... when we need
some help and we wonder why some things are not going as had thought
they might ....
At times, it becomes even clearer that YHWH's Ways are so much higher (zillions of miles higher!) than my ways. (!) (surprised?)
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Isaiah 55: 6 - 13
Seek ye The LORD (YHVH) while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him
return unto The LORD (YHVH), and he will have mercy upon him; and to our
God (Elohim), for He will abundantly pardon.
For My thoughts (are) not your thoughts, neither (are) your ways My Ways, saith The LORD
(YHVH).
For (as) the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My Ways higher than your ways, and My Thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but
watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give
seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My Mouth: it shall not return unto Me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper (in
the thing) whereto I sent it.
For ye shall go out with Joy, and be led forth with (Shalom) Peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before
you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap (their)
hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to The LORD
(YHVH) for a name (Shem), for an everlasting sign (that) shall not be
cut off.
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It should be obvious (to those who know me) that I would not ever suppose that my
ways were even anywhere near to the height (of the wonderful, surpassing brilliance of
Wisdom, Knowledge & Understanding) of my Father's Ways! (my Father
in Heaven)
But, what I mean to share, here, is this:
Have seen, recently, that I am aware of being in a dilemma of sorts.
Have asked YHVH God, my Father in Heaven, in past years, to open the doors of
opportunity for my husband, for my grown children, each one, and for my
younger children, as well as for myself, as He sees fit, and at any time
He would choose, to do the good, to produce the income, to further His purposes & goals for each of us that He wants, and not what I want.
However, what I am seeing going on is more like this:
I have seen several opportunities that were made clear to us ... that have been missed.
Have also (in the midst of asking Him to lead us, give us direction, to complete the vision He had given to my husband) seen my Father in Heaven allow me to be deceived by circumstances (what happens in life on earth), and by my own (wrong) thoughts, or by what others have
suggested be done (or suggestions for what we 'should' do, from their perspective).
... and the result is, now, that I see no money available to us, to use for some needs (yes, real needs) that are coming up, during this time in (our) history. Am not sure "why" this is continuing.
(some funds to use for needs for our family and for others He may wish us to help)
Overall result: Is my Father in Heaven, Who is the Transcendent One, The Almighty, The
all-Knowing One, ... The God of Israel, ... helping me to learn some new
lessons through recent situations, that have brought quite a lot of
sadness to my soul?
Is He, again, wanting me to yield my rights and expectations to Him because I am not "fully" doing that, yet?
Have I taken back some rights and expectations I had given over to Him, before (or so I thought), to deal with as He sees fit and good to
do?
Have I cast my burdens upon YHVH God, and then pulled them back, as a
fisherman reels in his line, to check whether or not his bait is still
on his fishing line?
There are several teachings that have come to my mind, more than a few times, as important and even as commands, but
which I have not seen Him give me the freedom to carry out, though He is continually influencing my authorities, for good,
under my Father in Heaven.
Yet, what has happened puzzles me. It is just "not a done deal." He is not bringing about a number of things I believe He has promised to do (for His own). In other words, He has (always) some very good reasons for why He is allowing negative situations, closed doors to opportunity, and a feeling of being "trapped" ... with very few options for "getting out" of a negative situation, in this place where we now dwell & serve Him.
Is He proving me? Is He pruning the unproductive parts of my branches (because they all belong to Him; my Father is the Vinedresser and His Son, Yeshua, is The Vine!)?
He *does* prove us. He *does* prune us! He *does* purge from us what is no good and cannot be used to bring glory to His Name! He does all of that for our good and to develop the character of Messiah Yeshua in us, who are His. (see Romans 6: 1-23) (see Galatians 2: 20)
Psalm 139: 23 - 24 also shares the concept of YHVH God examining us, proving us, to see
what kinds of attitudes or thoughts we live by. This proves what we
truly believe.
My heart may be deceiving me (as mentioned in Jeremiah 17:9).
I may be being tempted to become angry with YHWH God or with my God-ordained authorities.
How I respond to what is being taught (from sources other than my earthly authorities), including what my Heavenly Father is teaching me from His / The Word of YHWH Elohim, that I can verify is truly coming, at is root, from my Heavenly Father, ... is what will determine whether or not fund will be supplied to accomplish goals of His.
If the goals *are* YHWH's goals, then He will bring them about! He does not work against accomplishing His own goals!
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... testing ... ... proving ...
In James 1: 2 He shares with us: Count it all joy when you fall into divers (various, differing) temptations
(proofs, experiences);
He continues in verse 3, by sharing: Knowing this, that the trying (a testing, by implication, trustworthiness) of
your faith (persuasion, moral "credence" of religious truth; especially,
reliance on Messiah for salvation) worketh patience.
Psalm 17:3 uses the word "prove." II Corinthians 13:5 also shares that we need to
"prove" our own selves.
When I am not sure which next step to take, or whether to do something I believe I should do, or someone else I
know well should do, I must do all I can to seek my Heavenly Father's
Will, by more study in His Word and prayer. In time, He will make it
more clear to me. He will not leave us without His Counsel.
I must not trust my own thoughts or feelings / emotions! These can deceive me! (and have, before)
It is true that if we have rejected His Counsel very often in the past, He may not jump at
the opportunity to help us, until we have confessed that we've responded
to (reacted against) Him in pride, admitting we were wrong to do that.
If I do not receive what I believe is *His* Counsel, after I've sought His Face through fasting & prayer,
and if I have shown I have a deep, sincere desire to do His Will, ...
then, He is wanting me to "stay put." He will lead, if we let Him. He
will guide us, and give us the proper direction we need Him to give us.
I must not "go ahead," figuring that what I "sense" is "of Him!"
We must be willing for Him to show us a different pathway than the one we'd like Him to let us walk on. (by pathway, I merely mean: a choice
to do a certain thing or go to a certain event, or take a certain job,
or move to a certain place..., or accomplish a goal that may be ours, rather than His, ... for example)
We must be willing, cheerfully, for Him to prune us, purge from us what He knows we need to
get rid of, and surrender all our rights and expectations to Him.
Am I willing to do that, cheerfully? every day? when I must make an important decision?
(in truth, all our decisions are important!)
After I have shown my Heavenly Father that I truly am willing for Him to take total control over all areas of
my soul, thought-life, plans, daily schedule, health, relationships, job
or lack of job, and my responsibilities, I will soon see He will test
me, to prove me, whether or not I "meant it." (Did I *really* mean what I
said to Him, in prayer?!)
I have tried to surrender all areas of my life to my Heavenly Father, yet, have seen that, in my thoughts and in
how I have responded to those He has put within a small sphere of influence where I live, that I have not kept
my promises to Him, have not continued, daily, to surrender *all* those same
areas of my life. (ouch!)
How did I do that? If I am not, continually, guarding my thoughts and my attitudes, I can slip back into "the flesh,"
my "old ways." (of thinking, of selfishness) King David knew he was
capable of doing that, also. (we all are)
YHVH God said, of David, that he was a man after God's own Heart; he desired to follow
YHVH, his Heavenly Father, throughout his life, and be with Him in
eternity! And yet, he messed up as I see I do. ;o(
This is why our Adonai (Master) Y'shua taught, through the apostle Paul (Rav Shaul), that we must check / prove ourselves, by seeing that
we are not "warring" "after (according to the ways of) the
(not-God-seeking) flesh":
II Corinthians 10: 3 - 5 shares
For though we walk (live) in the flesh (as humans), we do not war after (following the
ways of) the flesh:
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God (our Heavenly Father) to the pulling down of
strongholds (our wrong thinking in our souls);
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God (YHWH, Elohim),
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah;
Though this passage may sound like it refers to warring, implying it may refer to conflicts among
those who say they are believers in Messiah, but (to me) the last two
verses directly relate to how I must beware that my thoughts can get
misdirected, or be guided by my emotions, in some situations (or in many!), ... and I must
"take them captive," instead.
I can use this, in a practical way, even when I am alone, praying!
Can also apply what it teaches me to how I think about portions of His Word I am studying!
I can apply it to making decisions and activities!
So, I (a commitment, moment by moment, from now on) will trust YHWH God, my Heavenly Father, will guide me, and will open doors of opportunity for my family and me
to serve Him in new ways, if He sees fit. If not, then I will trust Him
to provide what we need to have on hand, in order to serve Him in a way
that glorifies His Name.
As J. Hudson Taylor wrote:
"Depend on it. God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. He is too
wise a God to frustrate His purposes for lack of funds, and He can just
as easily supply them ahead of time as afterward, and He much prefers
doing so."
-- J. Hudson Taylor
... so, it must be time to fast & pray........
Note: Sure hope what I've shared here helps someone else. All we believers seem to walk the same, basic paths in life (on earth),
with some variations.
As King Solomon said: there is no new (thing) under the sun. -- Ecclesiastes 1:9b
