Endurance Test

We have just returned from a three-week Sabbatical across the American Southwest. Through Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico we were continually stunned by the majesty and the artwork of the Master Painter!  Having time in our little camper to leisurely visit national and state parks, camping beneath towering rock formations and leafy boughs, we got the rest we needed - and more importantly, the time with God we needed.

On one particular day in Mesa Verde National Park, we endured an extreme test of endurance that we did not plan on, nor did we see it coming!  We took off on what we thought would be a lovely trail through the vast canyon of the ancient cliff-dwellers, looking for the petroglyph pictures they had left behind, inscribed on stone walls. We neglected to see the small sign at the entrance to the trail, which read "EXTREMELY STRENUOUS AND INTENSE HIKE. DO NOT ENTER IF YOU HAVE HEALTH PROBLEMS."

As we hiked the extremely difficult, intense terrain of the Petroglyphs Trail, my John continually assisted me along the way. My legs were too short to navigate and maneuver many of the high-elevated steps and he was always there with a helping hand, lending his strength to pull me up. I was so grateful all day for his strong, loving care over me. He literally had to PULL me with all his strength across a wet, slipper boulder that I could never have gotten over alone.

It was a powerful illustration to me of how Father put us together. I help his mind to navigate and he helps my body to navigate! We do need each other. I am so grateful for this hike and all the parables God showed me. After almost three hours of this relentless test of endurance, we both felt we could go no longer. We became very concerned that it would get dark before we could get out of that remote canyon and we wouldn't be able to find our way out! We had not known there was a register to sign before coming on the hike - so no one knew we were in there.

We stopped to rest, perching on a large, jutted rock and took our last remaining sips of water from our water bottles. Lungs reached for air. Muscles screamed. Then I heard the Spirit say, "Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD!  It was a clear call to prayer. I asked God for supernatural strength and energy to finish the course. We told Him we had no strength of our own to keep going and prayed that He would strengthen weak muscles and ligaments, giving us the encouragement to keep going.

John had reached a very real place of fear that we wouldn't get out. But when we finished praying, we got up and began walking again and strength returned to us! We didn't know how far we were from the end of the trail - but after about 15 minutes we clearly saw the museum where the trail began and our spirits rallied, pressing us forward.

Soon a cold 43-degree rain began to pelt us and the trail became very slippery. We felt the strong hand of angels preventing near-slips and falls. God was with us, every step; and in the end, we finished a trail that we later learned was labeled "difficult and intense." The 68-ear-old with two heart attacks had made it - and I could not have made it without him!

Nothing Shall Be Hidden

Still on a three-week Sabbatical throughout the Southwest, we are experiencing some wonderful divine appointments, and some revelation from the Lord.

We were camping out last week in a lovely cottonwood and sycamore-lined campground near Cottonwood, Arizona, when we met our "neighbor," a newly-widowed woman in her little pop-up. I knew immediately that her heart was still tender with grief. She told me she'd bought the little camper to travel for a while and try to find some purpose or meaning in her life. I asked her if she was a believer and she nodded her head, as tears began to come.  "I was once in the same place you are, " I told her. "I made a decision like you've made, to remain alone and draw nearer to the Lord, my true Husband. "How do I do that?" she asked through her tears. "By reading His Word," I told her. "You need to ask the Holy Spirit to show you what to read, and ask Him questions. His Word has all the answers you are seeking.  She seemed rather amazed, lost in thought.  "I do have a Bible; it's buried somewhere in the back of my camper.  I never read it."

The next day we pulled out of the campground and the last thing I saw as I peered back over my shoulder was this sweet widow, sitting at her picnic table, her Bible open in front of her. What a delightful sight!

The next evening we had the awesome blessing of attending David Herzog's Night of Worship in Sedona, Arizona. Only about thirty people attended, but it has been years since I've been in the midst of that kind of passionate intercession into the heavenly realms. David led us in praying over this nation and its upcoming election. They cried out for righteous judges, and broke strongholds of corruption, rigging and manipulation. It was powerful revelation for me. These anointed intercessors were crying out to the Lord just as Abraham cried out to Him to spare the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. "Lord if there are ten righteous people...?"

I confess I have not been praying that way. I know America's cup of sin must be full in the eyes of the Lord, and I know that we surely deserve His swift judgment. But the intercessors cried out for mercy, for awakening of the sleeping Church, for repentance in the Land, and for restoration of all Israel.  My heart was moved, as I cried out with them. It gave John and me courage and boldness as we traversed the El Morro National Monument today, moved to make decrees over this country.  At the top of the monument we looked out and saw a mountain in the distance of the great desert plain of New Mexico.  We began to declare, "Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain! (Isa. 40:4) Father, we declare that every corruption, lie and evil plan against America shall now be exposed and brought into the Light! We declare that nothing shall be hidden that needs to be exposed, no plan of the enemy can lurk in darkness, but must be revealed for what it is. Let every lying tongue be silenced and Truth brought forth in this Land!"

As we were descending down through the majestic rock formations, we stopped to sit on a bench and listen for God's Voice.  I stared into the sky, watching the passing clouds and very suddenly a cloud formed into the face of an exotic woman, who seemed to have a veil on. I could see her almond-shaped eyes and her lips, with a lacy veil around her head. Then just as suddenly, the face of a very small dog appeared below her. Both these images were extremely detailed and accurate; there was no mistaking what I was seeing. "What is the little dog?" I asked the Holy Spirit. He spoke to me only these words: "Wiener dog and Huma."

I waited on Him for a long time, wondering why He was showing me these two people, whom I knew were in the news right now.  After some time, I finally heard these words, and knew it was in answer to the declarations we had made. He said, "I AM busting it wide open."

The clouds dissipated - busted wide open - and we continued our trek down, feeling blessed
that the Lord had heard and answered.

Anticipation

It has been quite a while since I have posted on this blog.  The Fall feasts have come and gone, and this year they were more meaningful to me than any other year since 2001 when I first became aware of them. For all these years I've attended many different feast celebrations - even some in Israel. Often I've been invited to teach and lead worship in these gatherings, ranging from 1300 people to 13! We always knew we were rehearsing. With so little written in Leviticus 23 about keeping the Feasts of Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), we tried to be creative, and prayed that our Father was smiling down on us, knowing that His Bride has been faithfully rehearsing for the Great Wedding yet to come, when Yeshua returns for us.

This year was simpler, quieter, deeper. We were 26 people gathered at the edge of the lake on Yom Teruah, shofars in hand, great anticipation in hearts.  We would faithfully go down to the edge of the water and cast our stones (symbolic of our sins) into the "sea," as far as the east is from the west. But then something happened that drew us all into a holy hush. My husband John tossed his stone into the water, and then knelt at water's edge, his head bowed low before the Lord, in deep repentance. All chattering stopped. The fiery orange and gold of the sunset danced like flames across the water, and we knew we were on holy ground.

I looked around me and 26 pairs of eyes were riveted on the western sky, in great expectation. We were all looking for the new moon so that we could blow our shofars, as commanded in Scripture.  However, the sky was almost black, completely shrouded in thick, storm-laden clouds. The thing that touched me was that no one stopped looking. Despite the dark cloud cover, all eyes remained watchful, and not a word was spoken. For at least fifteen minutes we stared into the night sky, and I began to be aware that what we were really looking for so intently, with such deep desire, was the appearing of our Glorious Messiah!  What people would be so crazy as to gather by a lake on a week night, with shofars and ram's horns in hand, watching and waiting with such excitement unless they were consumed with the desire to see His coming on the clouds on the Day of Blowing?!

God did not disappoint us, even though Yeshua did not choose to come.  Suddenly He pulled back the black clouds like the great velvet drapes of a theater, and there, framed right in the middle of the parted drapes, was the magnificent silvery new moon!  He had framed it for us, given as a gift to those who are looking for Him, yearning for His appearing!

In the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles, I had a dream that I feel is to be shared with the corporate Body of Messiah. In this dream I was in a lovely bridal gown. I kept going down long hallways and "aisles" with an escort on either side of me. I did not know any of the people in this dream, so I knew it was meant for all of us.  At the end of each aisle I kept expecting to see my bridegroom, but he was never there. Once at the end of a long hallway I glanced in a mirror and saw that my backside was exposed! Then people ran over to me with white tights for me to put on and cover myself. Then at the end of another long aisle, someone brought me glasses and said they knew I'd need to read things to understand. Often in the long corridors I tripped and my two escorts would help me up. I got to the end of the last long aisle - and after going up a long staircase and then down a long staircase, I was so devastated to see that my bridegroom still wasn't there!

I awoke from the dream and almost immediately the Holy Spirit gave me the interpretation. He said, "It is a picture of the Bride's journey. First she realizes that her past has been shameful and uncovered. As she surrounds herself with righteous people (the two escorts or two witnesses), they help to "clean up" her life and bring her into a righteous way of living. But often she still trips and makes mistakes along the way, and others help to lift her back up and get her back on the path. A three-fold cord is not easily broken (Ecc. 4:10, 12). She does not yet have full understanding and so others help her by bringing "glasses," which means they are helping her to read and understand My Word. Throughout her journey her heart yearns for her Bridegroom - the One she loves (Song of Solomon 3:2) and she does not yet find Him. He does not yet reveal Himself because He wants her to keep seeking, keep knocking. She climbs up higher (the staircase up) as she gains wisdom and she goes down lower (the staircase down) as she learns humility and purity. Finally she comes to the end of the Bridal aisle and she feels desperate because her Bridegroom has not yet come for her."

"This is where you are," said the Spirit, "staring into the sky on Yom Teruah, your hearts overwhelmed with anticipation of His Coming - soon, but NOT YET."

Matthew 24:27: For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.