I am so pleased as punch to introduce today’s guest writer, my friend and fellow blogger, Dalialah Hepburn. Click here if you would like to visit her “Transparenme” blog or here if you would like to visit her “Not so Empty Nest” blog.
Let’s give a warm welcome to Dalialah, she fought all day long for this message!
*thunderous round of applause*
Yesterday was very eventful for me! I worked a full day at my new job, my son (20 yrs old) picked me up from work (how crazy is that!) and we had one of the few warm and muggy days on the day of a church block party! Woo! But none of those was even the beginning of the highlight of my night! That came when I entered a small tent with a woman already sitting there. She was another prayer warrior who had volunteered to pray at this event. We met, we had small talk and before we could even pray over our time there, the mad dash was on. We immediately had someone come over for prayer and that is where God began to put the missing pieces of my past and everything I had been through in perspective.
The first lady had a 16 yr old daughter/ granddaughter. I’m doing time with my 16 yr old daughter and all her friends, attitude, rebellion, disrespect, disregard for others, etc. I’m sure some of you can relate to these so called friends I speak of.
As the night went on, I met pieces of me at different times of my life and prayed fervent and warring prayers over these women. Even at the end, I prayed over my new friend, who apparently knew my mom, and her need of healing. I came home semi exhausted but nothing prepared me for what was next.
I woke up the next morning after what appeared to be a long restless sleep (I don’t remember) and felt like a MACK TRUCK had not just ran over me but backed up two or three times to make sure the job was done!! It was only then and through crying out and prayer that I realized exactly what is in this text. We are at war and God is sounding the alarm.
In the beginning chapter, 5, what drew me in was the text, “seek me and live,” at the end of verse 4 and then at the beginning of verse 6 again, “seek the LORD, and live…”. Throughout these chapters that’s what I kept seeing. That’s what I keep hearing. That’s what God keeps on saying to us. How simple is that? “Seek me and live.” No jumping through hoops, no endless working, no sweat and blood to give, just seeking Him.
The other thing God drew my attention to is the alarm that was sounded. All through the text, its like God was saying, “Okay, y’all are not doing as I said. You better get it together because I don’t want to do this but I will to get my glory.” It’s interesting how the times have not really changed. We still have our idols, our false worship, our watered down sermons, our… okay I’m done. What I hear in this text is YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOUR FIRST LOVE!!! How soon we forget that we serve a Sovereign God just as much as we serve a jealous One. And at the end of the 9th chapter, haha!
Have you ever had your child act a plum fool in the store? I mean the crying and screaming, the fit on the floor and tearing down things and kicking as if you were a kidnapper trying to abduct this very violent little person? And all the way through the store and to the car you just keep saying, “Oh you are in for it!! Just wait until we get to that car! I am gonna wear your butt out!” And then you get to the car with a much quieter child only to realize that your baby, the one who just morphed into a creature from far away, is smiling and hugging you. They’re calm. That’s God with us. At the end of this text, I love this, He simply says,” ‘I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,’ says the LORD your God.”
While He has every right, all the power to discipline us and would if necessary, what He desires is to commune with us and bless us. What a mighty God we serve!!
Tamar Knochel 