Letters of Hope

Dear Ones, 

Jesus and his disciple, Simon Peter, had an interesting exchange one day.   Suddenly, in the midst of his sharing with his disciples concerning His kingdom, the Lord turned to Peter and said, ‘Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, BUT I HAVE PRAYED FOR YOU, that your faith may not fail, and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.”  What Jesus predicted came to pass.  Peter’s weakness was exposed;  but the prayer of Jesus for him prevailed, and Peter became a strong witness for Christ, doing much to “strengthen his brethren” as Jesus instructed.  (Luke 22:31) 

What stood out to me here was that JESUS PRAYED FOR PETER!   According to the Scriptures, this was (is) not the only time He prayed/prays for His own.  But, “because He continues forever, He has an unchangeable priesthood, and so is able to save to the uttermost ALL that come unto God by Him, seeing HE EVER LIVES TO MAKE INTERCESSION FOR THEM…”   The Lord is spoken of by Isaiah as He Who “pleads the cause of His people!”  And Paul states that “…there is one God, and ONE MEDIATOR between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”  (Heb. 7:24,25;  Isa. 51:22;  1 Tim. 2:5) 

Did you know that JESUS, seated at the right hand of the Father, PRAYS for YOU?!  INTERCEDES for YOU?!  

Furthermore, when we don’t know how to pray, He also helps us.  “…for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself INTERCEDES FOR US…and He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because HE INTERCEDES FOR THE SAINTS according to the will of God.  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose… 

“What therefore shall we say to these things?  If God be for us, who can be against us?… Christ Jesus died and rose again, and is even at the right hand of God, WHO ALSO INTERCEDES FOR US!…Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall affliction, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…NO!  In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!”   (Rom. 8:26-39)  

Infinite Wisdom and Infinite Love,
Praying for me to the Father above,
Asking for me what You know is best -
Surely my heart in this knowledge can rest.

Wrapped in my darkness and ignorance here,
With Your great prayer let me not interfere;
Let me not cross that petition Divine,
Losing a blessing that might have been mine.

Teach me to pray that Your will, so begun,
May in my life and my spirit be done.
Here is my confidence, here can I rest:
You alone know and so ask for the best. 

                        Annie Johnson Flint (1866-1932) 

How does Jesus pray for us?  John 17 gives us an example of how Jesus prays for His own.  After praying for those who were His followers in the days of His humanity, He continued, 

“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be IN US, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.  The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one:  I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You, and these have known that You sent Me.   I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I IN THEM !”  (John 17:20-26) 

Will the prayers of Jesus on our behalf be answered?  We have every possible assurance that they will.  Our confidence is in Him Whose Word is infallible and Whose Power is unlimited, Whose Love is boundless and Whose Wisdom is infinite! 

I pray that God, Who gives HOPE, will bless you with
complete happiness and peace because of your faith,
and may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with HOPE.”
Romans 15:13

 In Agape, Eulene

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 Greetings! 

Have you ever thought how wonderful it would have been to be one of the disciples of Jesus, traversing the countryside with Him, listening to His wondrous teachings, observing the miracles which He wrought with a word?  What would it have been like to chat with Him as you walked together from village to village, to eat your meals together, and to hear first hand His words of wisdom?  What would it have been like to watch Him interact with the children, the common people, the religious leaders, the sick and dying?  How would it have felt to experience the nearness of His Presence and the expressions of His loving care?  

Indeed, I’m sure it all would have been an incredible experience.  Yet – there were times that He did leave them, like the time He sent them across the Sea of Galilee without Him, while He dispersed the multitudes and then went up into a mountain alone to pray.  We are told that while He was there alone, a contrary wind arose causing the waves to toss their boat in the midst of the sea, “and He alone on the land.”  I was amazed to learn that it was somewhere between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m. that Jesus went to them walking on the sea!  (Matt. 14:22-36; Mark 6:45-51) 

Thinking along these lines recently, we were reminded of some of the wonderful Scripture declarations that indicate that we may actually enjoy a much closer and more constant fellowship than did the disciples!  

Consider what Jesus told His followers:  “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter (Advocate), that He may abide with you forever;  even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it sees Him not, neither knows Him;  but you know Him, for He dwells with you, and shall be IN YOU.  I will not leave you comfortless;  I will come to you.  Yet a little while, and the world sees me no more, but you see me;  because I live you shall live also.  At that day you shall know that I am in my Father, and YOU IN ME;  and I IN YOU.”  (John 14:16-20) 

This incredible truth is reiterated again in the prayer of Jesus for all those who would believe on Him:  “That they all may be one as You, Father, are in me, and I in You, that they also may be ONE IN US…I IN THEM, and You in me, that they may be made perfect in One…that the love wherewith You have loved me may be in them, and I IN THEM.”  (John 17:20-2) 

Jesus’ prayer was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, after His ascension, when He did return in Spirit to indwell each member of His glorious Body. 

The beloved Apostle John emphasizes this truth again in his Epistles:  “Hereby we know that we DWELL IN HIM, and HE IN US, because He has given us of His Spirit.  And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.  Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, GOD DWELLS IN HIM, AND HE IN GOD…And we have known and believe the love that God has in us:  God is Love, and he that dwells in Love DWELLS IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM…”  (1 John 4:13-16) 

This is a marvelous mystery which was revealed to the Apostle Paul, and he expressed it so well in his letter to the church at Colosse:”  “Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is revealed to His saints, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;  which is:  CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE (confident expectation) OF GLORY.” (Col. 1:26,27) 

And to the churches of Galatia Paul wrote, “I am crucified with Christ;  nevertheless I live;  yet not I, but CHRIST LIVES IN ME, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”  (Gal. 2:20) 

When we as Believers are “joined unto the Lord”  we become “one spirit”  with Him and there is no way that He would ever leave us nor forsake us.  He is one with us and we with Him!   Indeed, He is our very life.  (1 Cor. 6:17;  Col. 3:4)

19^th Century Poet and Author, Maltbie D. Babcock caught the vision in this expressive poem: 

No distant Lord have I,
            Loving afar to be;
Made flesh for me He cannot rest 
            Until He rests in me.

I need not journey far
            This dearest Friend to see.
Companionship is always mine; 
            He makes His home in me.

 I envy not the twelve;
            Nearer to me is He.
The life He once lived here on earth
            He lives again in me.

Ascended now to God
            My witness there to be;
His witness here am I because
            His Spirit dwells in me.

O glorious Son of God,
            Incarnate Deity,
I shall forever be in Thee
            Because Thou art in me.

                         (Maltbie D. Babcock, 1858-1901)

 “May God, the giver of hope, fill you with continual joy and peace because you trust in Him-
so that you may have abundant hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13 Weymouth)

In Agape, Eulene

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Grace and Peace to you…with Thanksgiving! 

Even in the midst of uncertain times, and global economic chaos, we still have so much for which to be thankful 

There are a number of things in Scripture which we are instructed to consider.   Think about this definition:

To CONSIDER:  To think about carefully;  examine mentally;  weigh;  to deliberate carefully and at length.  

Moses admonished Israel to CONSIDER in their hearts, “THAT THE LORD IS GOD in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath there is none else.”  (Deut. 4:39) 

Samuel warned Israel:  “Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart;  for CONSIDER how GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE FOR YOU.”    (1 Sam. 12:24)   

Job also was challenged to “stand still, and CONSIDER THE WONDROUS WORKS OF GOD.” 
(Job 37:14) 

David knew how to meditate on God’s “wondrous works.”   “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!  Who has set Your glory above the heavens…When I CONSIDER THE HEAVENS, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man, that You are mindful of him?  and the son of man, that You visit him?…O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!”  (Ps. 8) 

Considering such infinite power, wisdom, knowledge, greatness, and the vastness of creation, does make one feel humble, small and insignificant.  Yet, we are told that mankind is being made in God’s image, just a “little lower than Elohim” Himself, that he has been “crowned with glory and honor,” that he has been “given dominion over the works of God’s hands,” and is in the process of “having all things put under his feet.”  God has further proven His limitless love for us by sending His only begotten Son to die for us, to redeem us, and deliver us from the bondage of sin and death, into the glorious freedom of the Sons of God.  In fact, we are told to “CONSIDER HIM Who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose your HOPE.”   ( Ps. 8; Heb. 2; 12:3)  

He has set His love upon us, and promised to never leave us nor forsake us;  rather He comes to dwell within all who receive Him into their hearts.  Concerning His ongoing care, He says, 

“CONSIDER THE LILIES, how they grow.  They do not work, or do not spin.  Yet King Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of them.  Wherefore, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you?…Therefore do not be anxious about what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, or how you will be clothed…for your Heavenly Father knows you have need of all these things.  But seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Do not worry, therefore, about tomorrow…”    He also says, 

“CONSIDER THE RAVENS, for they neither plant nor reap, nor do they have storehouses or barns, and God feeds them.  How much more are you better than the birds?…Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?  But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  FEAR NOT, therefore;  YOU ARE OF MORE VALUE THAN MANY SPARROWS.”
 (Luke 12:6,7, 22-30) 

            CONSIDER
the lilies, that do neither spin nor toil,
yet are most fair -
what profits all this care, 
            and all this coil?    (confusion, tumult)

             CONSIDER
the sparrows of the air, of small account;
our God doth view
whether they fall or mount - 
            He guards us too.

             CONSIDER
the birds that have no barn nor harvest-weeks;
God gives them food -
much more our Father seeks 
            to do us good.        
Christina Rossetti, 1830-1894 

“Now the God of all HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE in the believing,
that you may abound in HOPE
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13) 

In Agape, Eulene

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Dear Ones, 

These are days of desperation for many.  Tumultuous world conditions distress the minds of those who have found no place of safety and security.  The economic situation is in chaos.  Many trusting citizens have lost what they depended upon for economic security and social stability.  Canada and the United States are on the verge of electing new government leaders, and the future for many is a big question mark. 

In 1971 Corrie ten Boom published a book entitled “The Hiding Place.”  It is the captivating story of her family in Holland during the turbulent times of the Second World War.  Despite the risk of punishment and death, they joined the Dutch Resistance, helping Jews evade capture and almost certain death.  They provided a hiding place in a “secret room” on the top story of their “crooked little Dutch house – one room wide” to protect their Jewish friends and neighbors from the Nazis who had occupied their country.  (This “crooked little Dutch house” is now a museum in Haarlem, Holland, and pictures may be seen online at www.corrietenboom.nl/exhibits.htm ) 

The family paid a heavy price for their compassion and sacrifice.  When the ten Booms were betrayed, they were plunged overnight into the brutality of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps.  Father ten Boom died in prison, as did Corrie’s sister, Betsie.  Corrie was miraculously saved (the result of a “clerical error”) from the fate of ninety-six thousand other women who died in the Ravensbruck Camp, undoubtedly because the Lord had a special ministry for her to fulfill.  For 33 years following the war, Corrie ten Boom traveled ceaselessly, carrying her message of triumphant living all over the world.  She was a colorful speaker, and the author of devotional books treasured by millions.  She made her home in southern California until her death in 1983 at the age of 91. 

I suspect that the title, The Hiding Place, was taken from the Scriptures, giving it a double meaning.  Isaiah prophesied concerning the One who would be “as a Hiding Place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest;  as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”  The Psalmist sang about it:  “You are my Hiding Place;  You shall preserve me from trouble.  You shall compass me about with songs of deliverance…..For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion;  in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me…” (Isa. 32:2; Psalm 32:7; 27:5) 

There are also contemporary songs inspired by the same theme, such as this one by Bryan Jeffery Leech: 

“In a time of trouble, in a time forlorn, there is a hiding place where HOPE is born. 
There is a hiding place, a strong protective space, where God provides the grace
to persevere,  for nothing can remove us from the Father’s love; 
though all may change, yet nothing changes here. 
In a time of sorrow, in a time of grief, there is a hiding place to give relief.

“In a time of danger, when our faith is proved, there is a hiding place where we are loved.  There is a hiding place, a strong protective space, where God provides the grace
to persevere, for nothing can remove us from the Father’s love; 
though all may change, yet nothing changes here. 
In a time of weakness, in a time of fear, there is a hiding place where God is near.”

The wise author of the Proverbs gives us a hint as to where that Hiding Place is for the child of God:-   “The Name of the Lord is a strong tower;  the righteous run into it and is safe.”  The Name of Jesus is that wonderful name – “the only Name under heaven…whereby we must be saved.”   “To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His Name, whoever believes in Him shall receive forgiveness of sins.”  (Prov. 18:10;  Acts 4:12; 10:43)  
And an unknown poet has recognized this truth: 

Within the Name of Jesus where peace and plenty lie,
I rest, securely sheltered -  no evil can come nigh.

Within the Name of Jesus, from condemnation free,
He cancelled each and every sin that I might ransomed be.

Within the Name of Jesus His power and might are mine,
And Satan is a conquered foe by that great Power Divine.

Within the Name of Jesus, sheltered from every storm,
The Hiding Place of all who trust, from every false alarm.
                          Author Unknown

“Precious Hiding Place!  Precious Hiding Place in the shelter of His love; 
Not a doubt or fear since my Lord is near, and I’m sheltered in His love.   
            (From a hymn by Avis B. Christiansen)

 “You are my Hiding Place and my shield;  I HOPE in Your Word.” 
(Ps. 119:114) 

“Now the God of all HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE in the believing,
that you may abound in HOPE
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13)

In Agape, Eulene

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