent or child or grandchild to death and the grief has been so overwhelming, you couldn’t help but ask God why He would allow this. Illnesses, injuries, and unplanned, sudden tragedies leave us asking God, “Why me?” Sometimes God reveals His answer to us immediately, and sometimes His answer takes years to discover. We can become stubborn and hard of hearing when God reveals His answer to us and it is not what we really want to hear. Have you ever ignored the voice of the Lord when His answer was not the one you expected to hear? I asked a big “why me” question that continued for almost forty-one years. Bad things happen to good people, and sometimes bad things happen to innocent little children. I wondered and waited, stewed and steamed about something that hurt me deeply when I was a kid. It wasn’t until our grandson Jett came to live with us for a short time in 2004 that I finally began to understand “why me.” We have a very special bond. Jett and I understand each other and that makes our relationship unique. Had I not had personal life experience to draw from, I would have not had the sensitivity and camaraderie with this precious one of God. I imagine Jett and I will always be close knit, simply because of one shared experience forty-one years apart in time. God answered my why question when He gave me this precious little boy to love.

Daniel never beat around the bush when it came to confessing sin. He made it the centerpiece of every conversation. Daniel put himself in the place of his people. He asked God to look with favor upon His desolate sanctuary. There are times when I feel like a desolate sanctuary, empty and dark, filled with shame and wondering if this pain will ever end. When we daily confess our sin, it’s like sloughing off the dry skin that blocks our pores from breathing every time we bathe. It is a spiritual cleansing, opening ourselves up to the healing power and grace of God. Think about confessing your sin every time you shower. It is a visual for what you are ridding yourself of spiritually – the dirt and grime that keeps you from feeling clean and redeemed. Like a child begging for a handout from the bank of Mom and Dad, sometimes we get in such a hurry to ask God for the things we want that we forget to ask Him for the most important thing of all – His forgiveness. We must come before the Lord in perfect humility, knowing He is the only One who has the power to redeem us for everlasting life.

Take a closer look at the prayers of Daniel today. If you are feeling like a desolate sanctuary, step into the shower of God’s grace and love. Confess your sin, and ask Him for the forgiveness you so desperately need. He hears and answers every prayer you pray. Sometimes the answer is immediate. Many prayers take years before we see the end result. We may never know some of the answers to our prayers in this life. Trust God in all things, no matter what your circumstance, knowing He knows your heart, hears your cries for help, and answers your every prayer.

It is time to come clean and offer the Lord your whole heart. Won’t you join me in prayer today?

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: a cleansing shower of grace and mercy from above. Like Daniel, we can confess our sin and ask for redemption, knowing God hears and answers our every prayer. God takes the desolate sanctuary in each of us and revives it for Kingdom work. Are you willing to allow Him to clean up your life, once and for all?

___________________________________________

© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Soul security

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Daniel 7, 8, 9

Daniel 2:19b-23 (NIV)

Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said, “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. 21 He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells in Him. 23 I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

Good morning!

There are times when being a visionary is like living in a nightmare. Have you ever tried to see the good in a pitiful set of circumstances? Have you ever clung to the hope that there will be a better day, even when there is no concrete evidence to support your thesis? Are you an eternal optimist, much to the dismay of those around you?

Daniel was a true visionary. He, along with thousands others, found themselves held in captivity in Babylon. He was surrounded by the pagan belief system of the Babylonian empire, serving their kings for sixty years. This would have been more than enough to discourage even the most positive person. Still, Daniel refused to live in fear and despair. He knew, without a doubt, despite any circumstance or situation, God was holy and faithful. His plan for salvation would work itself out in God’s timing and in God’s way. Daniel trusted in the “soul security” of Almighty God.

Soul security is a gift of God and this comforts me every day. Like a revolving bank card with unlimited resources, I can draw from the Lord’s savings account and immediately receive His peace that passes all understanding, even when life seems hopeless. God’s reservoir of love never dries up or runs out when you claim His sovereignty over your life. Admitting that God is sovereign means that you are willing to let go of your desire to control the outcome. Trusting God’s sovereignty is surrendering your free will to the will of the Father, not just in some things, but in all things. We can learn a lot from the faithfulness of Daniel. He refused to dwell in the present. He was forward thinking, always hopeful, and willing to allow the Lord to reveal His bigger picture to him.

Daniel was a dreamer. Many of the dreams I have had throughout my life I cannot recall in full. So many of them made so little sense, and what I remember most are the scariest parts. Daniel’s dreams were like living nightmares. God revealed glimpses of great mysteries and the “distant future” to Daniel and he was willing to listen, see and write what he saw. Daniel praised God for the gift of vision. He said, “[God] reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers; you have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

Would you be willing to dream the dreams of Daniel? How much faith does it take to see beyond the pain and suffering of a world that continues to struggle? We experience the ravages of disease, and suffering every day. We only need to walk as far as a hospital emergency room to see someone suffering extreme pain. We encounter the ravages of natural disasters – earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods, drought, extreme temperatures, and global warming. The fish in the sea, birds of the air, our livestock and even human beings die from exposure to these elements. Daniel’s world was not any different from ours. He saw how the human condition manifested itself in the hearts of a pagan world. In the visions, he saw God’s plan revealed. Absolutely nothing shook Daniel’s faith. He knew Almighty God would win the day. The battle for souls would be won. Daniel saw the plan of salvation revealed and he clung to faith in God alone.

There is soul security waiting for you at the foot of the cross today. Open your heart to God’s sovereignty in the redemptive love of Jesus Christ. If you will just let go long enough to grab onto to the hand of the Lord, He will fill you with insurmountable hope, no matter who you are or what your life’s circumstance may be.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: a little soul security to carry you through life’s circumstances. You can be a visionary too, just like Daniel. Are you willing to place your total trust in the sovereignty of God?

___________________________________________

© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Climbing faith mountain

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Daniel 4, 5, 6

Mark 5:30-34 (NIV)

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding around you,” His disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Good morning!

I’ve learned a lot about faith walking simply by observing my children and grandchildren through the years. What may come naturally to an innocent heart seems to fade as time and experience falls upon those who are well-seasoned in the journey of daily living. Where does faith fade and pessimism rise? How can a child trust so completely while parents shake their heads in utter disbelief? What does it take for true faith to take flight in the hearts of those who trust Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord?

I’ve listened with interest to the prayers of my grandchildren Joshua and Emily this week. On Saturday night, their mommy and daddy tucked them into bed with kisses and hugs, promising they would be there when they awoke to the morning sunlight. When morning came, mommy and daddy were not in their bedroom. They were at the hospital, where mommy found herself struggling to climb up a faith mountain. The grand children were glad to see me, and “Nanny” is always happy to hug her sweet babies. But oh, how I longed to give them back their parents! Sometimes life just isn’t fair at all, but God is good all the time, and on this fresh, new Sunday morning, there was no fear across the faces of my dear ones. We held hands while Joshua and Emily asked Jesus to make mommy better, and then they asked me to fix their breakfast! It was done – one simple little prayer spoken from the mouths of tiny babes. I saw faith take flight as their prayer was released into the earth’s atmosphere. The answers came before their simple requests were made. It was just that fast. And it is an amazing thing to watch how tiny steps of faith unfold along the spiritual hiking trail.

All our Rachel ever wanted was to have a large family, with lots and lots of babies. I don’t remember how many dollies Rachel raised in her childhood, yet there were many she holds dear to her even today. Little Emily sleeps with Rachel’s first doll, a blond baby with sweet little dimples named “Honey.” Emily shows as much affection for that doll as Rachel did when she was a child. I wonder if nurturing passes from mother to child as their dollies are passed from generation to generation. Rachel fought hard to have her children. If you have never suffered with endometriosis, you may not fully understand the lengths Rachel went through to conceive and bring forth new life. She had four surgeries to remove endometrial scar tissue while she was a teenager, long before she ever married. Rachel developed a strong stomach and a high pain threshold, refusing to live in fear. There is no way I could have done what she went through have children. I learned more about building a gutsy faith muscle by watching how my daughter works out spiritually each day. She is one strong woman, that child of mine. And when I grow up, I want to be just like her.

In the first set of biopsies, Rachel’s physician talked to us about what endometrial scar tissue looks like when it is left inside a woman’s womb. He said he could see Rachel’s endometriosis resembling thick cords running through and around her cervical lining. Because of Rachel’s previous surgeries, I was convinced the doctor would be cutting through a great deal of scar tissue to excise the cancerous womb from her body. I hugged the stuffing out of Rachel’s oncologist, who had not known our daughter until now. She had not seen or lived with what we had experienced for years and years. I did a happy dance when her oncologist told us that other than the cancer which was contained in the cervix, her womb looked perfectly healthy, with no scarring anywhere! Only the Lord Jesus Christ can cut through the thick scars imprinted upon our lives and remove them with just one touch from His miraculous, healing hand.

Last night, when Rachel returned from recovery, she rolled her head toward me and said, “All gone?” It was my privilege to lean over my baby’s hospital bed and whisper the good news, “There is no more cancer, honey. It’s all gone.” I could sense the presence of Christ holding my baby girl in His arms and saying, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Three incredible little people have graced our lives because of the faith-filled determination of a family who chooses to live life trusting in Jesus Christ. Rachel and Dave have been truly blessed! There is no greater joy than the gift of new life. Yesterday, we experienced His precious gift again.

I read the words to a Hallmark® card yesterday as I opened our daily mail. I have no idea who wrote this tender verse but I would suspect it was a person of great faith. The card simply says, “I’m strong enough to rise above most any troubled time… Today may be a mountain, but I was born to climb.” Jesus calls us to climb a faith mountain for Him each day. When we pray, we place our total trust in the One who changes everything. We ask God for the things we can only hope for and evidence of things not yet seen. We know He has the power and authority to do it and we claim it all in His precious name. Power flows out and peace flows in like the rush of the ocean at evening tide. Our prayers were heard and answered before the words were ever spoken. Thank you Jesus! Help us climb a faith mountain as we place our total trust in you.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: greater faith! Ask Him to teach you how to climb the faith mountain in your life. A simple prayer prayed in faith always works! When we stop trusting in our own abilities and begin trusting in the only One who can make the difference, everything shifts and His power is released. We are born climbers. Won’t you join me for a hike up faith mountain today?

___________________________________________

© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

When the bleeding won't stop

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Daniel 1, 2, 3; Psalm 119:25-48 (NIV)

Jeremiah 31:16-17 (NIV)

16 This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the enemy,

17 so there is hope for your future,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land.”

Mark 5:24-29 (NIV)

24 So Jesus went with them. A large crowd followed and pressed around Him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.”

Good morning!

If you are a parent, you’ve probably made a couple of emergency room runs with children who have injured some part of their body after a sports injury or fall. “Stitches” has become a household word at the Spaulding home. Our three-year-old granddaughter Emily calls them “itches.” We sport our scars, like trophies sitting in a lighted display case. “Yeah, I got this scar was when I ran into my friend Billy at football practice. You should see the mark I left on him. It was cool!” Or, you may hear your baby say with clinched teeth and a brave face, “I’m okay, Mom. It doesn’t hurt all that much.”

Accidents happen. Our babies fall down and get hurt. We spent a couple of memorable hours in the emergency room with our young son David when he went cruising into the corner of a table at a Christian daycare center. He hit his head, just above the right eye. Arriving to pick David up, we saw his teacher was sitting on the floor in a blood stained shirt, rocking our David in her arms. Kneeling all around her were David’s classmates and friends. With hands folded and eyes closed, they were praying for David’s owwee to stop bleeding and get better. We took a closer look at his blood-stained face. David’s eyebrow was laid open and hanging down below his eyelid. There was no doubt about it – this kid was going to need “itches” and he had ten of them that day.

Sometimes the bleeding just won’t stop without the touch of a physician’s healing hand. That woman who stood in the crowd waiting for the Lord to pass by, was risking her very life to see Him. She was ceremonially unclean, having a hemorrhage that lasted for twelve years. Shunned and abandoned by her family and friends, she sought the help of every medical professional she could find. No matter what home remedy she tried, the bleeding would not stop. In quiet desperation, she knew her only hope of survival was to reach out and touch the Master Healer. Only He could stop her bleeding once and for all. It was a risk worth taking; a now or never decision. When Jesus passed by, all she could do was reach out and touch the hem of His garment. And in that holy moment of extreme faith, her health was fully restored and she was made completely whole.

Every human being experiences suffering and pain at some point in life. It is a part of the journey. When we bleed out, the life we once knew begins to slip through our fingers. We feel exhausted, isolated and alone. We lose our focus, and we may lose hope. No matter how hard we try, we cannot seem to fix it, mend it, or make the bleeding stop.

If you find yourself suffering with an open wound today, there is hope at the foot of the cross. You may have been hemorrhaging for years, grieving a loss or some pain that has never completely healed; or you may be experiencing an illness or injury that refuses to mend on its own. When we cannot control the flow, it is time to turn to the great physician for help. The master healer can take every hurt and heal it, with just one touch of His holy hand.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: the bleeding to stop, once and for all. Ask Jesus to heal you today. Reach out and touch the hem of His garment, and experience His peace, as you place your total faith in Him. God promises to dry our tears and restore our lives to wholeness. Are you ready to be made whole?

___________________________________________

© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Measuring perfection

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Ezekiel 40, 41, 42 (NIV)

Ezekiel 42:15; 20 (NIV)

15 When [God] had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, He led [Ezekiel] out by the east gate and measured the area all around.

20 So [God] measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.

Good morning!

My father carried a tape measure in his pocket. He was a perfectionist with everything he did. I’ve never met anyone quite as meticulous as my dad. We couldn’t just “hang” a picture on the wall. It had to be perfectly symmetrical with the height and width of the wall. Furniture was centered perfectly. My mother said she never moved the sofa herself to vacuum because it was so heavy. I think it had more to do with my father’s opinion of where the sofa was repositioned on the wall. He moved it for her while she cleaned the carpet, and then, with his trusty tape measure, realigned the sofa in just the right spot.

I love to scrapbook. Like everything else in my life, I believe true art should celebrate its imperfections. I can be pretty fast at the Saturday scrapbooking crops I attend. Sometimes, I compete with my girlfriends just to see how many pages I can finish in one eight-hour sitting. It is not uncommon for me to compile a small album in one fell swoop, journaling excluded. Some of my friends spend weeks just getting one page perfectly formed. I just slap on the stickers and go! I’ve learned from experience that I can never get a scrapbook page to be absolutely perfect. It is a work in progress. I’m telling a life story, a continuing saga, and that always leaves room for change and growth.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for Ezekiel to follow the Lord around, studying God’s handiwork? The Lord is perfecting His temple. Every length, every corner, every decoration was in perfect harmony and consistent with God’s master plan. He is the author and designer of His creation. I know He expects perfection from me, and one day, I will reach His goal for my life as He perfects me in His love. I’m not there yet – not even close. I know one day the imperfect pages of my life’s work will someday become His perfect work of art in me.

How do we measure perfection in life? We look to the Father, the author and perfecter of our faith. We see His glory revealed through the life, death and resurrection of His only Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. I am His work in progress. He is not finished with my heart just yet.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: holiness of heart. More than anything else, I long to stand before my Father perfected in Christ’s love without His covering, we fall short of the mark. God expects perfection from you and me. I pray that in that holy moment, He will change us from imperfection to His perfection. Until then, we move forward by faith.

___________________________________________

© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.