BUT GOD (Day Four: But God Shall Be With You)

Beloved husband Shiloh, it is a shame and a reproach to have been chosen; this day, our LORD reconciles this with the blessedness, the utter blessedness of being chosen. 

To even get back to that myself, I have to retrace my steps. 


Headlong


This morning, I awakened with a disturbing image that came to me repeatedly in various scenarios, all with a consistent theme.  In the image, a teenaged boy, about Gavin's age, was rushing to swoop his girlfriend in his arms and kiss her as he was leaning her over a balcony or railing of a stair landing at a high school where they both attended.  It was such foolishly risky behavior, and I feared both of them falling on their heads and being killed or permanently disabled.  It seemed as though it was a fad that had caught on, and many youth were doing it, with ever-increasing daringness.  I understood that it is part of adolescence to be daring, to do daring things, but this seemed beyond the pale in a number of ways. 


I awakened from that with a prayer upon my lips for the Lord to protect our children (and I meant it in the global sense, as well as the immediate family sense) from such foolishness, to dispatch His angels at once to protect them.  After that, I got up having no idea what time it was (2:17 AM EST, 1:17 AM Ark Time, when I finally got the computer going to check the time). 

Checking my own Facebook home page, I found a new post from Gavin, exhorting his "bro's" to "treat your girl right and show her how it feels to be a queen."  He said, "Girls are not toys.  So step up and be a real man, treat them how they deserve to be treated, and show them how to love.  To all girls, you're beautiful no matter who you are, so hold on to that smile and I guarantee some lucky guy will notice it, make you his and treat you right.  just don't fall too fast for the wrong ones that make you think that's what they're about."  (Posted at 7:47 PM EST, 6:47 PM Ark Time, January 13, 2012, via mobile). 

It's always heartening to see evidence of the good things that have taken root, praise Jesus.  I also saw it as an answer to my prayer before I had prayed it; our Lord preserves and protects.  He keeps us by His love.

Christy Nockels - Healing Is In Your Hands - Today's Christian Videos (Duration 4:27)

From the Passion 2010 CD "Awakening". This song is based on Romans 8:37-39 and Ephesians 3:17-19. Written by Christy Nockels, Chris Tomlin, Nathan Nockels, Daniel Carson, and Matt Redman.

The Bones of Joseph

After looking at Gavin's post and some other things, I began to prepare to write and looked at the "But God" scripture for today:

Genesis 48:21

King James Version (KJV)

 ²¹And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

At the point of death, Joseph's father Jacob prophesied; as at the point of death, my father prophesied, saying to me, "You're that little child," immediately after having quoted part of Isaiah 11:6, "and a little child shall lead them."

This morning, after reading the theme scripture of the day, I reflected on how long it took for that prophesy to be fulfilled.   

Exodus 13:18-20

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁸But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
 ¹⁹And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
 ²⁰And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.

Well over four hundred years from prophecy to fulfillment.  In Joseph's lifetime, he did not see that prophecy fulfilled; however, mindful that the word of the Lord endures forever, including the word as given to him through his father Jacob, Joseph swore the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.  In Joseph's time, things were good for the children of Israel; they were well cared for, well situated in the land given them by pharaoh.  Better for them, however, was the land the LORD had given to them, forever.  Joseph knew a fundamental truth about God:

Psalm 73:26

King James Version (KJV)

 ²⁶My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Of course, in present context, I wondered about the prophecies over you and me.  "What's to say how soon they will actually happen?" I thought.  It's humbling, not knowing. 

My wondering presented a "challenge" to the Lord, a question for Him to answer as only He can, and He did so.  I hope I can do justice to recording enough details of His leading to show again what a great God it is that we serve. 

Bible Reading

Today I am not working, so am not under a time constraint in my writing as I am on workdays.  I had gotten behind on my Bible reading.  Yesterday, I had started to get caught up with that day and the previous one, but the Lord urged me to write, and as it was I barely had time to do so and get it posted.  Today, I really felt that I should get caught up before writing, and had three days to cover:

Job 3-4

Isaiah 7-11

Matthew 3-4

I had not gone far in reading before I found out the prophetic relevance of the image to which I had awakened, as described above:

Job 5:12-14

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹²He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
 ¹³He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
 ¹⁴They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

Headlong!  That was what the imagery was about!  The Lord wanted that scripture, especially Job 5: 

 Main Entry: ¹head·long    Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: |l also -|lä
Function: adverb
Etymology: Middle English hedlong, alteration of hedling, from hed head + -ling
1 : with the head foremost : HEADFIRST
2 : without deliberation : RASHLY, RECKLESSLY, HEEDLESSLY
3 : without delay or pause : in a rush : UNSWERVINGLY

Do you see what happened here, though?  My scripture reading in Job was to be Chapters 3 and 4, but the scripture above is in Chapter 5.  Part of the reason I am behind is that reading has become a bit of a chore for me.  I think I need new glasses (and it has been five years, so I'm overdue on that).  Most likely, fasting has exacerbated that, as the eyes are one of the first things affected (there is a physiological reason for that).  But, not only did I get behind on my reading, but when I finally got caught up, I inadvertently overshot the chapters in Job, but went on to read the chapter containing the relevant verse above.  God knew in advance about both: that I would get behind, and that when I tried to resolve that, I would overshoot.

The image was timely, although it took a while for me to uncover its meaning. 

Linen Fabric

One thing about linen: it wrinkles. 

Our brains (and other parts of our bodies) are also wrinkled, and with good reason. 

There is a reason why linen is identified as the fabric of choice, and white linen in Revelation. 

This was a sudden leading (6:49 AM EST, 5:49 AM Ark Time) after I had taken a little break in writing to look at my daily email from Fabrics-store.com Chronicle. 


I have not quite gotten back to the opening line here, which came about through other, wonderful insights while reading the other scriptures, especially about "sign," and how the Lord brought us to the word above, about being chosen; but I will have to write about that later, probably in an interim post.  I'm feeling like I need to lie back down for a while. 

As you know, this is the third and last day of your and my complete fast, itself a preface to your leading the flock among us in twenty-one days of prayer and fasting (January 15 to February 4, 2012) and all of that contained within the forty-three days of prayer and fasting that has to do with this "But God" series of writings (January 11 to February 22, 2012).  I plan to enter right into a Daniel Fast when I come off of this one after 7:30 PM tonight.  My plan was to have some russet potatoes baking in the oven about an hour before that, but Chris said he would roast some over an open fire for me, which sounds really nice this cold day when our windows are closed again and we have resorted to turning on the heat, but with the thermostat set only at 66 degrees. 


________________________
"headlong." Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com (14 Jan. 2012).


I am urged by the Holy Spirit to tell you of something that happened yesterday when I was working.  I was on a customer call, and suddenly had a sensation similar to bearing down, but not that, rather of urgency to evacuate.  The sensation peaked in intensity, and I noted the time (5:18 PM EST, 4:18 PM Ark Time).  Then the sensation abated and I continued with the call.  A few minutes later (5:22 PM EST, 4:22 PM Ark Time) the sensation returned with increased intensity.  I finished the call, then got off the phones, sitting here for a minute as I breathed through the pain, almost as though in labor, before I was able to move to the bathroom.  My mind tells me that this was an effect of the fast we are on; my spirit tells me it is all prophetically relevant, and as prior indicated, the Holy Spirit urged me to tell you of it.

I am also to tell you that there has been a resumption of sensations like ovulation pain, which I haven't felt for a while until lately, the past few days.  Physiologically, it makes no sense: age, and the fact that the jubilee horse is still going full tilt.  Again, prophetically it is meaningful, especially since I have been urged to tell you about it.