Inside Israel – Special Thanks from J!

Dear friends, brothers and sisters, whom I’ve come to know and love through Deb’s blog.

First, I want to thank Deb, whom I count a very close friend and whom I’ve never met in the flesh, for asking if she could please post my sporadic emails on her precious blog.  I am honored and deeply humbled.  I have not written a blog myself because I knew that I would not be able to put in the time to respond to the comments as one should.  That is basically why I am writing now, to thank you all for the blessing and encouragement of your responses (I take SUCH heart from them!) and to apologize for not answering as I would so like to.

My letters began as just that; letters to close personal friends.  After we made aliyah (immigrated) more then 17 years ago, I began to understand that I had been given a privilidge and responsibility to bare witness to what I was seeing on many levels, and to ‘translate’ what we were living to the body.  We were witnessing first hand so many new things and I was handwriting letters to my friends; long ones.  Soon, they were gracious enough to allow me to photocopy them, and then I got a computer and typed them.  Soon, others were copying them and churches were handing them out and sending them out!  Then came email, and now I am blessed to have friends and people who pray for me, and more importantly, for the body here and our nation, all around the world.

But since I am rather anonymous, I would like to explain a bit:  We made aliyah when we were already nearly 50 and, coming from a very remote region of the earth, we neither knew any Hebrew, nor did we know others here.  We had to learn to adapt to an entirely different culture and language without much human help.

Now, at 66 we find that we will have to keep working ‘until the end’ to pay our rent and monthly bills.  My daily commute alone takes quite a toll on my health.  I have suffered from systemic lupus for years and have not as yet been healed…at least not as of today.  Maybe tomorrow.  Our family has some highly demanding situations (don’t we all?) that are compounded by the cultural change.  All of this is to explain that the precious little time that I take on the computer is indeed, for me, a precious gift as both time and strength are at a premium.  And so, I apologize for not answering your blessed and encouraging comments, but, PLEASE rest assured that they are very importatnt to me and I am so thankful for each of you who takes the time to read my small, though wordy, offering, and then to comment, and even pray.  Deb forwards the comments to me as I don’t even get to read her poetry on the blog, but receive them by email.

Again, thank you so much for your time, and thank YOU Deb, for sharing your heart so beautifully that you have drawn such friends.  God bless each of you, from Jerusalem, your sis here.

ani b’derek

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Nothing Missing

“Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, ‘Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he reviled them’.”  1 Samuel 25:14

“But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields.”  1 Samuel 25:15

Good was done to Nabal, even though he was unaware.

Lord, thank You for Your hand that guides others to care for my family and I,  even when I’m not aware of it. I desire to be more and more generous and gracious in this life.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

Beholden

I want to say thank you
more and more each day

to all those who help me
along this narrow way

who guard me with prayers
strengthen me with faith

I may not know all the names
but my heart beholds the grace.

Of Complaints and Such

“When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove . . .” Acts 25:7

The enemy lays out some serious complaints against me each day.

Lord, I am so thankful that Satan’s accusations have all been forgiven me and washed away by Your blood. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Back At Ya

Much is said
as accusations

attempts to take
each believer out

tossed like hand grenades
that Jesus catches

diffusing bombs
of fear and doubt.

Witnesses

“And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority’,” Acts 1:7
“‘But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’.” Acts 1:8

Knowledge can puff us up, but trusting Him keeps us humble.

Lord, we thank You for a power we cannot generate to witness to You and not ourselves. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Power to Bear

Asking and waiting
to receive

the power of
Your Holy Spirit

to bear witness
of Your greatness

knowing only in Whom
we believe.

You Did Not Labor

“I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you shall dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.” Joshua 24:13

This reminds me of a time share – only they got to stay and not pay!

Lord, we thank You for forgiveness, mercy and grace, none of which we could ever work or earn on our own. We abide and rest in You, a type of dwelling place that we could not build for ourselves. Your word grows within us and nourishes us, something we never planted or imagined. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Imagine That

We have what we
haven’t worked for

we live within
what we haven’t built

we have food
that no one knows of

all of this
without shame or guilt.

This is the last post from The Book of Joshua. 🙂 On Monday, I go back to the New Testament, The Book of Acts. Thanks so much for all of your help and support!

Fail Proof

“Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord spoke to Israel. All came to pass.” Joshua 21:45

We humans fail. But God, He never fails.

Thank You, Lord, for being the one thing we can always count on. And here’s a simple poem . . .

True To The End

Not a word failed
of any good thing
that was spoken to them
by their King.

All that He’d said
came to pass
as Israel possessed
the land at last.

One Of Them

“And when he flees to one of those cities, and stands in the entrance of the gate of the city, and declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city as one of them and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.” Joshua 20:4

Our enemy is hot on our heals, as we step within the gate where Jesus declares us forgiven and one of His.

Thank You, Jesus, for giving us a place within You. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Our Safe Rest

He is our refuge
a place to go

when we’ve done wrong
and must confess

and at the gate
of His cross

is where we find
our safe rest.

I Will Give . . .You

“And Caleb said, ‘He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife’.” Joshua 15:16

Sons and daughters are a great treasure and reward.

Father, we thank You that it is as much loved and blessed children that we are sent forth. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Heart Strings Attached

You are precious
you are loved

you’re a treasure
His delight

and though
you must go forth

you are never
out of His sight.

As He Said

“So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God’.” Joshua 14:9
“And now behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, those forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness, and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.” Joshua 14:10

Caleb saw that God kept His word.

Thank You, Lord, for keeping us alive and fulfilling all Your promises. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Surely

If He spoke it
it is true
and it will come
to be.

Whether now
or then later
His word’s a certain
guarantee.

Advanced

“Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him; ‘You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed’.” Joshua 13:1

God often worked through the older generations.

Lord, thank You for valuing and using those society overlooks. And here’s a simple poem . . .

To Those Remaining

There’s more work
yet to be done

and we’re so thankful
for those who’ve come

and lived their lives
in obedience to Him

an inheritance of faith
their sacrificial offering.