I went away for a few days. Not alone-I was with my husband and we went up to the lake in Central NY State. For the first time his father and step-mother will not be driving to Florida for the winter, they will fly; so we went there to say our winter goodbyes. You see, my father-in-law is 90 years old. And healthy, but he is 90. But, we were also there for another reason. You see, my husband was raised Jewish, and he still celebrates the holidays with his family. I go and I celebrate but in a different way. As I sit in the temple, I hear the words of the Hebrew people. The language of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hear the prayers that are recited and sung and I think that these are the words and prayers that our Lord recited and prayed. The prayers begin with thankfulness, to penitence, to mourning, to celebration, to forgivness. And as each section begins my father-in-law would explain something to me and say: "Read the English, and you will understand". So I read, commentaries, translations, and the ah-ha moment that I would like to share:
Isaiah 43:12 says You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and I am God.
The commentary is as follows: God exists; but unless we acknowledge this, and unless our belief in God's existence has some influence on our life and character, then for us God does not exist...God exists when we recognize God's sovereignty! The sages of the Midrash had their own way of teaching this idea that, in a sense, God depends on us just as we depend on God. When you are MY witness, I am God; but when you are not my witness, I am, as it were, not God.
How sad it must make God when we do not do his will. When we do not testify to his existence and accepting Him and His Son into our lives we are denying him and admitting that HE is not the the ruler of our lives, it is as if we are denying his existence.
I pray for each of you to open your hearts on the days you question and are hard; I pray for each of you to look into the heavens and say yes God, yes Jesus, I will live my life as you have asked.
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Sounds like GOD used your time to work in your heart in a big way. I am thankful for answered prayers.
ReplyDeleteWe are having lunch with your mom, today. We are a little behind celebrating her Birthday with her.
Love, hugs, and prayers, andrea
This is a great post and something we should all be more aware of. When our attitudes become harsh and the words we speak are not kind, perhaps looking at the heart that lies within is needed and a prayer offered to God for help and forgiveness. If we draw close to God, He will draw close to us.
ReplyDeleteLove and Hugs ~ Kat