Jesus whispers peace...

Webster “Web” Carroll was a missionary from our church to Uganda. I was always fascinated by his stories from the mission field. When he was retiring, he came back to our church to share this final message... 

He asked us to open our Bibles to John 21:1-6…

Later Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there--Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing." "We'll come, too," they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. At dawn the disciples saw Jesus standing on the beach, but they couldn't see who he was. He called out, "Friends, have you caught any fish?" "No," they replied. Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get plenty of fish!" So they did, and they couldn't draw in the net because there were so many fish in it.

Web began to share his observations of this familiar scripture. He said, 'I' is not the most profound company or secure future. It is dangerous for the ego to become the foundation for your tomorrows. If 'I' is undependable, 'we' is that much more undependable. That 'night'—physical night is bad enough, but spiritual night is worse. He explained these words from the Ugandan language, 'ushinde' (ends with an 'e') which means 'defeat.' He said the word 'ushindi' (ends with an 'i') means 'victory.'

Jesus asks, "Do you have any fish?"  Sooner or later somebody has to speak and say, "No, Sir, we don't." Sooner or later we face Jesus Christ, whether we recognize Him or not. "What do you have to show for the last 8 hours you've spent in the water?"  He covers us with His compassion. Just like He did that early morning—to talk to the fish that were there in the water that night. The difference between spiritual victory and spiritual defeat is the Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. Web further explained this with another Ugandan word, 'basi'... it means, 'peace, it will be alright, it will be okay.' It is used by mothers nursing their babies, it means 'peace, healing' as they hold their babies, they pat them saying, “basi, basi”..."that's alright, that's alright." Then he closed with John 3:16 and he said, "Just give Jesus a chance, He will give 'basi.'"

I have experienced this ‘basi’…peace…the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ as my El Shaddai. The thought expressed in the name Shaddai describes power, but it is the power, not of violence, but of all-bountifulness. Shaddai primarily means “breasted,” being formed directly from the Hebrew word, “shad,” that is “the breast.” Shaddai means “the pourer” or “the shedder-forth,” that is of blessings, temporal and spiritual. Having been a nursing mother of my two children, I readily identify with this name…my baby is crying—restless. Nothing can quiet it. Yes; the breast can. My baby is pining, starving. Its life is going out. It cannot take nourishment: it will die. No; the breast can give it fresh life, and nourish it…calming, peaceful, nourished…satisfied…He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him…He Himself is our Peace…

Take a few moments to reflect on the lyrics of this beautiful old hymn, Jesus Whispers Peace…

There is a name to me so dear,

Like sweetest music to my ear,

For when my heart is troubled, filled with fear,

Jesus whispers peace

When grief seems more than I can bear

My soul weighed down with heavy care

And I am sorely tempted to despair

Jesus whispers peace

O that the world might hear Him speak

The word of comfort that men seek

To all the lowly and to the meek

Jesus whispers peace.

Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your peace today. You are our Peace. I ask you to help me to do these things: to lean on you, to meditate on your character and attributes, and to trust you with all my heart. Thank You for Your promise that Your perfect peace will guard my heart and mind. In Christ, I am relaxed and at peace in the midst of the confusions, bewilderments, and perplexities of this life, because I trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. 

 Look Up—meditate on John 21:1-6 pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

 Look In—as you meditate on John 21:1-6 pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________." 

Look Out—as you meditate on John 21:1-6 pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory. 

Was this encouraging to you? Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below, I'd love to hear from you!

Linking up with Holley Gerth and Heather Faria as an encourager.

I've got you. It's okay. We're gonna make it.

Recently on the popular television show, Dancing With The Stars, Mark Ballas and his celebrity partner, Candace Cameron Bure, were dancing a Viennese waltz and then a jazz number when a slight misstep caused Candace to momentarily lose her place. It was obvious that Mark was speaking to her as they continued to dance, attempting to complete the number. The judges asked Mark what he was saying to Candace as they were waltzing their way to the end of the routine. Mark replied,

I’ve got you. It’s okay. Right leg. Left leg. Stretch. Turn around. I’ve got you. I’ve got you. It’s okay. Love you. Love you. Love you. We’re gonna make it. We’re gonna make it.

Mark’s encouraging comments took me back in time to June 1, 2005, when the first episode of Dancing With The Stars debuted. That summer, I was working through a Genesis Bible study on God’s name, El Shaddai. As soon as I heard the words Mark was speaking to Candace, I immediately went back in time to an image I believe our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave me during that Genesis Bible study.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. Genesis 17:1-7

The Hebrew word for God Almighty is El Shaddai, the first time this name has ever been used. The Hebrew word, El means might, power, omnipotence. The Hebrew word Shaddai means power, however, it’s not the power of violence, but of all-bountifulness; it literally means to shed forth or to pour forth. Shaddai comes from the root word “shad” which is tied in meaning to the milk that a mother gives her baby. Think about a mother’s milk prior to modern times: It was the baby’s only means of nourishment and life, and it was and is the only perfect food available anywhere. El Shaddai means: “One mighty to nourish, satisfy, and supply.” The idea is of bounty from an All-Powerful God, El Shaddai is all sufficient.

God was saying, “I’m inviting you into a relationship with El Shaddai. I am El Shaddai. As you respond to Me, you will walk before Me and you will be blameless. They are so intertwined you can’t split them apart.”

As I studied this Scripture, the Lord kept bringing to my mind's eye an image of dancing face-to-face, like a graceful ballroom dance, with my Lord Jesus Christ—my El Shaddai—as my dance instructor, just like on the new television show I had been watching that month, Dancing With The Stars.

Even in the phrase, "walk before me,” the word “before” means a “face, surface, before, in front of, to face something.”  It was as though God was saying, “Walk facing Me, stay face-to-face, in a face-to-face relationship with Me.” I know He’s looking at me, He knows I’m looking at Him, I keep facing Him. God already knows.

Walk facing Him. Pick your face up and look into His, walk face-to-face with Him. We’re going to walk where we’re looking. If we walk face-to-face with Him, when we stumble, we get right back up, and we hear Him say,

I’ve got you. It’s okay. Right leg. Left leg. Stretch. Turn around. I’ve got you. I’ve got you. It’s okay. Love you. Love you. Love you. We’re gonna make it. We’re gonna make it.

How about you? Was this encouraging to you? Please feel free to leave your comments in the box below, I’d love to hear from you!

Linking up with Holley Gerth's Coffee for Your Heart as an encourager.

unforced rhythms of grace

This week, Holley Gerth's Coffee for Your Heart writing prompt is a question:

“What are the encouraging words you want to hear when you’re having a hard day?”

These are the encouraging words from Scripture that immediately came to my heart:

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 The Message

I am especially encouraged by the words, “unforced rhythms of grace”…which always take me back to those lyrics in Darrell Evans’ song, "Your Love Is Extravagant”

Your love is extravagant...Your friendship intimate...I find I'm moving to the rhythms of Your grace...Your fragrance is intoxicating in our secret place...

Other Scriptures which have encouraged me to trust, hope, and wait upon the Lord are:

We are saved by trusting. And trusting means looking forward to getting something we don’t yet have—for a man who already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he will get it. But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently. —Romans  8:24-25 The Living Bible

But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day.—Habakkuk 2:3 The Living Bible

But the people who trust [hope in; wait on] the Lord will become strong again. They will rise up as an eagle in the sky [with wings like eagles];they will run and not ·need rest [grow weary]; they will walk and not ·become tired [faint]—Isaiah 40:31 Expanded Bible—the Hebrew word for "trust [hope in; wait on]" is “qavah” meaning to bind together by twisting.

What an encouraging word...Hope…described so passionately in this beautiful song by Sara Groves, “It Might Be Hope” 

Encouraging words cause me to hope, to reframe, to refocus, to see through a wider lens. I wrote about this here: "Imagination is a powerful entity. It can cause the hair on the back of our neck to stand up, our spirit to soar, or our face to blush. Imagination is the power that holds our beliefs together; we believe with our imagination. Imagination is the wellspring of faith and hope. Our biggest and best dreams for ourselves and others rise from the imagination. All of this activity is the work of the imagination. It is likewise the work of the imagination to reinterpret and reform repeated assumptions and expectations. Forgiveness demands that we take another look so that our imagination can reframe our narrow interpretations. Forgiveness includes the decision to refocus or enlarge the context…walk a mile in another’s shoes. When we enlarge the context, we refocus, or we see it through a wider lens. Imagination is the work of seeing through a wider lens. If we stick to a negative interpretation of an old offense, we will experience resentment whenever we think about it, or about the offender. We will never be able to grieve and let go; we will seesaw between rage and resignation; we will never allow anger to surface and put us back on the journey of forgiveness. If we insist on telling and retelling our bad news stories of the past, we simply recycle the bad news and pass it on to the next generation. We pollute the emotional environment; we remain stuck in lifeless memories instead of looking for a more positive side of things long past. When you enlarge your perceptions, using your creative imagination, you at least allow for the possibility of healing. You give yourself the opportunity to turn from the negative aspects of your past, to get rid of the excess baggage, and to face the journey into the future with hope."

Finally, I have been encouraged by coming to know my Heavenly Father as my El Shaddai. I have learned that the thought expressed in the name “Shaddai” describes power, but it is the power, not of violence, but of all-bountifulness. “Shaddai” primarily means “breasted,” being formed directly from the Hebrew word, “Shad,” that is “the breast.” Shaddai means “the pourer” or “the shedder-forth,” that is of blessings, temporal and spiritual. Having been a nursing mother of my two children, I readily identified with this title…my baby is crying—restless. Nothing can quiet it. Yes; the breast can. My baby is pining, starving. Its life is going out. It cannot take nourishment: it will die. No; the breast can give it fresh life, and nourish it. By her breast, a mother has almost infinite power over the child. Once I heard a retired missionary from Uganda share the meaning of the African word, "basi," it is used by mothers nursing their babies. As the African mothers would hold their crying babies to their breast they would say, “basi, basi,” to calm their babies, meaning, “it’s gonna be alright.”… basi means "peace, healing, that's alright, that's alright” … like we would say, "now, now, now, it will be alright” to our babies while nursing them. The missionary from Uganda closed his talk that day with this challenge: He said, “Just give Jesus a chance, He will give you "basi." Those words have become such a comfort to me…I have come to know my Heavenly Father as my El Shaddai. I picture Him scooping me up in His mighty arms just like an African mother and holding me while saying, “Basi, basi, it’s gonna be alright…I’m holding you, I love you, and I’m not gonna let you go. I will never leave you or forsake you.” I can drift off to sleep feeling His loving arms wrapped around me, resting in the peace that passes all my understanding…basi, basi…

In what ways are you encouraged by these words? I would love to read your comments!