"Beloved"

"Greatly Beloved, fear not:  peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong."  And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let me Lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.  From Daniel 10:19

Daniel chapter nine gives us a beautiful prayer for the nation of Israel.  His prayer is so earnest and with such amazing appeal to our Lord that a heavenly messenger is sent.  The angel Gabriel came to Daniel and touched him then gave Daniel a vision calling and stating, "for thou art Greatly Beloved" in verse 9:23. 


Moving into chapter ten of Daniel, another visitor comes after Daniel had been mourning for three weeks.  Mourning most likely over the state of the children of Israel and wanting these same children to return to Jerusalem, their homeland, from the Babylon captives.  Written at a time when Daniel was weak and sick, this heavenly visitor is not named as a champion angel like Gabriel or Michael.  However, he is clothed in linen and girded in gold.  The description is similar to Revelation 1:15,16.  Could this be Jesus Christ, the Messiah who has come to Daniel, his Beloved servant?  Daniel saw a great vision and heard the words of this heavenly guest.   Daniel's prayers were heard, God sent an answer to one he calls again "Greatly Beloved" (10:11).  He encourages Daniel by affirming, "thy words were heard" (verse 12).  The mission was for Daniel to "understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days ...(10:14)"

Daniel's response to all of this leaves him in a physically weakened state, trembling, fallen upon the ground, unable to speak.  He is described as being severely depressed:  "my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength" (verse 16b).  Daniel had poured his heart out to His Lord and King expressing concern for the nation of Israel and imploring God for mercy, forgiveness, intervention.  He pleaded in chapter 9:19  "Oh Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for they city and thy people are called by thy name."  Urgency is in his every word.  

The words of a heavenly messenger, one with the appearance of a man, are recorded "... Greatly Beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea be strong ..." 
"Beloved"  a beautiful name to calm, caress a desperate Daniel  
"Beloved"  the voice of a Sovereign God comforting his Failing Servant
"Beloved"  assuaging all fear and weakness
"Beloved"  offering peace and strength
"Beloved"

"Behold ... Who Created these Things"

Look around you to see the majesty of God's creation.  Observe the beginning bud, tightly wrapped, protecting the beauty inside.  Quietly this miracle is awaiting sunshine and dewdrops before spreading its petals.

Just a few hours pass, the petals began to push outside of their previous confinement... with enough sunlight, the unfolding continues.

With flair, this perennial hibiscus proudly exhibits its tropical color and gently takes a bow among the neighboring foliage.

"Lift up your eyes on high and
behold Who created these things...

Hast thou not known?
Hast thou not heard,
  that the everlasting God,
  the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
     fainteth not, neither is weary?
He giveth power to the faint:
And to them that have no might he increaseth strength...
But they that wait upon the Lord shall  renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings as eagles;
They shall run and not be weary;
And, they shall walk, and not faint."

Isaiah 40:26, 28, 29, 31

Dear friends ~ Meditate on these precious promises.

"Hope in the Lord"

Be of Good Courage
Strengthen Your Heart
All ye that Hope in the Lord
Psalm 31:24

Hope occurs 130 times in the Bible.

"Gratitude"

Psalm 145:9 "The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works."

The last few months I've been able to meditate on God's Goodness in relation to our home, our family, our children. It is overwhelming to think of what I deserve, my husband deserves and my children deserve, which is is God's wrath and judgement for the sin in our lives. Because of our blackened hearts, we deserve a life of misery or turmoil and eternal judgement... Yet, God has allowed His Goodness and tender Mercy to permeate our lives.

As Jonathan Edwards writes in his treatise, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," I can only but agree that we are truly wicked, deserving of hell. We are inclined to slip and fall toward evil. We delude ourselves to believe we are too good for eternal damnation. In our unregenerate state, we are self-serving, desiring lusts of the flesh, seeking temporal peace and security. All of these show the corrupt nature of mankind.

Yet, the Bible portrays our God is a God of mercy. He has restrained the evil because of His Goodness. Only by His design has mankind escaped the judgement that we well deserve. J. Edwards states it this way: "it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up."

Joel 2:13 "Turn unto the Lord your God, he is gracious and merciful ..." That very grace and mercy has provided an escape route to keep us from being engulfed by the flames of hell, which we so much deserve. Ephesians chapter two explains it all: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:4-6). The ultimate gift of Jesus Christ and sacrifice of our Heavenly Father's only son is the proof of the "exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (verse 7).

It is that grace and mercy which is extended to His people when they love Him with their heart, fear him with their soul, keep his commands, walk in his ways, follow his path, teach their children diligently. And, it is "the sovereign pleasure of God, for the present, which stays his rough wind..." J. Edwards, July 8 1741.

For this I am grateful!

"Be Ye Thankful" Colossians 3:15.

"Then shall the Earth yield her Increase"

It is only God, God alone who causes the earth to produce. The increase of the earth comes from the good hands of our loving, giving Heavenly Father. This summer (2011) we have experienced many extra hot days - weather from mid 90s to 100 degrees. Add the humidity index to that and the number increases. Just when it seems unbearable, with crackling grass underfoot and wilting plants to the right and left, the storm clouds gather and there's a downpour. The results: everything is fresh and green. That cloud is evidence of God's tender mercy, causing the dew and the rain to make our "earth yield her increase."

Looking at Psalm 67, we see how the blessings He gives affect so many areas of our lives! This very short Psalm has wonderful lessons for us to lean upon. Take a moment to read and meditate.

God be merciful unto us, and bless us
And cause His face to shine upon us;

That thy way may be known upon the earth,
Thy saving health among all nations.

Let the people praise thee, O God;
Let all the people praise thee.

O let the nations be glad and sing for joy:
For thou shalt judge the people righteously,
And govern the nations upon the earth.

Let the people praise the, O God;
Let all the people praise thee.

Then shall the earth yield her increase,
And God, even our own God, shall bless us

God shall bless us;
And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

"I will give thee for a covenant of the people" Isaiah 49:8

Covenant: A binding and solemn agreement made by two or more individuals, parties. An agreement among members of a church to hold to points of doctrine, faith, practice. In theology, the promises made by God to man, as recorded in the Bible.

Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God's covenant that he made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Our heavenly Father gave us a perfect Christ as the foremost expression of His love to worthless and fallen man. Jesus Christ through His spotless, sinless life redeemed us by His death on Calvary's cross.

God's promise was spoken as early as Genesis 3:15 "her seed shall bruise" the serpent who is seeking to destroy God's creation - man - Adam and Eve. His promise to overcome the worldly kingdom where Satan dwells is true. That happened when Jesus was given as the sacrificial lamb on the cross. Jesus kept the law perfectly, something man cannot do. Jesus, only Jesus, could be an acceptable gift to appease God's wrath and satisfy God's judgement. For this we can only be grateful for He keeps His covenant with His people.

"Thou shalt make thy prayer unto Him" Job 22:27

Have you ever been preoccupied with a concern for a friend, family member or a future occasion so much so that you find yourself committing it to prayer constantly during your day? Does it seem to become an obsession? Our lips and thoughts are directed upward to heaven with our request ... "Please Lord, in earnest, I implore You..." Possibly we state: "Dear God may I ask that You ..." If those words have ever come from your mouth, hundreds of times, you are not alone.

The amazing fact is "He shall hear thee" Job 22:27.

More often than not, we are in a state of uncertainty, anxiety when this happens. Yet, in the midst of our personal turmoil, God hears us. When we feel abandoned or cast down, God is there to hear our voice and send comfort. It may be that direction is given. "the light shall shine upon thy ways" Job 22:28. Or maybe God will fortify us, provide support "thou shalt be built up" vs 23.

We can most certainly identify with these verses in Job. "There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble" Job 22:29.