Book Marked

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

John Eldredge writes: “As Eugene Peterson said, ‘We live in narrative, we live in story. Existence has a story shape to it. We have a beginning and an end, we have a plot, we have characters.’ Story is the language of the heart.”


“Mom really likes this author” my sister exclaimed during a Women of Faith Tampa conference. Two weeks later, I would have the honor of serving at the Women of Faith Ft. Lauderdale conference. “I have a GREAT idea!” she said. “I will buy his book, mail it to you, you can get it signed by him, and that will be her Christmas present.” PERFECT! And so it came to pass that book was bought and signed to be her gift.

Sometime during the night, I spilled coffee onto the book. Thankfully, the stain was only on the outer edges. The inside pages, however, remained pristine and without a trace of trauma. Still, I was mortified. There was no covering or cleaning this mess. The signed book was irreplaceable! The stained cover was irreversible. It is to be given "as is."

…All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16

My choices will never change God's Sovereignty of my story. Though my cover is stained with humanity, my heart is signed with Holiness. He cleanses me internally, He changes me externally, and He carries me daily. My stains are not in shame, but are part of the tapestry that calls to other beggars to read of His grace and mercy.

I am a story book irreplaceable. His Son’s signature is irrevocable. I am bought, signed, and delivered to be the perfect and personal gift from the Son to His Father. This is also the gift presented to the world: His Perfect Word written inside this imperfect cover.

Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar

Click here for "Heal the Wound" by Point of Grace

Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com

Watch and Wait

But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31

But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Psalm 39:7

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him; To the person who seeks Him. Lamentations 3:25

The service has started, but she remained distracted. Her eyes kept daring towards the door; she was obviously waiting on someone to join her. She was not going to be engaged, enthralled, or enjoying the moments of worship until her friend arrived and was by her side.

Watching her, I wondered…”Do I seek You, Jesus, with as much anticipation and attention? Is my focus on the service or watching for my Savior? Do remain uneasy until You are engaging me?”

Beth Moore once noted: “One day it dawned on me: no wonder we are so exhausted…we are waiting on everything except Him…’those who wait for YHWH will renew their strength.’ Those who wait on anything and everything else will be drained of their strength.” I am certainly living proof of that.

Personally, I wait on: words. I wait on emails. I wait on texts. I wait on calls. I wait on conversations. I find myself waiting on others’ words, even if they are about my LORD, before I wait on my LORD’S WORD.

Paraphrasing, one author notes: “’wait’ and ‘hope’ are two words in scripture that weave together into one binding rope; in fact they are often interchanged.” What I am waiting on reveals where my heart’s hope truly lies. For example, waiting on another’s words before God’s Word reveals my unbelief in God to be my priority, my passion, and my power of life. Who do I search for, who do I long for, who do I hope for?

He lives and breathes in me – yet I have made Him so commonplace that I cast aside His Presence for much less securities, comforts, and loves. “Seek first, His…” and then “all these things” will truly be every gift and favor God intended them to be in my life…but only after I am satisfied by His Living Water. Priority of His Presence brings to life the joy of His gifts. A simple truth eroded by distractions that turns my heart from His face…a moment here and there, then again here and there. Simply He says: “Wait and watch for Me. Love Me. Trust Me. Desire Me. Worship will flow as I hold you close and you hold close to Me, child. Just look for Me and You will see, I am already here.”

Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com

El Roi

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." Genesis 16:13

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.  Jer. 31:3

So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20


My friend saw this picture of my nephew Mason and exclaimed: “Oh, I just want to hug him!” You really, really do just want to scoop him up, hold him, and just love on him! Nothing brings a more beautiful smile to both the holder and the held. Upon those words, my heart wondered: "Is this how you see me, Abba?" Immediately my Abba whispered…”Yes! That is exactly what I keep saying of you, Michelle.” Those words kept resonating again and again…”Oh, I just want to hold you…oh, feel me holding you.”

That day my Abba was calling, I was visiting my nephew for his birthday celebration. Celebration quickly turned to concern as Mason fell very ill. He remained ill for almost two weeks. For days, Mason would wake from his sleep and find the energy to walk around until he found his dad. Then he would fall into his dad's arms, rest, and wait for his healing to come.

In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. Psalm 18:6

When our hearts are a mess, we tend to want to hide until we are more "presentable" and more "desirable" to be held. Hagar was a mess when YHWH found her. The wayward son was a mess when his father held him. David was a mess when EL SHADDAI rescued him. Reminding me all the more that however I am, He still sees, He still holds, He still comforts, He still heals..in every way. Both, when I am happy and "look good," and when I am an absolute mess in every way. Just fall into His arms and let Him be Dad. Always.

So much of this truth is in Psalm 139. Take each line out of familiarity and read with Him. See with Him.

Psalm 139
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com

Storm Stories

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 2 Cor. 1:3-5

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16

And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands for You are who You are no matter where I am – Casting Crowns


The thunder rolled and the rain pounded against the glass. I waited a few more minutes until the storm passed and then got in the car and headed home. The clouds from the storm formed a brilliant and gorgeous sunset! You know the kind – with pinks, purples and oranges streaming through the remnants of gray. The new asphalt was a smooth canvas of puddles, filled with the reflection of the beautiful sunset! Looking up or looking down, beauty was everywhere…because of storm.

When I am given a new heart, I am meant to reflect the Light of Christ. That light is often most beautiful after a storm. Problem is, I tend to hide my puddles. They are dirty and dangerous in my view. From my friends’ view, however, they are exactly what reflects His power, His provision, His presence. Changing my perspective to His perspective, I can move from seeing the messiness of my struggles to the mastery of His tapestry – His beauty reflected in my puddles!

He gives us these “storm stories” to reflect Him in ways others can relate, not to hide Him away until a “prettier story” emerges. He is the beauty that emerges through our clouds, making His story all the more glorious through our lives; just as they are, just as God intended.  Are we looking to reflect Him as He is in our lives authentically or to reflect ourselves in a better light, a better life, a better story with more sun and less mess? For Him to rescue, there must a storm to rescue me from. Both sides of the story are to be told for His glory to be known.

Only His Spirit opens my eyes to see Him in my storm. Only His Spirit moves me to trust Him to be more than I know, to truly be more than I can imagine. Only His Spirit calls me to courage to confess.

Share struggles. Praise Him in the storm. See Him in all.

Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com

Worship

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3




Praise and Worship

From the moment I start my car, praise music flows. Recently, I’ve noticed that as the familiar words surround my hearing, my thoughts wander off to affairs of the day or plans for the night. Wait...Praise of the Most High God is flowing, where is my worship?

Praise is the thread throughout the day, but has it become so familiar that I lose sight of the One I praise? While the holy, powerful, glorious Name of God reaches my hearing, my mouth is preoccupied with the absolute trivial and fleeting selfishness of my day. Stupid stuff while splendor sounds. No wonder the rest of my day is caught up in selfishness; I am given moments of worship and I waste the moments on me.

He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’ Mark 7:6

It’s not a matter of legalistically worshiping God at every turn. It’s a matter of being aware of God, all around, and responding to Him in love and worship. Creation shouts of His glory! Do I see, do I join, do I worship with?

From Levite to Love

When the Jews reached the temple gates, after ascending 14 steps on the southern end of the temple walls, they had only one, single, solitary thing on their minds: worship. These days when our church worship service begins, I find that I often have many things on my mind. The familiar songs begin and my mind goes into auto-pilot instead of being caught up in the awesome, beautiful, powerful Presence of the Most High God! One who loves and listens, delights and devotes, creates and cares.

Praise begins with prayer and prayer begins with praise. Constantly as breathing..only by His Spirit.

My heart determines my worship. Taking captive every thought, to worship, brings down every stronghold. Trusting in Him, keeps my mind steadfast on Him, in worship of Him. Here is His peace, His power and His Presence. When I come, loving Him. “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." Mark 12:33

John 10:10 notes that the enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy my worship of the Most High God. Jesus restores my abundant life in pure worship of Him! Praise Him with my words, my thoughts, my rest in Him.

Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com

Desire

All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. Psalm 38:9

"What do you want me to do for you?" Luke 18:41a

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

“Nothing dictates our lives like our desires.” – Beth Moore

“Beneath the desires of my heart is the heart of my desire.” – Beth Moore

In the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Captain Jack Sparrow carries a compass. Unlike any other, this compass doesn’t lead to destination, it leads to satisfaction. Captain Jack explains, “It points to the thing you want the most.”

What do you really want? Your heart laid in your hand, what would your compass reveal as the desire of your heart?

Like the chest that contained the captain’s heart (Pirates 2), we bury our hearts, our desires, our hopes, our passions in the details of our days. We long for a passionate love relationship with God and with others, but slowly the sands of life bury us deeper and deeper from true life.

“How do I dig out my heart?” John Eldredge notes, “’How’ is God’s department; ‘what’ is His question for me.” He continues, “The way towards true life is not abandoning my desire, but entering more deeply into the heart’s longings.”

There will be stormy seas and shipwrecked relationships. There will be false maps and betraying voices. There is much examination and discernment as to the heart of God and the deceptive desires. The truest treasure is found in the love relationship with my Captain, and He charts my way from the helm of my heart.

Where does the compass lead? What do I really want?

Bonus: Desire by John Eldredge. If you dare venture...make this your next read.

Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com

Manna

Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Hebrews 9:3,4

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10


Hidden within the Mercy Seat of Love were three items. 1. The timeless Law spoken yesterday. 2. The provision of life today. 3. The way of leadership into tomorrow. Just as the veil to the Holy of holies was torn by the Lamb’s Blood, so is the veil of my life torn apart by His Love. The more His Presence fills the Seat of my heart, the more I reveal His Word, His Work and His Way in and through my life.

For me, the most personal of these is the gold jar of manna. Like many, I relate the story of the Israelites gathering manna in the morning to gathering the greatest provision of all, God’s Word, for my day. Whenever needed, I can reach into my jar of clay and receive His Breath and Bread.

Recently, though, manna has come to me as moments…dozens and dozens of miraculous moments that display God’s constant provision in the details of my days. The more I hold onto these moments, the faster they dissolve into ruin. The more I celebrate God's moments of provision, the more I enjoy the miracles of His Presence. Again and again.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. –Lamentations 3:23

A Scripture on a Facebook post. An encouraging email. A text. A phone call. A song. A smile. A touch. A glance. A child’s laughter. A friend’s time. I love you. How are you? I’m praying for you. I cherish you. Little moments, huge moments all mix into the drudgery of laundry and dishes and deadlines and, and, and…

Some days are silent. Those moments are when He personally provides His Presence. His Word. His song. His touch. His glance. I love you. I cherish you. I am praying for you. All moments beyond my sight, but more intimate in my heart.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

I may feel like my little jar is running on empty, but the truth is, abundant life is mine every moment of the day. The more I cherish in His moments around me, the more "manna moments" I can give to others.

Listening to Him in study of His Word. Loving Him in the moments of life. Leading others to the Promised Land of His abundant life. Law – study. Live – piety. Lead – action. Seek Him. See Him. Show Him. All wrapped in His never ending Mercy and Grace.

Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com

Lost and Found

When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:17-20

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love. Robert Robinson, 1758

GILL: Besides, you got your dad out there looking for you. Bet he's on his way right now.
NEMO: Not my dad…
BRUCE, the Shark: Now there's a father looking for his little boy.

I tend to wander off. My grandmother loves to tell of when I was in grade school and she lost me in Woolworth’s. Apparently, I had determined that we were finished and I was waiting for her outside the store! As a teen I would walk along the beach for miles, not thinking twice that anyone would wonder where I was. I was wrong. My parents did wonder and worry until I returned. My reputation precedes me. Last month at Disney, my sister told my niece “not to be like Aunt Chelle and wander off.” So, Madison and I both were watched very carefully in crowds.

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W. Tozer

I generally don’t live moment by moment, in view of my amazing, passionate Father always running to me. Always desiring to hold me and kiss me. Wow. I know this as a fact, but don’t live this as belief. When I decide to wander off, I am not thinking of Him at all. How much more would my wandering lessen if my sights were set on the unseen, until my heart felt the unfathomable?

When I do come to my senses, (again and again) is my drive to come to Him for my relief or for our relationship? Seeing Him for all that He is changes me in all that I am.

Had the prodigal son had any thought that his father desired him to come home as his son, not his servant, it may have quickened his steps to reunite with him. He only thought of his sins, never of his sonship. Once Nemo realized that his father really was searching for him, it completely changed his drive to reunite with him. Again, he only thought of his father’s disappointment over him; not realizing his father’s desire for him.

But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" Genesis 3:9 From the very beginning, He is a Father searching for wanders. That is His nature of love. Even in this moment…for me.

Should I wander, He is always near. But to see Him as He is; holds and keeps me being here.

Click Here for You Invite Me In


Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com

Battle Lies

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:5-8

"God does not condemn me, Satan does. God convicts me so I can see my error, surrender to Him, pucker up and kiss it good-bye!"- Beth Moore, Measureless Love

Wounds Wept
Sacrifice is a glorious moment of God's victory, and an announcement of my vulnerability. This Sabbath, I brought my sacrifice, gave it one final kiss goodbye…and the enemy was watching. No sooner had I left the temple doors did his attacks begin. As a friend once said, "The enemy meets us at the gates." Does he ever. He likes to wield his favorite weapon: ½ truth of what I see turned to a lie that I feel.

“Whatever is denied cannot be healed.” –Brennan Manning
“A wound that goes unacknowledged and unwept is a wound that cannot heal.” – John Eldredge

I saw and wept over the wound, as I gave it into the Wounded One's healing hands. God, in His mercy, showed me the process and promise: An intended lie became a battle line. Eden had come to the cross for truth and victory.

Tables Turned
As with Isaiah, I came to the face of Holiness..no one else, just Him…and cried of my shame. As He answered with a burning coal from sin’s sacrifice, He brought truth both of His love and my life.

The voice said, “Some days you will disappoint. Some days you will hurt. Some days you will walk alone. Try as you may, you can never totally keep that from happening; it’s just how life rolls.” That may sound harsh, but to me, it was a relief to face the truth that imperfection is inevitable, so I can rest in His love. Simple and profound. Speaking my language.

Then the weight shifted. From weight of me to weight of glory: “But I am your constant. I am here to take every moment that bears down on you, so that we, just you and Me, can walk through. For real.” There is so much more. But, for a moment, desire enveloped disappointment as a tangible reality.

Disappointment to Divine Appointment
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

A few moments after holding my own tears, I held the tears of another who cried in joy over found freedom! I shared words that came straight from God – of His Sovereignty, of His Hope, and of His Love. He took me, literally, from my pit to His pulpit. From feeling alone to feeling atoned. From crying in shame to crying His Name. From wanting to run away to declaring His Grace.

I fall face down in worship, thanksgiving, and praise to the One who rescued me! His voice of Truth spoke freedom in me to speak freedom through me. Constantly.

Click here for "Everything Falls" by Fee

Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com

Spirit Fall

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. Revelation 14:2

"The hosts of heaven are sure to hear a thunderous rumble as boulders (of pride) roll off our road to freedom." – Beth Moore

“As I was praying for you, God gave me a dream about you” began my friend Alyssa (Alyssa and I haven’t seen each other since college…yet, this night, God literally connected us in a dream). She continued:

“There was a beautiful waterfall in Boulder, Colorado. I have no idea why in Boulder, but it was very clearly, Boulder, Colorado. You were at the base of the waterfall, waiting. Then I saw the hands of God cup your face. The look of contentment and adoration on your face was amazing!”

That was it. That was the dream. But, that was enough for me. Sitting as His feet. Gazing into His face. How I pray for those "Mary Moments." I know that He is my contentment, my adoration, and my song. But to be there, oh wow. Lord, oh how?

This past weekend I realized why it was the town of Boulder. God had some “boulders” to remove…really remove…before I could join Him at His Spirit fall. Boulders of approval. Boulders of fear. Boulders of unbelief. Boulder of insecurity. Boulders I have tried to move myself. I've tried for myself, not for Him. Once HE moved them: glory to God in the Highest. His Presence is my dream come true.

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. - Zephaniah 3:17 Drenched in His delight, and He in mine.  Silenced in His love, singing in His eyes. Words cannot begin to describe. Seek Him; He finds. Oh, He finds.

Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com

God’s Positioning Spirit

There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 4:12

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.   John 10:27

To say that I am directionally challenged in a huge understatement. In most cases, I make sure to get very specific directions to get from Point A to Point B. Yet, when I come to fork in the road (or an approaching exit), I didn’t get directions, and I have about ½ a second to decide my destiny – I tend to go with logic.

Such was the case driving to West Palm Beach from Orlando, Florida. I-4 East or I-4 West? Well, I’m heading toward the Atlantic Ocean, so east it is. I soon realized by my surroundings that I was going to wrong way. I then pulled off of I-4 to look at a map (finally) and ask for directions. Finally I was heading the right direction towards home. The money and miles were a waste, but the lesson was learned.

Life is a constant journey and logic can be very dangerous as a direction; especially at the moment of decision. “This road seems to be going right where I want to go: security, love, acceptance, relationship and fun.” I had been with the Guide for years, but His Map stayed folded up on a box. Pride took me down a path that, years later, ended at an exit ramp and a crash landing. Totaled my heart. Took years of repair.

At the end of the road was the Map and the Guide. The years were a waste, but the lesson was learned. I may speed and swerve. I may crash into consequences. I may get distracted and miss my desires. But with every mile, I know that logic lies and the Lord loves. He is my only hope for Home.

Enjoy Him, Michelle
mlpack1@yahoo.com

My Two Dads

"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty    2 Corinthians 6:18

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4

“Whenever you are ready, your Father's house is waiting." Rev. K.K. Devaraj, Mumbai, India to orphaned children, drug addicts, and prostitutes.


Earthly Papa

My dad divorced my mother when I was five. Though I come from a divorced family, I never thought that my father abandoned me. I simply thought that a normal life consisted of not living in the same house as my father. Not having constant conversations with my father. Not revealing my heart to my father. I would only visit him on weekends, with a little more time and attention on Christmas Day. Blessings were bountiful when we were together and life carried on as usual when we were apart. Sound familiar?

When we hear the name “Father,” we often tend to view Elohim Abba the way we view our earthly papas. This is not conscious. This is not consistent. But it is natural. Whether our earthly fathers were abusive or adoring, the truth is that our papas are parables and our Father as incomparable. As He is, not as I imagine He should be. I have a choice in laying down all of my life before my Eternal Father. Either my experiences can determine my view of Abba, or my Abba can direct me through my experiences.

If your faith is in experiences, anything that happens is likely to upset that faith; but nothing can ever upset God or the almighty Reality of Redemption; base your faith on that, and you are as eternally secure as God… Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God’s revealed truth is the only faith there is. – Oswald Chambers

Elohim Abba

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. I John 4:16

"The Christian confidence that you and I can approach God as Father is the unique and pressing gift of the Son" - Jill Carattini God is Holy. God is Perfection. God is Love. He is Everything; with or without a relationship with me. Then there’s a gift received. A shift in me. Immediately. The Father of the Son becomes my Father. Love beyond knowledge, beyond comprehension, beyond measure. He resides above all as infinite and He resides in me...most intimate. His greatest delight and desire is to hold me. Wow.

Now, with all of this truth of Who My Father is...how do I relate to Him as Dad? My friend Beverly reminds me, “Just keep trusting Him with everything, crawl into His lap and let Him brush your hair with His strong fingers, feeling His grip holding you close to His heart, and His heartbeat becomes yours.”

Click: Francis Chan (from Crazy Love) talks more on Abba's lap

Enjoy Him, Michelle mlpack1@yahoo.com