OF STRANGERS AND FRUITFULNESS_ Part 2_ Ears that Hear

Ex 2:23-25; Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, AND GOD ACKNOWLEDGED THEM ~ NKJV

These three verses closely grip my attention because of how they seem to appear in the Middle of the Life of Moses. For those who have followed the life of Moses, you will ably tell that the cry of the children of Israel was closely knit to the destiny of this “Egyptian now dwelling in Midian.”

Quite a number of things come to my attention through these verses, the first being the process of Time which points me to the fact that certain aspects are brought to light or fulfilled only after a given period of time. They aren’t delayed but are rather allowed to mature that they may yield to the exact Measure. 
Secondly, the death of the King of Egypt seems to be a crucial event in the bigger picture because we see that though some would have expected the burden of the Israelites to become less, there is an increase in the bondage. This shows that the Israelites were not victim to something Physical but rather spiritual. We ourselves need to learn to approach the challenges we go through as more than what we see or hear with the physical senses because the solutions are not merely the death or destruction of “Kings on the earthly” but rather fulfillment of timing in the Heavenly.

It’s always amazing how God steps in and is somewhat depicted to have been initially "oblivious" to what was happening. One of the biggest challenges most Christians have is learning to trust God that when he seems to be so far away he actually still cares. To know that what you are going through isn’t meant to destroy you and in the fullness of time, your answer awaits you. I am not blind to the fact that some of the setbacks we have as children of God are due to our ignorance of what he says in his word, I, however, would like to consider those times when you have done all you need to do and yet there seems to be no shift. What do you always do when this happens?

Our God doesn’t leave us as orphans, He “Fathers” us through His Holy Spirit as he says in his word John 14:16-18; And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 

So we are always aware of his work in our lives and we continuously press on to that mark of a higher calling in Christ Jesus, Knowing that our present sufferings are not worthy compared to future glory which shall be revealed in us. This doesn’t only point to the time after men have died but rather when they have overcome that which seemed to be an immovable obstacle before them and yet now lies behind them.

We are aware of God’s work in our Lives and we acknowledge that all things are working together for our Good because He loves us and has called us according to His purpose.

OF STRANGERS AND FRUITFULNESS_ Part 1_ Eyes that See

Ex 2:21-22; Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land." NKJV

Been quite a while since I put my mind to task regarding the Life of Moses and what treasures lie hidden from the text written about his life. For those of us who follow closely, I pick up from where we left off….

To be content doesn’t entirely point to Ultimate satisfaction. I believe one can be content with the present situation yet inwardly carries a certain longing for far greater things than are availed in one’s current state. In the previous Vs. 20, Reuel the father to Zipporah says to his daughters to call Moses that he may eat Bread with them. The very act of eating bread points to a temporary period of stay more so to a man who knows that his Bread is something bigger than what he partakes with his mouth. Which reminds me of what Jesus tells his disciples’ in John 4:31 when they urged him to eat and he responded "I have food to eat of which you do not know."

How well we are nourished in a foreign land is entirely dependent on the mind we maintain regarding our temporary stay in this land. When we are aware of the Truth that though we are fruitful here, we are still strangers and thus can’t afford to fully give ourselves to the “satisfactions” of the present day. As children of God, we learn to discern the times and seasons knowing that though we be fruitful, this is entirely because it is weaved within our fabric to be fruitful in all we do BUT it doesn’t point to us having arrived to the place we ought to be. We multiply, we subdue the earth, we are fruitful in and out of season BUT our eyes remain fixed on the bigger picture, the ultimate prize for which we run the race.

The mind of Reuel the Father to Zipporah is yet also an interesting one to pick a few lessons from. To know that a certain man has come to your life at a time such as this and carries a defining moment in your life is divine. He offers bread to Moses but seemingly carries a more detailed agenda than that which he presents on his first encounter. To welcome a stranger into your house for bread and later on give your daughter to him isn’t something ordinary men do. I am awake to the truth that Reuel saw something beyond what was physical and he must have perceived that this “Egyptian” carried a certain glory that would not leave his household the same. Oh! How I pray that the eyes of my understanding be enlightened to the things that I see.

Hebrews 13:2; Do not forget or neglect or refuse to extend hospitality to strangers [in the brotherhood — being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for through it some have entertained angels without knowing it. ~AMP

OF... TIME, TIMES & TIMING... WE-MEN & WAITING

Exodus 2:18-20; When they came to Reuel their father, he said, "How is it that you have come so soon today?" 

Doesn't the bible often excite you with the particular pattern it singles out when identifying people? The 7 daughters are not named but the father's name is clearly put out in this particular portion of scripture... Just thinking about that makes me smile at the thought of the purpose and power of Identity. Hopefully i will be led to write on that soon...

This portion of scripture points to me the fact that sometimes the only reason we spend longer where we are could be because someone at the well hasn't chosen to fight the shepherds and help us water our flocks. Could you be at the well seeking a man to help us fight off the shepherds?? Could you be the man who ought to stand up and fight the shepherds that others may water their flock?? I am in constant belief that TIME presents us the opportunity to be the one or the other. Nothing is left to chance.

We-men & waiting is an inspiration in line with the choices we make as we wait. Sometimes the reason we wait is because some one hasn't yet identified with the part they ought to play in helping us progress. Or could it be that we also haven't identified the part we have to play in helping others progress?

Oh! how easy it is to talk about waiting and how challenging it is to actually tarry through the process. Most times we wait for a thing then we wait for the maturity of the fruit of that thing then we also await the Harvest from that very thing. Isn't life almost  all about waiting?! I believe waiting is not only watching to see what happens next but also what you do as you watch. Often, my ability to wait is cultivated in what i hold onto as i wait... The picture of the Disciples in Acts 1:4 brings life to me in this regard;  And being assembled together with them, He commanded them NOT TO DEPART from Jerusalem, BUT TO WAIT for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” and if you continued a few verses further, he tells them
“It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority..."

So many scriptures running through my head but the one that seals it all for me is Pslams 90:12;SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS, THAT WE MAY GAIN A HEART OF WISDOM. As you wait through whatever it is you may be sailing through may you develop mighty inner strength that yo may wait and therein find wisdom. God Bless You.


“Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one's thoughts.”
                                                                                                                    ― Elisabeth Elliot

OF.... TIME, TIMES & TIMING ..... Battles My Size II

Ex 2:17; Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. ~ NKJV

How the site of a woman gives strength to a desolate man ONLY GOD is able to tell. So here goes Moses sited by the well, seeking refreshment from a journey traveled so far, distant from the privileges of royalty he shared in the palace all his life and yet appearing to gather strength at the sight of ladies in a time of weakness. Perhaps, the shepherds had seen him and underestimated his ability to do a thing OR maybe they had listened to his story and pitied the poor man. Could the Shepherds have been accustomed to fighting these ladies at the well? Well, quite a number of questions at the WELL.

Are there things in your life that make you get up and pick a battle irrespective of the fresh scars you have from your most recent battles. Do you, as Moses, sit by the well till the shepherds around you begin to push away that which seems to bring life in you? As i read this verse, i am pointed to the truth that Life always guarantees us battles no matter where we are BUT what inspires us to pick these battles is often the light that flickers on the inside of us. 

BUT MOSES STOOD UP AND HELPED THEM... I read an interesting quote that said, When men lay down, sit up. When they sit up, stand up. When they stand up, stand firm and when they stand firm, Stand out. I often believe that standing Up is a place of decision making. Where one decides to make a choice and accept the consequences there after. I, however, believe that when you stand up is often as important as why you do. Could Moses have only been attracted to the beauty of one of the ladies? Was he merely disturbed by the conduct of the shepherds towards the women at the well OR could this have been Destiny, a light that flickered in the heart of the Man who understood the time and seized the chance....... 

The ability within us to discern the battles we ought to fight seems to have the aspect of TIME attached to it. More often than not, chances are availed to us amidst times of confusion, or when others underestimate us  or even when we seem like we don't really know what lies ahead of us. It is in these moments that we pick up the strength to STAND UP and unknowingly begin to put the seemingly fuzzy pictures of life's puzzle together. You are not sited at the well ONLY to mourn and seek refreshment BY YOURSELF. You are there for such a time as that because there is a connection to the next path of your life. MAY THE EYES OF OUR UNDERSTANDING BE ENLIGHTENED TO KNOW THE TIME, TIMES AND THE TIMING, knowing that there are no occasions of "JUST".......For OUR GOD leaves nothing to chance.

"You cannot choose a battlefield, God does that for you: BUT you can plant a standard where a standard never flew." ~ Nathalia Crane

OF.... TIME, TIMES & TIMING .... "Battles My Size" ... PART 1

Ex 2:15-17; But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father's flock. Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 

NKJV

Oh! How i admire the life of Moses and how he quickly adapted to the life around him. When from being the beloved son to the pharaoh who had everything at his disposal, he quickly becomes the lonely man in a far off land. Of TIME... because Time as much as may heal has the ability to kill, Of TIMES.... because i am certain that, appointed unto every man are particular periods of activity and habitation (No things for Just) and Of TIMING... because i believe that what we do, how we do it and when we do it are often the difference between where we are and where we desire to be.. 

So you have just left one struggle for your life, run away from the place you called home almost all your life and here you are in a strange place seated by a well. Isn't amazing that no matter what struggles we go through, we are always looking for a well to sit by, an oasis in the dry place of uncertainty, lack, conflict, broken relationships or even confusion ... BUT does it occur to you that no matter how refreshing this well could be, sometimes you may not be accustomed to consumption of the water there in?? So you have to adapt and be able to deal with the thirst you have had for days knowing that the return journey home isn't happening anytime soon. I came to rest and be refreshed but even as i do so, i have to adapt..... No moment is free from lessons. May my eyes be Open and my heart ready to learn.

Psalms 42:1 

Everyone talks about "LEAVING YOUR COMFORT ZONE" but do we really leave our comfort zones?? its one thing to know you could return and its another thing to depart knowing that your life is at risk. Its amazing though, to know that there is no happening that "JUST OCCURS".... but whenever things happen am i able to sit and watch?? maybe for a few minutes or so... Sometimes we sit not looking for the next step but maybe because we believe this could be the end of the journey... I know as you read this you could be in a place, bewildered and debilitated by your previous journey... When the days of old seem to cast brighter reflections from the past than the future you so heavily dread......... Why not find a well, and take a seat...... Wells to me are place of refreshment...... No one knows you by the well, Not many are interested in your story at the well.... We are all at the well for a different reason..... and Just like Moses, i believe at the well, a chance will soon present itself for yet another encounter with destiny....

"A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in. A minute to smile and an hour to weep in. A pint of joy to a peck of trouble, And never a laugh but the moans come double. And that is life. A crust and a corner that makes love precious. With a smile to warm and tears to refresh us, And joy seems sweeter when cares come after, And a moan is the finest of foils for laughter. And that is life." ~ Paul Laurence Dunbar

OF.... MEN and MIS-TAKES (Finale) ... Buried Alive

Ex 2:13-15; And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, "Why are you striking your companion?" 14 Then he said,"Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" So Moses feared and said, "Surely this thing is known!" ~ NKJV

I like to sort out things and hope that somewhat when am done, I will be safe and resting soundly not having to EVER deal with them AGAIN. Have you ever wondered how what you were sure was done and dusted seems far from over? You deal secretly with your addiction and hope that when you come out to meet men, you will smile and carry on with your usual dealings like nothing ever happened..? Does everything we bury deep inside the sands of our hearts die?? Buried Alive, an understanding of how we wrestle secretly with weakness and yet it often gets a chance to sneak through the deep sands seeking placement in our daily lives.

So the Prince, Moses, walks out the very next day and sees a fight, this time different from the previous one, the burden in his heart is even greater and so he tries to sort out the mess on the outside while struggling with a similar mess on the inside... Oh, how i encounter this on a daily!! When some one moves to you and asks you how everyone in your family seemed happy and points out that you are the ideal family - haha!! OR when you are ever smiling and thus appear to be free from all forms of weakness and DIS-EASE. Isn't it ironic that what one group of people may soundly know you for the other group finds the inadequate within you..? At home, you're the lazy, quarrelsome and noisy child yet among your friends your the "coolest person they know - because you're hardworking and calm." A friend of mine recently referred to it as 'MULTI-PERSONALITY'. Of course, I think we all find a comfortable place to settle within the English language hahaha.

"Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" The kind of questions that bring all that is buried underneath, alive again. When your present situation demands an explanation of your past indulgences... One that I often hear within the corridors is when the one you are dating points to your past relationships as a reason for your current behavior. Every once in a while, your past stretches out an arm to get a hold of you and when it does, its that which was buried alive that keeps coming back to haunt you. The royalty in you is then put to the ultimate test, one that we so often fail and are left in regret not because of the current state in which we are but often because of that which we did in the past... That you may teach me to make the most of my time that I may apply my heart unto wisdom. I often refer to this wisdom that awakens you to the truth that TODAY is the YESTERDAY that TOMORROW will refer to..

So Moses feared and said, "Surely this thing is known!" It always surprises me that after all the time we put into burying the Egyptians in our lives, the Israelite has been watching us all along. Surely the things we think are hidden are KNOWN... most certainly before God and, assuredly too, before men. WHAT DO YOU HAVE BURIED in the sands of your life...? 

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

OF... MEN and MIS-TAKES... Thoughts and Things PART 2

Ex 2:12-13

 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.~ NKJV

As i read this verse, a quick question that came to mind was,,, WHAT ARE YOU BURYING IN THE SAND? As i posed to meditate and reflect on this, many more questions kept coming... When i am trying to sort things out on my own and they turn out in a different way from what i expected, Do i bury them somewhere??The Moses Scene looks simple to some but join me as i try to expound on this very word and see it come to life, The word made Flesh...

Was it easy for a prince to dig up a hole and hide some one in the sand?? I pictured it like one of the movie scenes ... Couldn't he have been sweating?  Could he have kept watching how many people passed by the scene just in case some one passed by and noticed something strange? what about the people with whom this Egyptian lived, didn't they wonder where he was that time they didn't see him?? .... However the biggest thought that comes to mind is what did Moses think after this?? Maybe he thought it was Over, he would slowly deal with all the Egyptians and bury them one at a time....So many questions but seemingly different answers to them all.

Do u ever bury things in the sands to hide them or perhaps to get rid of them? Do you ever make mistakes and when you realize no one but you knows it, you dig a hole in the sand and just shovel them away. Too much work in the relationships around you and so in the confines of your mind you kill them, dig pits, throw them in and silently re-echo the phrase... "THAT PERSON IS DEAD TO ME?" .... So much happens in the mind. I often cant help but thank God all that "kavuyo" (raucous) is only availed to him to search out as he deals with us.... BUT what happens when that very thought we had, matures into a thing..... We had our plan straight and thought dealing with one thought and hiding it in the sand would solve the crises we had before and here we are CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE.

As i read through this scripture i realized that Moses actually gave time to this thought, he seemed to have planned it at a certain point and ensured that he seized the opportunity when the Egyptian was left alone .... What was a thought became a thing and perhaps by burying him away, what started as simple seed was now manifested as complex fruit

Do you have dead men walking around you? Men that you could have killed in your mind maybe because of the hurt and pain they caused you.... OR could they be weaknesses that you hate to admit and yet slowly the stench of the corpses buried in the sands of your mind continues to haunt you... Often times i catch myself walking away like nothing happened because I believe i am strong enough BUT am I?? ....... When thoughts are given a fertile environment, they take root in the soils of our minds and these eventually become the fruit that later on manifest as Things...... How i pray that these things be ones that build and not destroy, ones that shade abroad light  and not deepen the darkness around me..... God remains faithful to his work in you and I..... Patience!! 

Gen 4:6-7; So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?IF YOU DO WELL, will you not be accepted? And IF YOU DO NOT DO WELL, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." ~NKJV