Part 2 of 6
Write on with prayer and praise
24th March 2020
So, back to dissecting what I had been led to yesterday.
The verses that stick out to me:
‘See you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse will happen.’ (John 5:14 NIV)
So, this seems to be a warning. It is a warning that sin can lead to death. James 1:15 (NIV) says: ‘Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.’ So, this may be a warning to people of the world to stop sinning otherwise something worse will happen. I want to tell you something, in truth. In January, in Australia we saw and others experienced possibly the worst bush fires in our history. We saw destruction of bushland, wildlife and people’s homes and lives. It was devastating. On the 4th of January, I wrote a word – I’ll record it here in it’s entirety.
-On the Australian Fires – 4th Jan. 2019 (oops – clearly I hadn’t adjusted to new year yet!!)
I feel like God’s saying, ‘I am trying to get your attention – I am trying to get you to look up and notice me. To know that I am bigger and stronger and mightier than you. I am trying to say – that’s why you need me – you have been trying for far too long to do things all on your own. Admit defeat and say you need me – and this will come to pass. I’m trying to get you to notice me, see me, know my power and might.’
I see it, I know it, I feel it.
Other’s may say, if there is a God where is he in all of this destruction? Surely that is the work of the enemy? If there is a God why are we experiencing a literal fiery hell on earth – where animals are being brought to extinction, homes and lives are being lost – where is God in that? Let me say, he’s not. But look at what the destruction brings, it brings communities together; people work together in ways they haven’t before – people give; people give accommodation, food donations, clothes, money to assist the fire fighter to buy more equipment and to assist those caring for wildlife. It moves people to work together beyond themselves and their daily problems. It causes us to move in and with love to help others. That is where God is – God is in the actions of others who are working to meet the needs of others. That is where He is – He is in the actions driven with love.
Sometimes what we don’t see at first glance is the thing we need to be looking for. On first glance we see devastation and destruction; heartbreak and loss. Sometimes things need to be torn down and destroyed in order to replaced and rebuilt with something better, stronger than the original – it’s about re-setting, re-focussing, re-building – and this will make way for a better and more prosperous future – but you need to see beyond the initial layer of devastation. There will be new growth, it may not be the same as what it was and may take time to come back – but it will – it will be a new thing. This old thing, this old way of being is not meant to be continued. We’re meant to move forward – we’re meant to keep growing – the old ways – being stuck in our old ways were just that – we were stuck and had stopped growing. This destruction is devastating I know – but it is to allow for better and new growth.
I don’t want you to focus on the destruction of devastation – I want you to focus on God. Focus on where He is – rather than on where He is not – because I can assure you once you see it – you will keep on seeing it. Look for the actions of love in giving and providing to others in need – that’s where He is – that’s where He is. He’s not in the destruction or the apathy or the cold shoulder displayed by some but He’s in the actions driven by love. I’ll say it again – because you need to catch this – He is in the action of others driven by love. This word is driven by love – He is in this. He’s in the pharmacist that lost his home but kept his pharmacy open to allow others access to medication as needed. When his shop had lost power – he declined payments and allowed customers to return with payment once power was restored. God was in his love for people, allowing them access to healthcare or medications as needed. God was in the trust he gave to his customers that they will make payment later. God was in his love for the people.
God was in people opening up their homes to others who needed a place to stay. God was in those that provided meals to the fire fighters – some who spent hours in the heat fighting fires – they themselves at risk of dehydration and whatever else.
God is in the people who step-up and out of themselves to help others in need – this is the kind of community God calls for – a community and body of people who look out for one another – we’re not meant to be lone fighters – each man for themselves.
(Again) God is in the provision – love in action – he’s in the medical crew working to save lives, he’s in the fire fighters fighting for our (land) salvation, He’s in the donations, funds, food, clothes, materials to rebuild. If you’re able to name the things that are provided, I can assure you – He’s in it. That is where he is in it. I felt I needed to redirect peoples eyes – because God is in the small details – He may not be seen in the initial big picture – so we need to redirect focus to the details – to the details.
You may hear people say, ‘Australia we’re amazed by your resilience and human spirit in being able to come together. It’s not just the human spirit – that’s the Holy Spirit moving through people – you’re eyes just aren’t open to seeing it. And I hope these words enable you to see the workings of God – of Jesus and the Holy Spirit – and how His goodness prevails.
As I started writing this – my view from the kitchen window was drowned out by smoke from the fires in another state. As I was coming to the end of this, it started clearing and could see the town and hills again in the distance – plus blue skies. I thought we were going to be in a blanket of smoke for awhile. I kept asking, when will this stop? I kept having another thought, ‘it will get worse before it gets better. It will get worse before it gets better.’ But eventually the smoke will clear to reveal a blank surface – a place to start again – we’re not meant to go back to our old ways but need to keep moving forward and look for the good, look for the love in action – love in action that is Jesus – the love in action from the one who sent him – God. That’s it ____________________________________________________________________________________________
I feel that this word is still so relevant and applies to the world right now. The take home message should be that the smoke of the pandemic will clear eventually and will reveal a blank surface for us to start again – to keep moving forward and growing in love.
Now, I want to tell you something in truth about the above word. During the time I was writing this word, I was in the final stretch of working on a personal project of writing a book. This project wasn’t something I wanted to do as such but it stemmed from two places – a firm word I was given by a friend. He said: ‘you should write a book.’ Me: ‘I would love to write a book’. But at the time I didn’t have or know what the content was. He said, ‘no – no you’re not hearing me – you need to write a book.’ (In other words, just write a book.) Now, if I am honest with you, I don’t know which came first his word or the word I wrote which came from God in writing a book. Either way, it was ordained to happen. I kept on doing what I needed to do which was finish my nursing degree and writing words as they came to me in the background. It wasn’t until my degree finished – we had our last exam that a start date came to mind, the 5th of November – I dedicated everyday; Monday to Friday while my son was at school to writing. I wanted to finish it by the 18th or there abouts of December, before the school year in Australia finished. The 18th came up and I felt nowhere near finished in the timeline of the story – the 15th of January came to mind. I actually wrote the last word of 14th of January (but since then, things have been re-added and edited as somewhere along this road, I lost my USB and the whole first draft – except I emailed a copy to myself before I finished it. So, thankfully I could edit that copy.)
Anyway, in a convoluted kind of way I wanted to tell you that I included this word on the bush fires in the manuscript. However – there is this thing – this bit I have been struggling to deal with. In the manuscript I deliberately excluded the part that was written about a re-occurring thought of: it will get worse before it gets better.
At the time I can remember thinking – how could this possibly get any worse? Why would God say, it will get worse before it get’s better? Why would he say that? I struggled to believe his word right there. I thought, surely we’ve already hit rock bottom with this devastation – what could possibly be worse than this? So, me – thinking with my own head – acting out of my own authority – I thought – that cannot be right. So, I left it out of the manuscript. Weeks later, the World Health Organization declared the corona virus to be global pandemic – people of the world were being struck down by this illness and others going into panic mode. Then it hit me and I was reminded of the above word – this is the ‘worse before it get’s better’ but it’s on a global scale and not isolated to Australia. I felt great shame, remorse in doubting God’s word – in doubting his warning that He trusted me with. I can see, retrospectively, that doubt was the enemy – slithering back in to whisper as he did to Eve – ‘did God really say that?’ Well, yes – yes, he did really say that. But at the time, I listened to the enemy as Eve did and I left those words out of the manuscript.
I know anyone could say this retrospectively – and as such, I don’t have solid proof other than what is written in my personal journal and written in the draft manuscript and it’s absence. In this, you have to take my word for it. I know, you may or may not believe me. But please know, I am not saying it for the sake of saying it. I am saying it because, even as a follower of Christ, there will be times when God gives us a word that seems so big or so out of our perception God’s character that we will question it and doubt it and perhaps it is influenced by the enemy as we live in his broken world. God did really say that, just as Jesus said to the man with his mat – stop sinning or something worse will happen. It will get worse before it gets better – this is the ‘worse’. But is the worst yet to come – has the ‘worse’ reached its peak? I don’t know the answer to this – only God knows the answer.
But there is this glimmer of hope: ‘…the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 6:23 NIV). The gift from God to the people of the world is eternal life through Jesus. How wonderful this is. When I read this, what stood out to me was the word ‘gift’, meaning it was given to us freely, we didn’t have to work for it or earn it – it was freely given to us. My heart melts and turns to mush over this, as this is a sign of how much God loves us – each and every one of us – the world, not just a select few here and there. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him’ (John 3:16-17 NIV). He came to save the world and right now, the world needs Jesus more than ever before.
Jesus asked a question to the man on the mat, but rather than just asking one man, in the context of today – he is asking the world, “do you want to get well?” In the KJV, Jesus asks the man, ‘wilt thou be made whole?’ His sickness is not identified; however, he is referred to as the impotent man. Impotent is defined as being unable to take effective action; helpless or powerless. So, this man was in fact broken, made helpless and powerless – he was not whole. Jesus asked him if he wanted to be whole, to be made helpful and powerful. Or more, regain power and strength in his body as originally intended by god, enabling him to continue live a purposeful life. In today’s context, He is asking the world this question. And, I think I know the answer to this.
The answer would be yes.
Yes, we want to get well – because, now, how we are living is a restricted life – a motionless life full of restrictions, which feels like no life at all.
The man – or the world replies with ‘sir…’ I can imagine this being said in a polite yet tired exacerbation with a subtext of – ‘what kind of question is that? Of-course I want to be well – but I feel like I am not given a chance. Other’s push and shove, so I can’t get to the healing water. I get pushed to the back of the crowd…’ This man is not given a chance. He knows he can’t do it on his own or in his own strength. He feels exhausted and feels he hasn’t been given a chance.
The world is this man – it is exhausted and feels like it is not being given a chance for healing.
Jesus gives that man a chance.
Jesus gives him that chance through his word. Jesus gives him step by step instruction. He says – ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ In these instructions there’s authority and command in his words – his healing is in the power of those words – it is instant. Jesus gives him the chance for instant healing. Jesus gave that man a chance when he felt overlooked. (I love that.)
Jesus will give the world a chance to be healed, when we feel overlooked.
Healing is happening.
Jesus can see the state of the world, He is aware that we have been in this condition for a long time – he asks the world – ‘do you want to get well?’
World – yes.
And you will be made better by the words and healing of Jesus.
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Author: ELizabeth New
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