A not-so-silent night

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus which has always been an amazing story of our savior being birthed into a world of darkness. However, the story as it would have happened is quite different than the story we are used to hearing or that the image of the nativity depicts. After learning the cultural and historical background I found it to be even more beautiful. 

The courage of a very young woman

As the story in scripture explains, in the city of Nazareth an angel came to a young girl named Mary to announce that she had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah through a supernatural conception. Sometimes we might picture a young woman receiving this profound message but according to the custom of the day she was likely between the ages of 13-16 years of age. In the first century girls were married off as soon as they were of the age that they could have children. Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph and was still a virgin. Pregnancy before marriage would be incredibly shameful and would have warranted stoning. Even without the threat of death, she would have borne the mark of shame throughout the rest of her life due to her falsely perceived unfaithfulness. She accepted this plan knowing what it would mean for her. Imagine the emotions that this young teenager might have had. We know from the story that Joseph heard of Mary’s pregnancy and also assumed she was with another man. Even though he was within his rights to have her killed, he decided instead to divorce her quietly…at least at first. Then an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to go ahead and take Mary as his wife because her pregnancy was a supernatural event Joseph, being a man of integrity decided to go ahead with the marriage and do according to what the angel had spoken.

Traveling to Bethlehem

Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem to register for the census. We imagine them traveling across the landscape with Mary riding on a donkey….except the text never mentions a donkey. It was likely that they didn’t have a donkey to travel with. Why do I say that? Clues in the text tell us that Joseph and Mary likely didn’t have very much money and donkeys were quite expensive. After they gave birth to Jesus the scriptures say that they took him to the temple on the eighth day to be circumcised and consecrated to the Lord. The instructions in the book of Leviticus state that one should bring a lamb and a pigeon or a turtledove for sacrifice. If someone didn’t have the means to pay for a lamb were they to bring two turtledoves or pigeons. In Luke, we read that Joseph and Mary took a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons in keeping with the custom of the Torah. They didn’t have a lamb for sacrifice which lets us know that they didn’t have the money to buy one.

‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’” 

Leviticus 12:6-8 NASB 1995

And when the days for their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord(as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Luke 2:22-24 NASB 1995

No room at the Inn?

Joseph and Mary made their way to the small humble town of Bethlehem likely on foot. When they arrived in Bethlehem they went to an Inn and there was a no vacancy sign outside, right? No, not exactly.

They didn’t even go to an Inn. What?!  It’s true… and this is where my mind was pretty blown when I learned the true story of Jesus’ birth. The word for Inn in Greek is Kataluma. A better translation for this word is guestroom. It’s the same word used in Luke 22:11 to describe the guest chamber where Jesus met with his disciples for the Passover. Mary and Joseph returned to Bethlehem and would have gone to stay with their relatives. Israel was and still is a culture of honor. It would be extremely dishonorable for their family to turn them away. Even if their family turned them away someone would have welcomed them in. It would have especially been dishonorable for anyone to turn away a pregnant woman.  First-century homes in Bethlehem consisted of an upper room where the guest quarters would have been and down below would be a common area with a space off to the side for animals to be kept during the winter. Sometimes this was in a cave-like structure. Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem and found that the guest room was full. This makes sense because other family members were already staying there who had also come into town for the census. Instead, Mary and Joseph stayed in the lower part of the house.

Cave structure, Bethlehem

The season of Jesus’ birth

There are a few indicators in the text that give clues as to the time of year that the birth of Jesus took place. In Luke 2 we read that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census would be taken from all of the land. Everyone had to travel to their city to register for the census. The time of year that a census would be called is during the dry season because it would be quite challenging and dangerous for so many people to travel during the rainy season. The dry season in Israel begins toward the end of May and ends sometime in October when the early rains begin. Another indicator of the time of year is found in Luke 2. 

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Luke 2:8-14 NKJV

Why would the shepherds be in the fields at night? Well, it gets quite hot during the summer months. Once you know the agricultural calendar of Israel so much comes to light as you read the Bible. Wheat in Israel is harvested in May. The shepherds would take their sheep out to the field after the harvest of wheat so that the sheep could graze on the stubble that was left over after harvesting. This would also allow for the sheep droppings to act as fertilizer that would break down and get the land ready for planting in October after the early rains began. It wouldn’t make sense for shepherds to take the sheep out into the field during the rainy season as they would destroy the crops. Instead, during the rainy season they would bring their sheep out to the fringes of the desert to graze on the grassy patches found there.

We often picture Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus out in a barn somewhere far away from everyone surrounded by barn animals but that simply wasn’t the case. They would have been inside next to the manger. Since it wasn’t winter during the rainy season the animals didn’t need to be kept indoors overnight. Instead, they would have been out in the field leaving the manger empty. Mary was likely giving birth in a bustling Jewish home surrounded by women helping her to deliver baby Jesus. She wrapped him in swaddling cloth and laid him in the feeding trough attached to the room where they slept. He was wrapped in cloth used to wrap a newborn lamb to preserve them from blemish.

Jesus came for the lowly

Jesus, God in the flesh came to this earth as a helpless baby. He could have been born to someone of wealthy status. Instead, he chose to be born through a young teenage girl from a simple Jewish home in the small tucked-away city of Nazareth. He was born in the city of Bethlehem which was also a humble little town that was known for the production of grain. The angels announced his birth to the shepherds which was one of the lowliest occupations. The message they delivered to them was “Born to you (the lowly) is Christ the Lord..”

He chose to come to this earth supernaturally in the most humble of circumstances and he was born into an environment of chaos, surrounded by imperfect people. We know from the story that Joseph was warned in a dream to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus’ life from Herod who wanted to kill Jesus before he could ever become king. He likely grew up with the stigma of being an “illegitimate child” in the eyes of his brothers and others who knew his family yet he chose to come and live among us anyway. 

The Light of the World was born into our world of chaos so that He might restore us to shalom. He showed us who God the Father is when he lived on this earth and He became the unblemished lamb that would become the final atoning sacrifice for our sins so we could commune once again with God. His birth may not be the silent night we might have imagined, but it couldn’t be more beautiful. 

Merry Christmas!

Light in the darkness

As the year draws to a close I’m reflecting a lot on this year. At the start of the year, Israel was in my heart. I had been praying that I could get an opportunity to take a study trip to Israel. It didn’t make sense in the natural that I would be able to go this year but it was a prayer of mine that I could make it there and the Lord made it happen almost at the last minute. I didn’t find out I was going until a month before I was to board the plane. While I was there I fell in love with the land of Israel and more specifically, the Jewish people. I couldn’t even explain it but I would find myself bursting into tears at different moments when I was there. I could feel God’s heart so big for His people and I couldn’t put words to what I was feeling. Never would I have anticipated all the things that would transpire after I returned.

The tragedy of October 7th

It’s been heartbreaking to see the horrific events that happened on October 7th and the suffering that continues. I picture the faces of the Israelis that I spoke with, especially Haim who stopped me in the Cardo to share his story with me. It was a story of so much pain and suffering he and his family experienced in his life. His view of God was that God was angry because he saw so much hatred between people throughout his life. Many times people confuse all the hostility in the world with God when the truth is that it grieves the heart of God to see these things happening. I tried to tell him how much God loved him but he had trouble believing it. I think of him when I pray for Israel. What’s been sobering is seeing the blatant hatred for Jewish people. I never imagined in my generation that I would witness people wearing swastikas and yelling “Death to the Jews”. I can’t wrap my head around any of it but I realize that our fight isn’t against flesh and blood. It’s against the spiritual forces of darkness.

The Feast of Dedication

Darkness only flees when the light comes. A few nights ago was the start of Hannukah, an eight-day festival of lights that commemorates the miracle of the light remaining lit in the temple on only one container of oil. It happened during the time that the Maccabees were fighting back against the Seleucid Empire that was trying to subjugate them. This year I imagine the celebration carries hopeful expectations for the Jewish people. Growing up I didn’t know much about Hannukah. It’s rather surprising since it is mentioned in the New Testament. The story connected with Hannukah is written in First and Second Maccabees which isn’t in the protestant biblical canon but it is a historical book from the time of the intertestamental period. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus also wrote about the Maccabean revolt. In the New Testament scripture, Hannukah is referred to as the Feast of Dedication in the book of John.

22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. 24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 

John 10:22-25 nasb1995

The Maccabean Revolt

For those of you who may not be familiar with the story of Hannukah, here is some background. Under the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes IV, the Seleucids sought to force the Jews to follow the way of Hellenism that had been making its way throughout the land since the time of Alexander the Great. Hellenism was a way of life that was hedonistic. It was all about gratifying oneself and doing whatever you like. It was the antithesis of the ways of God. Antiochus Epiphanes IV tried to make the Jewish people assimilate into the way of Hellenism. He forbade all religious practice for the Jews. There was no reading of the Torah, celebrating the sabbath, or even circumcision allowed. Many were killed for refusing to compromise. Eventually, in 168 BC Antiochus slaughtered a pig on the altar of the temple in Jerusalem to make it unclean so Jews could not worship and he set up idols of greek gods.

This eventually led to a Jewish revolt led by a man named Mattathias and his family the Maccabees. The Maccabean revolt lasted from 167-160 BC. Though they were outnumbered, they succeeded in overcoming the Seleucids and taking back the temple. After the temple became desecrated the Jewish people needed to rededicate it which also meant lighting the menorah. In the temple, there was a seven-branched menorah or lampstand that was always to remain lit. It was a picture of the tree of life in the garden and it signified the presence of God in the temple. The priests would keep it continually lit with oil. The Jewish people could only find one container of oil in the temple to light the menorah which was only enough to last one day and it would take a week to make new oil. They lit the menorah with the only oil they had and miraculously it lasted eight days and eight nights. God’s light never went out in the temple. It’s a picture of how God is the the one who sustains us with His light.

The Hanukiah

To remember this event the Jewish people light a nine-branched lampstand called a Hanukiah. There’s one branch in the center and eight branches extending from the center, one for each night the oil stayed lit. The center taller branch is called the shamash or the servant candle. The shamash is lit first and then used to light the other candles beginning from right to left. A new candle is added to the Hannukiah each night so the light gradually grows brighter. Lighting the candles is a reminder of God’s presence shining amidst darkness. The celebration of Hannukah or the Feast of Dedication wasn’t one of the feasts that God instituted for the Jewish people to celebrate, but it is a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness.

An act of defiant joy

Over the last couple of years, I began lighting the candles during Hannukah as a way to participate with the Jewish people in celebrating God’s faithfulness. This year I put my menorah in the window and as I light it, I continue to pray for the Jewish people. I pray that they don’t feel alone and that they know that they are loved by Adonai and that they are loved by many Christians around the world. When I was in Israel I learned that so much of the way the Jewish people remember the stories of God’s faithfulness is through tangible ways of celebration. Placing the hanukiah in my window and lighting the candles feels like a small but defiant act of joy against the darkness.

Hanukiah, Hannukah, Menorah, Israel

A picture of Jesus is found in the menorah

The most beautiful aspect of Hannukah is that I see my messiah Jesus in it. As I mentioned earlier, the menorah that was lit in the temple was a seven-branch menorah and the center is called the servant. Jesus when he came said he did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. He also said that anyone who wants to become great in the kingdom of heaven must become a servant of all. As we abide in Him he gives us His light so we can become servants to others.

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

JOHN 15:5 NASB 1995

He gives us the ability to be fruitful and to give life. It is a reminder of my dependence upon Him. Six branches extended out from the center branch. If you’re familiar with the biblical significance of numbers you’ll notice that six is the number of humanity and when you add the servant candle in the center you get seven which is the number of completion. It is only with Jesus that we are made complete. I’m also reminded of Jesus as the light of the world and how he tells us that we are to be a light to the world. He gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us so that through Him we can bring light.

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

JOHN 8:12 NASB1995

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16

The menorah in the temple wasn’t lit with candles but with oil. It’s the oil of the Holy Spirit that gives us the ability to remain joyful amid difficulty and to bring the light into dark places. Jesus didn’t run away from darkness. He ran into the darkness and brought His light to dispel it. We as followers of Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit, are called to do the same. No matter what is going on in the world, I encourage you to look for God in the midst of it. Ask yourself “Where is God in this? What is He doing and how can I participate with Him?” Don’t let the darkness cause you to hide. Recognize the greater One that lives inside of you and continue to shine your light.

I know that as Christmas nears there are many opportunities to give to charity and support various non-profit organizations. I want to let you know about a place where you can be a light to the Jewish people today. I know many of us wish we could be in Israel helping the people that are struggling. Although we can’t physically be there we can send support to those that are on the ground helping. Jews for Jesus are taking donations to help supply boxes of food to Israelis who are unable to leave their homes to get food. One box of food will feed a family of five for a week for $50. Through December 31st there is a matching donation so your donation of $50 will cover two boxes of food. Followers of Jesus in Israel are hand-delivering these boxes to those who live in the land. You can participate with this effort here: https://j4j.co/606899

My experience in the land of Israel

It’s been a dream of mine to study in the land of Israel. Over the past several years I’ve been learning a lot about the scriptures through the cultural and historical background and it opened my eyes to a lot that hadn’t seen before. As a result, I’d been longing to get an opportunity to study in the land and unpack the stories of the Bible through the lens of the Middle East. That opportunity came this year. I found out about some short-term study courses that I could do through Jerusalem University College. I wasn’t sure it would be possible due to the expense but God is all about making the impossible, possible. I didn’t find out that I would be able to make the trip until Mother’s Day, just one month before I needed to fly to Israel. That’s a story in itself. It was quite an adventure.

The trip took place over the summer which was not the time I would have preferred to visit Israel. I had always heard that the best times to visit are in the Spring or the Fall but this door of opportunity came in the summer and I knew that it was going to be a way for me to get a taste of the challenges in antiquity that would have been experienced by those that lived in the land between. I’m really thankful I got to experience it for the first time in the summer and being that I’m from Florida where it’s quite humid in the summer, at times it was kind of a relief to have less humidity.

I took two separate courses at Jerusalem University College. I took a course on the Historical and Geographical settings of the Bible and then I took a course on Jesus and His Times. In between the two courses, I traveled with a group to several sites in Jordan as well. It was an amazing experience. The weather in the month of June was warm but quite nice in Jerusalem due to its location and elevation. The nights were cool, so much so that I needed a sweatshirt some evenings. As we headed into July the weather got quite hot everywhere. In the Negev, the Judean Wilderness, and even in Galilee the temps at times reached in the 100s.

It made complete sense why so many of the stories in Scripture seem to surround the importance of water. Overall Israel is a very dry place. There are areas that get more rainfall but the rainfall tends to be shortlived. The early rains usually begin around October which allows for plowing and sowing seed and then there’s some rain through the fall but mostly in the winter months with the chances of rain tapering off in May. The little rain they get in the Winter needed to last them through the summer months. Some regions only get one to three inches of rain a year. It makes for quite challenging living conditions.

We were encouraged to drink lots of water and we had the luxury of having a water cooler on the bus. Most of the time we had ice-cold water but there were occasions when we had to drink it on the warmer side but it was always available. In antiquity, I can only imagine how it would have been for water to be such a scarce resource. I gained some perspective regarding the wanderings of the Israelites for forty years in the desert. We often give them a hard time for their grumbling in the wilderness. After experiencing the extreme heat but still having plentiful water available, it’s not hard for me to imagine the level of fear they might have experienced not knowing where they would find water in the sweltering heat of the desert or the dangers that would have found them. Today we see Ibex in the wilderness but back then they would have also encountered lions and other dangerous beasts.

I learned so much on my trip and came home with so many resources with which to continue my studies. There’s a lot of information that is foundational to understanding the stories in scripture but would be rather dry (no pun intended!) for me to share it in the academic way that I learned it. I knew I wanted to be able to share the things I learned on my blog but to be completely transparent, after coming home I felt a bit paralyzed because I didn’t know where to begin with unpacking these things. Rather than letting myself get overwhelmed, I decided that I would just begin sharing piece by piece whatever the Lord puts on my heart.

So much transpired while I was away including things I can’t fully put into words yet. When I got home I didn’t really want to engage with anyone right away. It felt like I needed time to process everything. When I was in Israel I felt the Lord’s heart for His people which felt like a well I couldn’t reach the bottom of. My heart enlarged for the land of Israel and the Jewish people. I’m forever changed by the experience. There are things I’m walking out as a result of my visit there that are still unfolding. I look forward to sharing more with you in the days to come.

For those who are feeling weary

This morning I was feeling heavy in my heart. The enemy was trying to bring discouragement over something I’m praying for. In order to bring discouragement he reminded me of all of the things I’ve prayed for over the years that haven’t yet come to pass….things I’ve been waiting on God for. We’re told in the scripture to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:5).

We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

Have you ever struggled to take thoughts captive? Sometimes when the enemy brings discouragement and flaming darts are thrown at you one after another it can be hard to recognize the truth. Things get foggy very quickly. That is why it is so important to get into the Lord’s presence to hear His voice and into His word so our minds can be renewed.

Permission to Lament

As I was sitting with him this morning I poured my heart out to him…the good, the bad, and the ugly. We can and should be honest with God. He can handle the pain in our hearts. Lament is something we sometimes overlook in the body of Christ. We’re encouraged to be joyful which is a wonderful thing. Joy is a fruit of the spirit and we should be joyful but sorrow is a real thing that we sometimes experience before we get to rejoice. I love the Psalms of David for that reason because David pours out his heart before God in all honestly holding nothing back. In the Psalms you often see a shift happen halfway through where his lament turns into joy or thanksgiving.

Ein Gedi

That’s what happened to me this morning as I got into God’s presence. He took all the heaviness on my heart and he gave me a word that brought peace and confidence in Him. I want to share this word with you today so that it may bring encouragement in the midst of whatever battle you may be facing.

A message of encouragement

“Victory is mine. I’m enthroned in the heavens. The earth is my footstool. I give my revelation to thirsty souls, those that hunger and thirst for righteousness. Keep your hands clean and your heart pure. Don’t let the enemy set up camp in your heart. Stand firm in my victory. It is I who fights your battles. You need only to be still. Stand firm with the breastplate of righteousness. It is my breastplate that guards your heart. The flaming arrows of the enemy cannot penetrate it. I am your breastplate. Put on Me. I am your protection and your exceedingly great reward. You’re never alone in the battle when you are wearing me. Saul’s armor was heavy because it was something manufactured by man. My armor is not heavy. It is light but it carries with it the weight of heaven. The enemy collapses under it. He cannot stand when my Kabod (glory) comes. Trust my ways. Trust my word. Don’t let your heart be troubled or afraid. Surrender to my purposes and plans.” Psalm 123:1, Isaiah 66:1, Isaiah 55:9, Matthew 5:6, John 6:35, Psalm 24: 3-4, Exodus 14:14, Genesis 15:1, John 14:27

One word from God can change everything. We take those thoughts that the enemy throws at us and we make them obey God’s word. The enemy cannot stand against His word. Whatever you are facing today, know that the Lord fights for you if you remain in Him! Trust His plans and His purposes no matter whether they make sense or not. Often the Lord does things in ways that we do not understand. He sees the outcome of a thing that we cannot see. His timing and his plan don’t always line up with ours. Trust that He loves you so much and has the best for you.

God can speak through numbers

There are times in our walk with God when he decides to communicate with us differently than we’re used to. I believe he does this to cause us to draw us into a closer relationship with him. He will often get our attention through something repetitive. He does the same thing within the scripture. Anytime you see something multiple times there’s a reason for it.

In 2013 I began working remotely for an ad agency that was a couple of hours away. As I shared in a previous post, I could see God’s hand in the way everything lined up for me to work there. During my very first week on the job, I traveled to the office for a couple of days to meet everyone and begin getting up to speed. 

I checked into a charming historic hotel just a couple blocks from the office where I’d be staying where I was assigned to room 333. The number caught my attention. I knew from scripture that three was a number that reflected the triune nature of God, Jesus’ ministry was three years and I knew Jesus rose after three days. It was a number that reflected divine completion. At the time I saw three threes I felt like God was letting me know that this was his plan and was reminding me of his presence. I took a picture of the door sign to commemorate this new journey. 

God got my attention through repetition

The following week my boss had set up meetings where I lived to introduce me to some of our partners. As we were driving through town we passed a unique-looking building with giant threes on the side of it. It caught my eye since I had just seen the same number the week prior. I hadn’t been in that part of town often so I had never noticed it. At the time I thought it was just a coincidence. 

The following day my boss asked me to meet him at a particular location for another meeting. 

I typed in the name of the destination in my GPS and ended up arriving about 15 minutes early. I sat in the car and waited awhile. It was getting close to the time of the meeting and I was still waiting for my boss to arrive. I wondered if maybe he was already waiting for me inside. 

I began walking toward the building and above the entry was a three-digit address number. Wanna take a guess? Yes, it was 333. 

I realized quickly that there was another location with the same name which was where we were to meet. It was as if Holy Spirit had taken me on this little detour in order to see this number again.

For five months I continued to see this number often. I’d see it on license plates, on price labels, in my inbox, on the clock….just about everywhere. I kept asking the Lord “Why do I keep seeing this number? What are you trying to say to me?”

A mystery revealed

One day I was on a website purchasing vitamins. I was scanning the reviews of a particular product to see if it was something I’d like to purchase. As I read one of the reviews I noticed the person had their username listed under their review as Jeremiah333. That was it! I finally had my answer. It was a scripture, duh!

I must say, I felt rather silly once God revealed this mystery to me. Surely I should have been able to figure out that He was trying to point me to scripture but for some reason, I didn’t catch on. 

I now know that there are several Christians that talk about the biblical significance of numbers. At the time I was seeing this number everywhere I just didn’t think to look online for an answer. I’m actually glad that I didn’t. I’ve learned that many times the Lord shows us something we’re not familiar with to draw us to him for the answer. It’s interesting that what he showed me pointed to Jeremiah 33:3 in particular because the scripture itself is an invitation to call to him. It was originally a spoken word to the prophet Jeremiah but he used it as a Rhema word to speak to me that day and has since continued to speak to me through it. 

“Call unto me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” 

Jeremiah 33:3

The significance of numbers in scripture

Now that I know God speaks through numbers, it’s one avenue the Lord uses to speak to me. It may seem strange that God would use a number to speak to us but if you understand just how often numbers are used in scripture it makes sense. For example, the number seven is frequently mentioned in Scripture. There were seven days of creation (Genesis 1-2) and there are seven days in a week. The Israelites were asked to circle the walls of Jericho seven times before they fell down (Joshua 6:15). Naaman was asked to wash in the Jordan seven times in order to be cleansed of Leprosy (2 Kings 5:10). You can see repeatedly that it represents completeness.

Do you see?

Have you ever noticed God speaking to you this way? I would encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit and look to the scriptures to see what the Lord may be showing you through it. Could it be that the Lord is pointing you to a verse found in scripture that he wants to use to speak to you?

How else might God be trying to get your attention? 

Pay attention when you begin to notice an occurrence that’s out of the ordinary or if there’s something that is repetitive. Rather than just passing it off as something odd or coincidental ask the Lord if he might be trying to say something to you through it. You might be surprised by what you will find. 

Receiving a Word in the Wilderness

One of the gifts of a wilderness experience is that it can cause us to slow down and recognize when the Lord may be speaking to us. The word wilderness or desert in Hebrew is the word Midbar. It comes from the root word in Hebrew Davar which means ‘word’ or ‘to speak’. There’s a connection between these two words because it is often in the wilderness when we receive our instructions from the Lord.

As I write this I’m reminded of Moses who fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian and spent forty years in the wilderness caring for sheep. While he was near the slopes of Mount Horeb he spotted a burning bush. (Exodus 3)

It was not unusual for a bush to be burning in the wilderness due to the high intensity of heat. What made this occurrence different was that the bush didn’t burn up. So Moses turned aside to see why this bush didn’t burn up and he suddenly heard the voice of the Lord in the midst of the bush. What happened afterward changed the trajectory of his life and gave him a divine mission. God called him to go back to Egypt where he lived during the first forty years of his life and rescue God’s people that were being oppressed in slavery.

After ushering the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness, again he met with God on Mount Horeb (which is referred to as Mount Sinai in this passage), and the Lord gave Moses his instructions for all of the people on how they ought to live as they enter into covenant with God. Horeb interestingly means ‘wasteland’ or ‘desert’ so Moses speaks with God in the middle of a wasteland.

Much later in the scriptures, we read in 1 Kings 19 that Elijah ran into the Wilderness to flee the wrath of the wicked queen Jezebel after he killed the false prophets of Baal. After he spent a day in misery he made a forty-day journey to Mount Horeb. Why do you think he journeyed to Mount Horeb? 

He expected God would speak to him there just as he had spoken to his servant Moses. 

He spent the night in a cave and the Lord came to him in a whisper and instructed him to anoint Jehu as king over Israel and Elisha as a prophet to bring justice to Israel. He also corrected Elijah’s belief that he was the only prophet who had not bowed to Baal.

Moses and Elijah weren’t the only ones who received a word in the wilderness. Hagar fled into the wilderness after Sarai mistreated her. The Angel of the Lord met with her beside a spring of water and gave her instructions to return to Abram and Sarai along with a promise from God to make her descendants more numerous than can be counted.

John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul all spent time in the desert prior to their ministries. I have no doubt that they each received directive words from God in their wilderness of preparation.

To recognize the Lord’s voice in our wilderness we have to slow down, press in, and pay attention. Often in the dryness and uncertainty of the wilderness, we spend more time in solitude seeking after the Lord, studying his word, and listening for his voice.  The wilderness, if we let it, postures us to receive a word from God and prepares us for the instruction he’s waiting to give us. We have to come to a place where we are no longer trying to get out of the wilderness prematurely but we recognize the gift that God is giving us in it. Sometimes God will speak to us in something as out of the ordinary as a burning bush or he might speak to us in a whisper. His message to us doesn’t always come the way we expect.

How has God spoken to you in the wilderness? If you haven’t received a word in the wilderness yet how can you posture your heart to be open to the living God speaking to you in this season?

Crossing Over and Letting Go

Sometimes a situation happens in our life that seems to come out of nowhere and interrupts the flow of our life. Often we are moving along seemingly on autopilot when suddenly an event jolts us out of our routine and causes us to change course. That’s what happened to me exactly five years ago today. My boss was in the process of selling his company. He had a beautiful lakehouse that he had spent the prior year preparing so that he could slow down and enjoy it with his family. He had prepared several of us for this transition in the prior year and he let us know that not much would change since he had planned to continue working with all of us as a consultant for the company. I was fully anticipating this change but I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

Working with him at that company had been a gift to me in so many ways. If I hadn’t received a message in my inbox from someone at the company, I may not have known that this position even existed. I had tried in prior years to find a new job several times, but during the recession, it had been impossible so I continued to tough it out in the role I was in. When this new position finally came along it seemed that nothing I said or did would stop the door from opening. I remember the day I was hired very clearly. I was crossing over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to the office for my interview when I realized that the folder I had with my resume inside was sitting on my kitchen counter 2 1/2 hours away. I spoke a quick prayer aloud… “Lord, if this is meant to be you have to make this happen because I’ve got nothing.” Thankfully I had sent my resume prior to the interview and they didn’t mind my embarrassing mistake. I sat in this corner conference room eight floors up with wrap-around windows that overlooked the beautiful sparkling ocean. My then-future boss sat across the table from me and we were discussing how so many things seemed to line up perfectly for me to step into this new position. I still remember the twinkle in his eye when he looked up at me and said, “It’s destiny.” He seemed to have complete confidence in me from the very beginning, more than I had in myself at the time. I told my closest friends that it felt as if Father God was using this older man to help pull me out of an ash heap.

I loved just about everything about my role there. I had always excelled in positions where I worked closely with clients and I enjoyed traveling and being on the set at photoshoots. It offered me a lot of involvement within my local community too which I enjoyed and I often worked from home which was a bonus. I had so much respect and admiration for my boss which caused me only to want to improve and work harder. He treated his employees like family and he always made sure our clients were well taken care of too. I traveled to the office about once a month to meet with my coworkers and collaborate on projects. At the start of 2018, the company was transitioning to the new owners who I had already met so I was in town for the introductions to be made. When I arrived at the office my boss was nowhere to be found and I remember that my heart sank. Intuitively, I knew something was terribly wrong and a confirmation of what I sensed came later that week when I was informed that he had just been diagnosed with a late-stage brain tumor.

A month later, one February morning I was crossing over the Sunshine Skyway bridge yet again when I was engulfed with a thick fog. I spoke aloud rather sarcastically, “Well, this is appropriate.” It perfectly depicted the way that I felt at that time. I heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit at that very moment say “I know you can’t see where you are going right now but trust that I know where you are going and that’s all that matters.” I snapped this quick photo to capture what was profoundly palpable. I knew deep in my gut that the season was shifting and I felt as if I should be moving on but I didn’t know how to move on or where to move on to.

The following week I was at the office again and I heard of a shooting at our niece’s school in Parkland, Florida that took the life of seventeen children. Then, just two days later my boss took his last breath and crossed over into eternity. I was so thankful that our niece survived that shooting but I was also heartbroken at the loss of my boss. The events of that week reminded me of the impermanence of life. It caused me to examine the direction I was heading and how I would want to live the rest of my life. My boss had worked so hard for so many years and was about to enjoy the fruits of his labor when he was diagnosed with cancer. “What’s it all for?” I began to ask. “Why am I doing this?” So much change happened in the months that followed. I’ve always considered myself a very adaptable person but that year it felt like everything was imploding within me. Some people assumed at the time that I just needed to find a new job but it was more than that. I had this nagging sense that I was out of alignment with my purpose and I didn’t know what to do to fix that.

In June of that year, I went on a women’s retreat several hours away from home. It was just a few days prior to my thirty-fifth birthday. Somehow I found out about the retreat before it was even announced so I was able to attend even though it was limited to just twenty-five people. The leader was someone I watched from afar that helped me to understand the ways God speaks in dreams. I received so much from that time including confirmation of some things that God had spoken to me in prior years with regard to ministry. She shared her story of how God called her to walk away from her career to do what God was calling her to do in ministry and my spirit stood at attention. I resonated with what she said because seven years earlier I had scribbled in my journal that I sensed God was one day going to ask me to leave my career without knowing what was next. I didn’t know how this would happen as I felt like I didn’t have a choice but to stay where I was. I wasn’t sure that my husband would even be comfortable with me taking a risk like that. It was also hard to see beyond my current career because it seemed to become so much of my identity. God saw more in me than I could see in myself.

Have you ever found yourself trying to hold onto something that you know deep down you need to let go of? That was me. I had been white-knuckling the steering wheel of my life and trying to hold onto any semblance of what was. I wanted to go back to the way things had been before, but there was no going back. I continued to push forward assuring myself that I would adapt and things would get better. As the months passed I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I was so stressed out and I found myself getting angry and snapping at those around me…something I wouldn’t ordinarily do. I didn’t like who I was becoming and I had hit my breaking point. I remember one September day I was sitting in the living room with my husband after I finished work for the day and I broke down. My husband looked at me and said “You can’t do this anymore. It’s time for you to move on.” I told him that I didn’t see a way out. We had a good conversation and he was so supportive and suggested some options.

In the weeks that followed I was reading Matthew 14, the story of Peter huddled in the boat with the other disciples while Jesus was walking on the water. Peter says to Jesus (I’m paraphrasing) “If it’s really you, ask me to join you on the water.” Jesus calls him to come out of the boat and Peter follows and he walks on water! He later sinks because he looks at the wind and waves instead of Jesus but that’s beside the point. He is the only one courageous enough to cross over the side of the boat, let go and walk on the water. In the same week I was reading a book that referenced the same story and this line jumped off the page at me. My spirit leaped as I read these words…

“Let Go! Let go of the boat!”

Whenever God is showing me something multiple times I know I need to pay attention. While I was shopping a few days later I saw some necklaces for sale with keys on them. I’ve always been drawn to keys and I have a key necklace I’ve worn since I was in college. Most of the keys were gold and said things like love, joy, hope. I tend to wear silver and I noticed that there was only one silver necklace but it was flipped around so I couldn’t see the word that was stamped on it. When I turned it over it said “Let Go”.

“Ok, I get the picture, Lord!”

God will use anything to speak to you. Of course, he most often uses the scripture but he will use many things to confirm his word or even point you to scripture. He will speak to you in whatever personal way he can use to get your attention. If he used a donkey to speak to Balaam he can use anything he wants to speak to you. I will share more on this in the future. I’ve noticed that he loves to drop these little breadcrumb trails to draw us closer to him and cause us to ask questions. He loves to have conversations with us.

These messages weren’t the only thing he used to capture my attention at that time. He revealed to me in very clear dreams that he was about to move me into a new season. All of these things gave me the courage to step out and follow him. I finally decided to let go of the boat. I was excited about the new season ahead. My husband and I had made a plan and I thought we had it all figured out. Little did I know that just around the corner was a Wilderness landscape that God was leading me into.

Maybe you find yourself in a similar place. Maybe things have suddenly shifted and you’re feeling like you’re in a fog. Maybe you sense that God is prompting you to let go of something that you’re holding onto. Just because God once led you to a particular place doesn’t mean that it’s his plan forever. Just as it says in Ecclesiastes…for everything there is a season. You might be afraid to let go because of the uncertainty ahead but you’ll never see what God will do with your life if you keep holding onto something he’s asking you to let go of. Trust him enough to let go and follow him no matter what the journey might be like. An adventure awaits you as you cross over into a new season.