Becoming the Balm of Gilead

The hills of Gilead. 

In case you don't remember, Gilead was a mountainous area that included Mount Nebo, located east of the Jordan River.

It was from one of those Gilead mountains (Nebo) that Moses viewed the Promised Land. He died and was buried by God there. Some people believe Jeremiah hid the Ark of the Covenant in a cave on Nebo.

The prophet Elijah was from Gilead.

In the Tyndale translation of the Bible, (KJV) there's reference to the "balm of Gilead." It was used for healing and thought to be made from a specific shrub that grew in the area. Jeremiah used the phrase to symbolize hope. 

In a way, the land of Gilead is a place of hope and healing, and it's one of the sweetest places I know. 

A few months ago, I had the great joy of visiting that beautiful area, and am still in awe of the people there. They were the most generous, hospitable, and welcoming of any group I've ever met. 

In a very real way, the people were the balm of Gilead to me.

My time there changed me in deep ways. I came home with a new appreciation for their culture and a desire to be as gracious and welcoming to visitors in our country as they were to me. 

We, the church, should be among those with the most hope to share, the most healing to offer, for we know the Great Physician. We should be the balm of healing and hope to those in need. 

If my experience is any indication, becoming balm begins by welcoming strangers, whether they are from another country or from our own. Stopping to listen. Opening our arms. Opening our hearts. Opening our lives. 

If we want to be balm for those who need it most, we must be willing to slow down and invite others into our lives, our faith, our hope, our healing. We who know the Healer must we willing to introduce Him to those in need.

Here's our challenge for today: Look for that one person in your path today in need of hope and healing and be the balm of Gilead for them today.

"Go up to Gilead and obtain balm..." Jeremiah 46:11 nasb
"Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2 esv
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I'm headed back to that beautiful land tomorrow, and am eager to see the friends I made, to hear their stories, and breathe the air of Gilead.

My small group, the Sisters of Strength, are praying me through, just as they've done before. They've scheduled an alert on their phones at 12 noon daily to stop and pray. That's 8 pm where I'll be. My phone is already set. I hope you'll schedule a prayer-alert, too.

If you'd like to share in my experiences, you can join me for mostly-daily email updates. Please message me with your name and/or email address. I'll update as I have internet access. (I will not be able to share most stories on the blog for a variety of reasons.)

If you feel led to partner with me for the upcoming Middle East trip, here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

You can also mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

Please like and share to extend our digital reach.

In case you missed it, here's the link to the most recent post: When Our Faith Rests on the Power of God

Caregiver Chronicles: When Peppy Music Pepped Sam Right Out of the Bed

Tuesday night, we had a senior adult meeting at church. A woman was scheduled to play Southern gospel for the program and Sam wanted to go.

On Saturday, he'd been so weak I'd had to feed him with a spoon. He couldn't even sit up. Tuesday, he felt like he could make the trip. Standing was still a wobbly adventure, though, so we opted for the wheelchair. 

I rolled him into the room, positioned him at a table, and headed to the buffet line to get him a plate. Sam is very particular about what he thinks he can eat, so I filled a plate with the options I thought he was most likely to eat and headed back to the table. To my surprise, he ate almost everything on the plate. 

When the music started, Sam was transfixed. The performer was an excellent pianist with a spirited repertoire. Within a few minutes, he was smiling and tapping his feet. He loved the program. He enjoyed the speaker, Jim Spencer, who gave a devotional on finishing strong.

Sam talked all the way home about the music, and he's still talking about it. "It pepped me up," he keeps telling me, and it seems to have done just that. Yesterday, Sam had a flat tire. He felt so peppy, he went outside, repaired a connection on his air pump, and aired up his tire. 

When we went to church last night, we used the wheelchair, but he thought it was a strong possibility he could've walked. As I helped him into his house, Sam said words I still can't believe:

"That music pepped me up so much that it made me feel a lot better. I believe I'll be able to cut the grass tomorrow. I'm gonna feed the horses for you, too." 

This...from a man who couldn't sit up on Saturday.

Sam's certain the music has done a work in him and brought about his improvement. I'm equally sure it's the result of all the prayers of people around the world who've been praying on his behalf. Regardless, that music pepped Sam out of the bed, out of the wheelchair, and back to his walker. 

"I might just get over this," Sam told me before I left him last night. 

"Sam, you're 87 years old and you have Parkinson's. You don't get well from that."

He just grinned. "You never know."

"...the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:16b nasb

(Thanks to all who have prayed. Please don't stop!) 
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Please like and share if this blog post has touched your heart. It extends our digital reach in significant ways. Thank you.

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Pigpen Parables: The Place of the Piggy Heart

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Jordan, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line

When What You Most Need Has Been Prepared and Waiting for More than Fifty Years

This might  be more information than you want, but, if you don't understand the day I'd had, you might not understand how precious what happened later was to me...

It started like every other Friday. I went over to Sam's house for our weekly shopping trip. He'd just finished the last of the peach cobbler Vivian Boatner had brought him. 

He was still congratulating himself for eating a good breakfast when I said, "Sam, you need to eat something that's not just a sweet before we go." 

"It had peaches in it. And whipped cream on top," said my 87-year-old dessert lover. 

Sam should've had a nutrition class a few decades before, but he didn't. His pure-sugar-diet had been a source of great distress to me for a while.  We went back and forth for a few minutes about eating something else. He refused.

Sam loved sweets, but about thirty minutes after he ate them, he got a sugar rush and felt dizzy and terrible. About an hour after that, the sugar burned off and he had a blood sugar drop. Then he felt weak. Sometimes he fell. I had to pick him up after he'd sunk to the floor more times than I want to recount. 

My knee still hurt from picking him up the week before, so I put cheese and crackers on the table and sat down. "I'm not going a step until you eat this." I chuckled and smiled, but I wasn't kidding.

Sam really wanted to get some new tennis shoes, so he sat down and ate. 

The food struggle made us late leaving, but it was worth it because he was less likely to collapse. I loaded Sam and the walker into the car and we headed to the big box store in New Albany.

At the turn, the light was out and a policeman was directing traffic. Up ahead, I could see that a light pole was on the ground. Multiple emergency vehicles were parked around it. None of the businesses on the corner had electricity. 

It was a bad sign.

We got to the box store. Only a handful of cars were parked in the lot. 

Another bad sign.

A woman pulled into a parking space a few rows over, got out, and hollered at us. "You coming or going?" 

"What?" I hollered back.

She walked over. "You coming or going?" 

I'm coming to the box store and going inside, I thought. For a moment, I was tempted to say, "Both," but I didn't. No one likes a smart aleck. 

"We're just getting here," I told her.

All three of us looked at the store. One door stood open. The inside was dark as night. 

About that time, a man walked out and gave us the bad news. The downed pole knocked out a major transformer. It was likely to take 5-7 hours to restore power. All the customers had been sent home.

Sam was for going home, too, but I was determined to get him some shoes and some food. Sam didn't care a bit for food, but the thought of his new shoes spurred him on. We headed to Tupelo. 

At the next box store, we wandered all over. Sam tried on every shoe in his size that met his criteria. He found a pair that were really comfortable, but they were $17. He didn't want to pay that much for a pair of shoes, but, after a long wrangle, he decided to go for it. 

We headed to the front to pay for our purchases when I remembered I was supposed to buy a t-shirt so my sister could put vinyl on it. Sam was worn out and needed to sit down. We were near the dressing rooms, so I got the lady to let Sam rest in a dressing room for a few minutes.

I was still searching for the t-shirts when the intercom came on. "Code black. Code black. All customers and employees go to the back of the store." 

I didn't know what code black meant, so I stayed where I was until an employee came up and said, "There's a code black. It's a tornado warning. Come on." 

I raced to Sam and we headed to the back. There's no speed with an 87-year old man and a walker, so we were one of the last to the arrive at the shelter. It was completely full. We took a place in the rug/carpet aisle just before another employee came by. 

"This isn't a good place. You're under a skylight." 

Sam and I looked up. There wasn't an aisle that wasn't near a skylight. We waited until the all clear and headed back to the front to check out. 

We had planned to get ice cream after shopping, but Sam was too tired, so we started toward home. We made it to Coley Road, when the rain worsened. It was pummeling us so hard, I couldn't see, so we pulled over to the Orchard parking lot to wait until it slowed. 

"Let's go home," Sam said. 

"We will, but I can't see the road." 

"Well, I'm tired and I want to go home and rest." 

We'd just gotten stopped when the torrent turned to dead silence. No rain. No wind. Only a terrible quiet.

"Look how quiet it is now. Let's go home," Sam said again.

I well remember the 2014 tornado and the dead silence when we were in the eye of the storm. That's what I thought had happened again. As you might imagine, I prayed hard for protection.

No tornado came, so we left. Finally, we made it home and I unloaded Sam's groceries. We had planned to pack up Jamie's clothes to take to Salvation Army, but Sam wanted to rest. He sent me home and said the weather was too bad for him to get out again, and I shouldn't either. (Meaning, "don't come back.")

I went home and, with my good plans disrupted, decided to move furniture around and clean. I dumped all the books out of a bookshelf I wanted to move, and started sorting them. There was a mission text in the stack. I flipped through it, and a paper fell out.

I unfolded it and saw a few notes in my mother's handwriting. I flipped it over and found what I never expected to see. 

My father's handwriting. 

It was dated 5/8/1962 and was a quote from William Carey. "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God."

They were the words I most needed to hear that day, and they'd been in the book, waiting for me, for more than fifty-five years. I found them right on time.

My dad felt called to ministry when I was just a girl, but, by that time, he had a prescription drug addiction. It had started during a prolonged post-op recovery after a gunshot wound in WWII. He never completely recovered. 

He eventually went to seminary but dropped out when his addiction relapsed. My parents divorced when I was in 4th grade. I rarely saw him again. I have one photo of me with my dad. I have no letters, cards, or notes from him now, but I knew the handwriting.

For a moment, I thought my dad had written that as a message to me. In a way, that's exactly what it was. 

Taking care of Sam was a huge effort, but I gave my word back in 1989 that he could live on the farm until he died and that I'd take care of him. I intended to keep my word. I wanted those who were watching to understand what living a life of honor looks like, and that it's worth the effort. 

It had been a hard, frustrating, exhausting day, but it was all swept away by the words on that sheet of notebook paper. 

Seated on the floor in the middle of a stack of old books, I had church. I'd expected great things from God that day, and, though it didn't turn out like I'd anticipated, I'd also attempted great things for God. That little scrap of paper reminded me that our Lord sees all, is in all, and never leaves me nor forsakes me, no matter how hard or frustrating the day may be.

I was encouraged and strengthened by the words my Dad had penned. We can all take hope from that little paper written more than a half-century ago. "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God." It's not just a catchy quote. It's the way we're supposed to live.

"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6 nlt
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Please like and share if this blog post has touched your heart. It extends our digital reach in significant ways. Thank you.

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: When Life Isn't Funny But God is Still Good

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Jordan, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

#hope

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Finding Thanksgiving: The Future Hope

I know heaven will have streets paved with gold and pearly gates. There'll be a big crystal sea and the trees with healing-leaves. 

It all sounds beautiful, but I'm not accustomed to that kind of splendor. I just hope heaven has flowers.

Regardless, I'll be glad I'm there. 

I haven't always lived my days with the thought of heaven on my mind, but I've been to too many visitations and funerals in the last few years. These days, I hold the hope of heaven pretty close.

After the last few months of political turmoil, I'm not just hoping for heaven. I'm hoping Jesus will return and take us all home. (Well, a part of me is hoping for that. The other part of me, the part that knows we haven't gathered the harvest we were commanded to collect, hopes He'll delay.)

 This morning, I read the lovely passage in 1 Thessalonians, that describes Jesus' return. It's going to be very exciting, and just the hope of it causes a swell of gratitude in my heart. 

In case you've forgotten, here's what we anticipate with certainty:

"The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Therefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 nasb

No matter what we face now, no matter how hard, there will be a day when we meet Jesus in the sky. We won't need wings, and we won't suddenly become angels. Jesus will summon us, and we'll soar right into the clouds to join Him. 

It will be glorious.

Today, I'm grateful for the hope of eternity and the hope of sky-soaring with Jesus. 

Let's be sure to thank Him for His promises of the future as we make our way through the difficult days we face. Better days are coming. Take courage, my brothers and sisters. No matter what trials we face, one day, it will all be worth it. 

In fact, the troubles of today won't matter at all, for we will see Jesus face to face and we will be changed in an instant, all troubles, all trials left far behind.

"Therefore, comfort one another with these words." 1 Thess. 4:18
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If you've been blessed by this digital ministry, prayerfully consider supporting  this outreach. Here's the link for online donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841
In case you missed yesterday's post, here's the link: Finding My Heart of Thanksgiving Again: Forgiven
#thanksgiving2016, thankful, hope

A Month of Gratitude: The One Who Always Keeps His Promises

In Sunday School this past Sunday, we went around the room and introduced ourselves by saying our name and some characteristic that mattered to us or makes a difference in how we live. For some, it was truth. For me, it was "keeping my word", or keeping a promise. I know I'm not perfect at it, but it matters to me.

Afterward, I realized that's one of the things that matters to me about God, too. He keeps His promises. It's been my habit to write about the things for which I'm grateful during the month of November. Today, I'm starting a month of gratitude by giving thanks for the promise-keeping, the faithfulness, of God.

This morning, I opened the book of Matthew, where I'm currently studying. Matthew, a Jewish man, wrote about Jesus as the promised Messiah. Over and over, he presented a part of Jesus' life as fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. I've highlighted those promises in my Bible.

When I opened Matthew 2, I saw five highlighted promises. Jesus was born of a virgin in Bethlehem, taken to Egypt as a child to escape the infanticide of Herod, and grew up in Nazareth. There was weeping in Ramah when Herod killed the baby boys.

As I looked at those pages and the red highlights of promises made and kept, I was reminded of the faithfulness of our God. 

When God makes a promise, He keeps it.

It's that simple. It may take hundreds of years, but He does what He says He will do.

Psalm 105:8 tells us, "He remembers His covenant forever, the promises made for a thousand generations."

We may forget, but God never does.

That's a good thing, because I've staked my life on the promises of God. Here's just a few:

- God has a plan for my life, and it's for my welfare, not for calamity. Jeremiah 29:11


- Even when I'm weak, even though I'm weak, He will give me all the strength I need. Isaiah 40:29-31

- He will provide for my needs. Every single time. Philippians 4:19

- Nothing can separate me from the love of God. Romans 8:37-39

No matter what we face today, we can be sure that our God knows and cares. He will be our strong tower of support and defense. He is with us.

We may have serious concerns about what the future holds, but God already knows. He's already there. He already has a plan. He already has a way through. 

What He has said, He will do. What He has promised, He will fulfill.

Take courage today and hold to the One who is faithful and true. Our God can, and will, carry us through.

"Yea, though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." Psalm 23:4 KJV
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Be sure to like and share to help extend my reach!
(I've added links to a couple of prior blog posts about the promises of God. I think they'll be worth the read.)

In case you missed yesterday's post, here's the link: When Good Comes from Evil

To support this ministry: Leanna Hollis  Account #4841#hope #faithful

When Good Comes from Evil

The "begats", those long genealogy lists in Scripture, are not my favorite. I hate to admit it, but I usually skip over them. Not long ago, though, I found something that startled me in the lineage of Jesus. 

I knew this fact, in theory, but the truth of it hadn't sunk in before.

Jesus is descended from Manasseh. 

In case you've forgotten, Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, was a terrible king. He practiced witchcraft, divination, worshipped idols, and made his sons "pass through the fire". Scripture tells us he "shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another." ((2 Kings 21:16) 

There were quite a few generations between Manasseh and Jesus, but they were kin.

Out of great evil came the greatest good.

We don't often celebrate it, but this theme runs throughout Scripture. The Valley of Achor became the door of Hope. (Joshua 7:26, Hosea 2:15) God can take the most terrible event, the most hideous sin, and bring good from it. 

Just as He brought Jesus from the line of Manasseh. 

Paul wrote, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 niv

No matter what we face, no matter how hard the circumstances, no matter how evil the enemy, God can bring good from it. And He will.

Romans 8:28 doesn't say that God is able to bring good from all things. It says He does. In all things, He finds the good and brings it forth. 

Just as He did when He took Jesus from the cross to the empty tomb.

Many of us face difficult times, agonizing defeat, uncertain futures, sorrowful situations with family. Today, let's remember the wise words of the Apostle Paul:

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are bring renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 niv

So, let's take courage in the truth that God is in control. He has a plan. He will not be defeated. Let's focus our attention on Him, not our circumstances. 

Trust the One who loves us most.
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In case you missed it, here' the link to yesterday's post: Living as One Nation Under God
#hope
To support this ministry: Leanna Hollis  Account #4841

Living As One Nation Under God

My sister, brother-in-law, and niece (Katie) drove up last weekend to help with Blue Springs Day. They were in charge of the Cupcake Walk, but I had forgotten the cupcakes. My sister, Cookie, and I made a quick trip to my house to get them.

As we drove up, I commented on the bunting on the upstairs porch. Cookie said, "Yeah. Katie wanted to know what was wrong with you. She couldn't believe it was still 4th of July at your house." 

I told her I'd been busy. And I have. I just hadn't gotten around to taking them down. And I hadn't. 

There was a bigger reason the bunting was still up, though.

After July, I decided to leave the bunting and "flag" door decorations until Labor Day. Then, the wind blew the bunting backward. Every time I drove up to my house and saw the backward bunting, it seemed symbolic. I would think about what a mess our country is in and I would stop to pray.

One day, when I thought about taking it down, I wondered how much longer we'd have this country of ours and be able to fly a flag and decorate with bunting. The thought was chilling and I decided to leave it in place. 

Yesterday, after more than four months, I took down the bunting and replaced the door decoration with my fall flower arrangement. 

I realized something I should have known before. In many ways, the nation I grew up in is already gone. The digital network has connected us globally in ways we never even imagined when I was a child. I'm not sure there's more crime, but we certainly hear about it more. There may not be more corruption, but we read/hear/see it constantly. 

We're less insulated. Innocence is lost earlier. Poor choices are paraded like a trophy. We might have made the same choices forty years ago, but we weren't as proud of them. We weren't as open. 

And yet... we're the same fallen, broken people we've always been. There's still only one hope for change, and that hope is still in Christ alone.

After the presidential elections, one group of supporters will swear the country is going down the tubes. One group of supporters will swear it's not. 

The truth will lie somewhere between, and it will depend on how we the people decide to live going forward. Will we stay the same or begin to live as "one nation under God" is supposed to live?

When God said, "if My people", He wasn't referring to lost people. He was referring to His people. 

Positive change will not come because of one man's claims. Positive change will come only when God's people decide to stop blaming lost people for not living like God said, and, instead, start doing it themselves.

It's up to us, body of Christ. We are the ones who must show the rest of the nation what living "under God" means, how it's done. We are the ones who must  demonstrate that "Victory in Jesus" is not only possible, it's worth it. 

Let's decide today to do something so radical that even our fellow believers will be surprised. Let's love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let's love our neighbor as ourselves. 

Let's stop giving leftovers and give of our BEST to our Savior. 

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In case you missed yesterday's post, here's the link: Making Sense of Election 2016

#ifMypeople #onenationunderGod

When Hope Came to Hope

Sam Wiley and I were assigned to greet the visitors at church last night, escort them into the food line, and help them to a table. It was "No Strings Attached" Meal Night. Visitors in our neighborhood had received invitations on Sunday.

We had a grand time and met some of the sweetest people imaginable. One lady's name was Hope. She's been living in our town for several months. She's moved here from up north, where she'd lived for the last few years, taking care of her daddy. 

One morning, she awakened to a terrible new reality. She had lost her hearing. Many doctors had examined her. No one could find the cause. No one could find a solution. She'd been on the waiting list for sign language classes for four years, but her turn had never come.

Eventually, she moved to Tupelo to be near her son. She'd passed Hope Church numerous times and wondered if it was the kind of church that she could attend. She'd been praying for a home church for a while. When the invitation arrived Sunday, she thought, just maybe, her prayers were being answered.

As we walked toward the back of the building to the dining area, she told me about the waiting list for sign language class. 

"We have sign language classes here," I told her. "They just started a couple of weeks ago."

"Would you say that again?" We both had tears in our eyes as she read my lips one more time to be sure she'd understood.

"We have sign language classes here. They're free. You can come." I spoke slowly. "Hope, you're not here by accident. God brought you here."

She nodded and blinked back tears. "I think He did, too."

We went through the line to get her food and headed into the gym to find her a table. Kelly King, who teaches sign language, was seated at a table across the room. There was an empty seat next to her. 

I introduced Hope and Kelly, gave Hope a hug, and headed back to my welcoming position, grinning all the way.

Hope had come to Hope and we had seen the orchestration of God in a fresh and beautiful way.

Today, slow down and look around you. God is doing more than you know. In you. Through you. For you. Watch for His hand at work and join in where you can.

You never know when God might bring Hope your way. When He does, it will be a perfect fit.

"'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'" Jeremiah 29:11 nasb
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In case you missed it, here's the link for yesterday's post: The Interloper, The Charging Dog, and the Clear Glimpses of God They Gave
#hope #hopechurch

The Face Softener

As one who looks in the mirror and still sees dark brown hair, despite the ever-increasing number of silver strands, I'm more interested in face-softening products than ever before. I have a few favorites, but I'm not sure how effectively they hold off the ravages of time and sun.

(In case you're wondering, I do know how silver my hair has become, but I have the heart of a brown-haired girl, and I'm still claiming it.)

This morning, I saw an astounding bit of information in Daniel 9. Daniel had been studying the writings of Jeremiah, realized the during of the captivity was scheduled by God to be seventy years, and that the allotted years were almost up. 

It was nearly time to go home to Jerusalem.

There was one problem. The people hadn't repented. They'd been taken captive and made homes and built lives in the new land. 

They'd adjusted, but they hadn't changed.

If they were to go home, changed hearts were needed, so Daniel set about to do the work of repentance. He wasn't just confessing his own sins. Daniel repented on behalf of everyone.

Over and over, he used the phrase, "We had not obeyed." I read those words and prayed with him. "Our nation has not obeyed either, Lord. We, Your people, have not obeyed."

He went on to pray, "We have not sought your face..." There's a footnote next to this phrase that says, "softened the face of". The word used here is chalah and literally means a continuous rubbing that smooths a surface, removes rough edges, makes it shine.

There's a beautiful word picture tucked into this little phrase. When we sin and God "sets His face like flint" against us, in judgment and discipline, our genuine, humble repentance is as precious to God as a caress against His face. He responds to repentance by "softening" His face. The hardness smooths.

It's the kind of change that comes over a father when his much loved child runs up, grabs his leg, and says, "I love you, Daddy. I'm sorry I messed up." As parents, we know what we would do for that child. Smile. Bend down. Hold him tight. 

We would soften.

In that same way, God responds to our genuine repentance with face-softening of His own.

Like the exiled nation of Israel, we have piled sin upon sin. We haven't turned from our evil ways, and we, as a people, deserve any judgment God sends. 

But God...

God responds to humble, repentant hearts. If we humble ourselves, turn from our sin, and repent, He will not fail to respond. He will not fail to soften His face, and His heart.

Repentance softens more than God's face. It softens our face, too. But that's a topic for another day.

For this day, let's repent on behalf of a people who aren't willing to repent for themselves, just as Daniel did. Today, let's pray, with him, "We have not obeyed. We have not sought Your face. We have not asked you to forgive. But we do today." 

We deserve judgment. We deserve the consequences we are likely to reap, but it may be that our prayers will be the ones that soften His face toward our nation.

"As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Thy truth." Daniel 9:13 nasb
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In case you missed yesterday's post, here's the link: Pagans, Persecution, and the Prayers that Saved a Nation
Here's the link to the prayer guide: The Prayer List

Here's the link to my Global Outreach page: Leanna Hollis MD
#prayer

The Door of Hope is Still Open

Another terrorist attack...

More racial tension...

Further revelations about public leaders...

There's destruction and death, deceit and depravity everywhere we turn.  

In the midst of it all, however, I have good news. God is STILL on His throne.

I know there's a temptation to look at this mess and wonder where God is in the midst of it, to wonder why He doesn't move. 

Some people say that the evil in our world argues against a righteous God. 

I say the evil in our world argues for a patient, loving, long suffering, one-more-chance God. 

At the root of all this evil is a problem we don't even recognize. We've lost something precious, something protective, and we're poorer for it. As I read Psalm 119 this morning, I realized that, as a society, we no longer "tremble for fear" of God. We aren't afraid of His judgment.

We should be, though.

The delay of God's judgment is not an indication of an inability to render judgment. The delay shows us how much He loves us. His Word is clear, though. He will not delay forever.

If we continue on our current path of rebellion toward God, of immorality, spiritual arrogance, and chasing after the gods of this world, we will reap the judgment of God. We are already reaping it. 

God will not let our evil go on forever.

I cringe at the idea of judgment, until I look at Israel. Over and over again, God's people sinned, experienced judgment, and turned back to Him.

It's easy to trust ourselves in prosperity. When we have nothing but God, we come to understand that God is all we need. We turn back to Him. We trust Him again. We embrace the change that comes with repentance and revival.

We are sin-broken people, living in a sin-broken world, but we are not without hope. There's a time-proven treatment for sin-brokenness. When we turn to God with a repentant heart, accept the Lordship of Jesus, and follow Him, He heals us. He cleanses us. He makes us new.

Judgment is at hand.

But the door of Hope is still open. The Message paraphrase translates Hosea 2:15 this way: "I'll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope." No matter how hard life gets, God can still turn heartbreak into hope. Judgment into joy.

What should our response be in the midst of unsettled, sin-filled times? Scripture makes it clear. Repent. Return. Pray.

Is there still a chance for things to change? Maybe not much, but yes, we still have a chance, so let's do what must be done. Repent. Return. Pray.

"But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 2 Peter 3:8-9 ESV
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Lesson of the Succulents
#hope #ifmypeople #Jesus 

Beauty From Ashes By Dawn V. Cahill

My friend, Dawn V. Cahill, is our guest blogger today and I'm thrilled (and honored) to have her. When I attended my first writing conference last year, she was the first person to greet me. She turned around in the lunch line, noticed my name tag, and said, "Wow. I read your blog." I was utterly amazed and we became instant friends. She gave me the tremendous gift of validation as a writer and I will never forget that moment. You'll enjoy this sweet devotion. Even if you aren't a single mom, you've experienced hurt and barrenness in your life. This will be an encouragement. Be sure to share some love with Dawn and check out her author links below.

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Beauty From Ashes - A Devotion for Single Moms

Isaiah is one of my favorite Bible books. It may seem stuffy and archaic to some, but to me, it magnifies the glory of God. Certain sections in the last third of the book get delightfully apocalyptic in a Back to the Future sort of way. It reminds me of Daniel. Or Revelation.

Tucked inside all this rich, end-times prose, you'll find this jewel:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,

Because the Lord has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."

(Isaiah 61:1-3 NKJV)

If you're a solo mama, you probably know a lot more about ashes than you do about beauty, and mourning than joy, heaviness than praise. But how comforting to know the Lord promises to console those who mourn. Like those of us who mourn the loss of a marriage.

Stability. 

Companionship.

Do you see anything missing in the passage? What about God's promise to take away my troubles and give me everything I ask Him for? You mean it's not there?

So much for health, wealth, and prosperity.

I keep having to come back to this verse every time I start thinking I don't deserve my lot in life. Railing at God for the trials he's forcing me to endure.

But, if I didn't mourn, how would I ever know His sweet comfort?

If I didn't know ashes, how could I know His beauty?

Comfort is much sweeter in the valley than on the mountaintop.

You may be skeptical that God could make anything beautiful from your trials, but I have a real-life, visual example of God's handiwork for you. Check out these two photos:

Before:

After:

Most people aren't familiar with the name Mt. Mazama. But if you say Crater Lake, most folks recognize the name of Oregon's National Park, tucked into the Cascade Range in Oregon. Six thousand years ago, Mt. Mazama blew its top (above) and, over the years, transformed into the beautiful jewel you see below. Don't you think Mt. Mazama is even more beautiful as a crater than she must have been 6,000 years ago as a mountain?

Isn't it amazing how God can take a barren wreck and turn it into a work of art?

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