CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
& LIVING

Was blind, but now I see.

4 : 12 December 2005

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Copyright for the journal © 2005
M. S. Thirumalai

FROM THE WILDERNESS
Angie Montag


Mountain

GOD SPEAKING TENDERLY TO US

I woke up this summer morning to the sound of birds chirping outside the window of this cabin I'm staying at, nestled in the middle of the wilderness (of Wisconsin). You all came to mind and so I asked the Lord if there was anything He would want to say to your hearts. In the wilderness, he promised to speak tenderly to us, comforting our hearts. The wilderness can imply several different things: life in this fallen world, a season of testing, the place of encounter, a stripping time of dependencies we may be leaning on aside from Jesus, or the place where we discover the truth of who He is and who we are in Him.

JOURNEYING TOGETHER IN THE WILDERNESS

In fact, we are all in the wilderness, journeying on together to our final destination which we find pictured in Revelation 19:7-The Great Wedding Supper of the Lamb. I believe the Lord wants to encourage all of us to unswervingly hold to the hope we have in Him, believing He will see us through whatever wilderness we are in. He is faithful to keep His covenant with us. His intention is that we each come out of this time, leaning evermore on Him.

ALLURED TO THE WILDERNESS

You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes. Song of Songs 4:9
I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. Hosea 2:14
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:8
Do not be afraid; I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. Genesis 15:1
Let him who walks in the dark and has no light, trust and rely on the name of the Lord. Isaiah 50:10

On a recent trip to the Colorado Rocky Mountains, I took a scenic drive through the Rocky Mountain National Park up a road named, Many Parks Curve. Because it was spring, some of the roads were still not open due to the hazardous conditions. Many Parks Curve was as far as you could drive this time of year.

My words could not do justice to the beauty set before me. I can only tell you my breath was taken away by the beauty of the snow-capped mountain peaks overlooking the Continental Divide. I also encourage you to one day see this view for yourself!

ONE MORE TIME TO MARVEL AT THIS VIEW

Mountain

On the final day of my trip, I wanted to marvel at this view one more time. On my way through Estes Park, a storm was blowing in. When I got to this same sight, I couldn't see anything besides clouds and snowflakes. It looked gray, dismal and the temperature became very cold. The Holy Spirit immediately spoke to my heart teaching me that this "picture" is just like it is in Him. He is beautiful, glorious, shining, wonderful, breathtaking and good all the time.

DISILLUSIONS DO COME WHEN WALKING THROUGH A DARK TIME

However, it's so easy to become disillusioned when the storms, trials, testings, and disappointments of life blow in and cause us to lose sight of what really is reality. To most of us, it probably doesn't "feel" like He is good and kind all the time, especially when we are walking through a dark time, unable to see Him.

This is why we cannot live by our feelings or sight. It's in these times, that He is calling us to look at who He is, believing His promises regardless of whether we can see or feel Him. It is in believing that we have life in His name. When we look at Him with just one glance of our eyes, it ravishes His heart. He knows and understands how we're feeling.

LOOK AT HIM IN FAITH

We are living in a strategic hour. Jesus is returning for us soon. He is preparing His Bride, who will be spotless and without stain on her wedding day. He is shaking everything that can be shaken. He is purifying our hearts. He is calling us to return to Him, our first love. He is causing us to hunger and thirst for Him above all other loves because he is our greatest love. I encourage you to continue looking at Him in faith with the eyes of your heart.

THIS IS WHAT I SEEK

David spent many years as a young boy tending the sheep. These were years of preparation. It was the job no one else wanted. It was so mundane and menial. It was the servant-position & lowest on the totem pole. He was the youngest in his family, so he inherited this job. I believe God used this season of his life to root and establish him in the love of God so that he would be prepared for what God had planned for him as king. His identity was found in the Lord, not in anything he did, not in his job, his dreams, or his position.

In this time David cried out, "One thing I desire of the Lord, this is what I seek, to dwell in His house all the days of my life; inquire of the Lord and gaze upon His beauty," Psalm 27:4.

To gaze at something or someone is to admire what is being looked at. It is not for the purpose of accomplishing something, but simply for enjoyment. This is how David spent long hours in the meadows as he cared for his sheep. His joy did not stem from what He did, but from what He believed.

CARRY YOUR REWARD IN YOUR HEART

David learned to carry His reward with him in his heart. Circumstances or job changes could never rob him of this reward. The enemy's voice could not shake him from the truth. When all the trained, elite warriors in Israel were gathered together cowering at the taunts of the enemy's accusations, David's perspective on the situation was quite different. David said, "Who is this uncircumsized Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" He also proclaimed, "Let no man's heart fail because of him. I will go and fight with this Philistine," 1 Samuel 17:26, 32. He obviously wasn't looking at outward circumstances.

AMIDST PRESSURES AND EXPECTATIONS

As David was trained in the meadows of Israel by long and loving meditation on the truth of God's beauty, whether he saw it or not, we as the people of God are in that training in this hour in which we are living. Our culture is busy meeting the demands of the pressures and expectations that we all face in our lives. The eyes of the Lord are roaming throughout the earth looking to strengthen the hearts of those who are devoted to Him.

CALAMITIES COMING IN OUR WAY

The book of Revelation tells us some of the calamities that will be coming. The newspaper shows us pictures of calamities that are already here. I don't know the specifics of the hardships that are coming, but I do know that I desire a heart like David's, confident in who my God is, not like the armies of Israel cowering in fear at the taunts of our enemies. I want to believe who my God is despite what the world says or how circumstances are perceived.

WHEN YOUR LIFE IS BEING TAKEN AWAY, BEGIN TO BELIEVE WITHOUT SEEING

Cabin

Imagine the most important things in your life being taken away and your response to that crisis.

The Shulammite in Song of Songs faced a similar crisis. The most important desires in her heart, were not being fulfilled but rather were stripped away. Her ministry was taken away, she was misunderstood by those closest to her and she no longer experienced the manifest presence of the Lord. Those around her came to her asking for the explanation of her love when she was being treated this way.

At this point, the Shulamite bellows out an amazing declaration of who this Man Jesus is. She proclaims His character and qualities and how there is no one who remotely compares with him in all the earth. She had spent time developing a history with Jesus and was confident in His faithfulness and steadfast love toward her. Like David, she too believed without seeing. It changed everything!! The beauty of Jesus caused her to persevere through her wilderness time of testing. It will do the same for us!

JESUS IS AFTER SOMETHING GREATER IN OUR HEART

Jesus endured the cross, gazing at the joy set before Him, which was YOU (Hebrews 12:2). Moses endured as he peered at the One who is invisible (Hebrews 11:27). If you are walking through a time of testing, I want to encourage you not to lose heart. It is so easy to believe the enemy who lies to us: you must be doing something wrong, God is rejecting you, there is no hope for your situation, you might as well accept this as your destiny and give up. I tell you PHOOEY (if that's a word)! I believe that He is after something greater in your heart.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO JESUS

Think about this: IF the most important thing to Jesus is our love (just look at Calvary, and our upcoming wedding day), and IF the more we see Him and grow in the true knowledge of God causes us to love Him more, for Him to wait and have you walk through not seeing or understanding for a season, with the possibility of you growing offended at Him and misunderstanding His character, possibly misunderstanding His ways -this tells us that He is after something greater in our hearts that no one and no circumstance will ever be able to take away. He is entrusting this difficulty to you, desiring to produce something greater in your heart. As you wait and look at Him, know that your glance (whether it be weak or strong), undoes His heart. You are not forgotten. You are His beloved. He is smitten with you. Stand-believing what He has said about Himself and about you which is found in the word of God.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Here are 3 practical applications that have really helped me as I've walked through wilderness seasons. These applications are taken from Song of Songs 1:7-9.

The Shulammite was crying out to be led by her Shepherd to the place where He would feed her. The following were His instructions to her:

Follow the tracks of the sheep:

Body Life -We need to be connected to a Body of believers and open up our lives to them.

When we open up in vulnerability, we are able to receive truth and encouragement from one another as well as protection from believing lies of the enemy.

Graze your young goats: Pour out into others lives-I had a Bible teacher who continually told us, "What you give, you keep. What you keep, you lose". We are not called to sign up for every activity under the sun, however, we all have something to give out to others. You all have a story to tell! Tell it to all He gives you to.

By the tents of the shepherds: Submit to the authorities over you - We are called to submit to the Lord's anointed over us-your family, boss, co-workers, etc. He makes no mistakes in the families, friendships, job situations, etc. that He provides for us. Be faithful wherever He has placed you.

GRACE AND PEACE ABOUND IN WHEREVER WE ARE

In the place where I stay and work, these past few months, I have walked through some transitions. I moved into a new apartment on campus, which I love even more than my old one. I moved into a new office, my 3rd office since I started working here in this place exactly a year ago. I also have a new boss. I'm currently learning how to best serve and support him in this new role.

Being here at this place has been God's great gift to me this year, though one of the greatest challenges in my life. I would not have picked this role, but I knew without a doubt, this is exactly where God wanted me.

Through the mundane and ordinary, the Lord has changed my heart. It was a gradual process of choosing to agree with His good purposes for my life and asking for His help. I don't have understanding into a lot of this, but through it I believe He has become my reward more than anything else!

It's a blessing to be here living and working, united to the Body of Christ partnering with the Lord in His purposes for this generation of young people He is raising up who will be volunteers, turning many hearts to this extravagant love we have received!

Wherever you are or go, I pray you would lean in closely to His heart and hear him speak words of comfort, hope and affirmation to you.

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THEY WILL HAVE VISIONS AND DREAMS | FROM THE WILDERNESS | THE PEOPLE WHO MADE CHRISTMAS POSSIBLE! | YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN! STAY PURE | FAITH THAT SURVIVES | DO YOU COUNT FOR GOD? | ECUMENICAL COUNCILS AND IMAGES - THE POSITION OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH | YEAR OF THE EAGLE? | HOME PAGE | CONTACT EDITOR


Angie Montag
angie.montag@bethanyinternational.org

Google

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