SHINY SILVER

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SHINY SILVER

What is that shiny silver,
Object intangible,
Spinning toward me?

It may be a bellissimo ball
Of renewed hopefulness
To bounce away my discouragement.

It may be a mellowish moon
Of sought-after rest
To melt away my weariness.

It may be a sparkling sun
Of heaven-sent joy
To spark away my desperation.

It may be an imparted idea
Of my greatest wish come true –
To be inspired away from all faithlessness.

What is that shiny silver
Of heaven’s love tangible,
Spinning throughout me?


Copyright 2011 by Marilee Miller
You may keep a copy on your computer. Feel free to post a link, but please, no public distribution by any method, without permission. Thanks.


“We have become gifts of God that he delights in...” (Eph. 1:11 TLB)

“Delight… in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart” [to receive His Fullness!] “Commit your way to him; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” (Ps. 37:4-5)


This post is also shared with:

L. L. Barkat "Seedlings in Stone"
On, In, and Around Mondays

Laura Boggess "The Wellspring"
Playdates with God

A WAKE UP CALL?

I have been much concerned and in prayer about a report on the "News from Israel" website about 3 weeks ago, and later from a Christian organization, that there are many sites on Facebook calling for an intifada against Israel on May 15. They are written in Arabic, so most people don't know about them. But the statement has been made by these sources that millions of Arabs have signed up to participate in protest demonstrations against Israel. I don't know exactly what this means, but it could be very ominous.

The bin Laden affair, which happened later, has led to more strident threats of retaliation against the US. Will we have catastrophes and demonstrations on our own soil? And Hamas is joining Fatah, but the former's vow still is to wipe out Israel and the Jews. Yet the rest of the
world is trying to force Israel to negotiate with Hamas-Fatah-PLO to partition the land. How can Israel be expected to agree to give part of its land to a group that has pledged the Jews' complete extinction in the entire land? And why has the media remained silent about the May 15 (uprising?)? If we had an arch-enemy who demanded part of the US for their homeland and had vowed to extinguish us, we wouldn't passively accept it and bow to the "whatevers". So why think Israel hasn't a right to defend itself against sworn arch-enemies?

My belief is that we're seeing the books of Daniel and Revelation come alive in the daily news. So many have taken those words as allegories, or said they shouldn't even be in the Bible. But every time I pick up a newspaper lately, I can see the words of Daniel and Revelation starting to come true. I believe the world is shaping up for the Great Tribulation.
Maybe not starting May 15, but soon.

What will we all do if this becomes a time of war and terror? A time when we don't feel at all safe? A time when the things we say or do can cause us to become targets? When the old familiar habits and ways no longer get us through? What will you do? What will I do? Will we turn to God and entrust ourselves to him? I think the day is coming when we can't trust
governments to help us or be on our side. We're already seeing that the world leaders don't really know what to do. And partisanship and bickering and anger and self-interest seem more important than being for the "common good of the people."

I have to cling to this:
"Though an host should encamp against us, my heart shall know no fear; Though war should rise up against us, in this will I be confidant: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple. ...In the secret places of his pavillion will he hide me, and set me up on a rock." (I don't know how to "know no fear." In fact, I am full of fears. But HE isn't afraid. To me, the rock is my belief in the delivering power of Jesus Christ. And I certainly do want to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and to ask him to keep my eyes focused on the beauty of the Lord. No matter what's going on in the outside world!)

I can't do much to change my future or the state of the world. But, oh how I can keep praying for God's mercy, his love, his keeping-power. God knows the future. And he isn't afraid for our present or for our future. He says whenever we see bad things happening, to "look up, for your redemption draws near."

A WAKE UP CALL?

I have been much concerned and in prayer about a report on the "News from
Israel" website about 3 weeks ago, and later from a Christian organization,
that there are many sites on Facebook calling for an intifada against Israel
on May 15. They are written in Arabic, so most people don't know about
them. But the statement has been made by these sources that millions of
Arabs have signed up to participate in protest demonstrations against
Israel. I don't know exactly what this means, but it could be very ominous.

The bin Laden affair, which happened later, has led to more strident
threats of retaliation against the US. Will we have catastrophes and
demonstrations on our own soil? And Hamas is joining Fatah, but the
former's vow still is to wipe out Israel and the Jews. Yet the rest of the
world is trying to force Israel to negotiate with Hamas-Fatah-PLO to
partition the land. How can Israel be expected to agree to give part of its
land to a group that has pledged the Jews' complete extinction in the entire
land? And why has the media remained silent about the May 15 (uprising?)?
If we had an arch-enemy who demanded part of the US for their homeland and
had vowed to extinguish us, we wouldn't passively accept it and bow to the
"whatevers". So why think Israel hasn't a right to defend itself against
sworn arch-enemies?

My belief is that we're seeing the books of Daniel and Revelation come
alive in the daily news. So many have taken those words as allegories, or
said they shouldn't even be in the Bible. But every time I pick up a
newspaper lately, I can see the words of Daniel and Revelation starting to
come true. I believe the world is shaping up for the Great Tribulation.
Maybe not starting May 15, but soon.

What will we all do if this becomes a time of war and terror? A time when
we don't feel at all safe? A time when the things we say or do can cause us
to become targets? When the old familiar habits and ways no longer get us
through? What will you do? What will I do? Will we turn to God and
entrust ourselves to him? I think the day is coming when we can't trust
government to help us or be on our side. We're already seeing that the
world leaders don't really know what to do. And partisanship and bickering
and anger and self-interest seem more important than being for the "common
good of the people."

I have to cling to this:
"Though an host should encamp against us, my heart shall know no fear;
Though war should rise up against us, in this will I be confidant: That I
may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the
beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple. ...In the secret places
of his pavillion will he hide me, and set me up on a rock." (I don't know
how to "know no fear." In fact, I am full of fears. But HE isn't afraid.
To
me, the rock is my belief in the delivering power of Jesus Christ. And I
certainly do want to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
and to ask him to keep my eyes focused on the beauty of the Lord. No matter
what's going on in the outside world!)

I can't do much to change my future or the state of the world. But, oh how
I can keep praying for God's mercy, his love, his keeping-power. God knows
the future. And he isn't afraid for our present or for our future. He says
whenever we see bad things happening, to "look up, for your redemption draws
near."

Letter to a Friend

I wrote the following to an e-mail friend who is struggling with too many issues, too many hurts.

If you're hurting, crying, wondering what to do next, perhaps this letter also will be helpful to you.

Dear (friend),

I want to say, "Don't forget about God! Don't forget about Jesus Christ." If there's any way you can do it at all, please read the New Testament, or at least a little Scripture verse booklet.

This is a wicked, weary, angry, sore world. Governments don't know what to do. So many places are at war, or struck with disasters. So many people are hurting, suffering, crying. Our leaders and those who want to be compassionate feel "stuck", not knowing what to do. Some people are acting as though everything will be back to normal soon, and going their merry way with big plans and self-interests. And then there are others afraid, demoralized, and despairing.

God told us in the Bible that there would be seasons like the one our world is going through now. But he also said "When you see these things happen, look up, for your redemption draws near." I believe we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ our Savior. God is still in control, even though it looks so bad.

We tend to think him being in control means we will sail through life without any hard times. But that's not the way life is. It wasn't so in the days when the Bible was written, and it isn't so today. He allows trials into our lives in order to toughen us to be able to get through life.

There are a few verses I keep making myself repeat when I feel discouraged.

Paul wrote, "I do that which I don't want to do, and don't do what I ought to do. Oh, wretched man [or woman, too] that I am, who will save me? Thanks be to God for the unspeakable gift of Christ Jesus."

"Long ago before He made the world, God chose us for his very own; he decided then to make us holy in his eyes -- without a single fault! -- we who stand before him covered with his love."

"[God] Who having delivered us from so great a death, and DOES deliver us, and I trust will deliver us YET [all the way through life].

"Does your heart condemn you? God is greater than your heart. And if your heart condemns you not, it shall be well with you."

(I take that to mean that even when we feel we don't measure up, God is big enough to declare us "not guilty" if we come to him in repentance, desiring him to keep on loving-protecting-comforting-guiding-helping us. So then God loves us in a way that we need not condemn ourselves. So through him, it will go well with us.) Maybe not the kind of wellness that we think of as happiness and la-tee-da land, but he promises that he "guarantees to bring us to himself." And that if we don't reject him, but keep asking him to transform us to be the persons he planned to make us be, we'll live forever with him. Forever with Jesus, in eternity. And only the "blink of an eye" down here on earth in this life, compared with "forever." Even though the way seems long and full of toil and tears.

I'm so glad I don't have to bring myself to God, earn my way to heaven. No, I could never do that. But HE is ABLE. And He is WILLING! I must believe that, cling to his promise for that, even when I don't feel it. Because he said he wouldn't ever leave us or forsake us. And if I'm wrong about that, then there would be no hope of my making it. But thankfully, we not only have the Bible, but the witness of many, many people who have clung to him, that his word is true and THE CHRIST is real.

Love in His Beautiful Name, and with many Prayers for you, (my friend),

The volatile Mid-East

Two Christian news sources I get online say that there are sites on Facebook (in Arabic, so nobody else seems to know about them) that have collected millions of signatures promising to assemble huge demonstrations protesting against Israel as a nation, on May 15. The rest of the media sources seem to totally ignore this issue. And I haven't seen anything saying WHAT is supposed to happen on that day. We only know that a lot of folks claim they want to wipe Israel off the map. And we know how quickly the rebellion rose up in the rest of the mid-East.

The US is vulnerable. If we don't support Israel, we're going against God's promise of the land to the Israelites. "God blesses those who bless Israel." Can we expect to escape the judging of the nations? And if we do support it, we are considered by strong forces as a part of "the great Satan", just as Israel. But who is standing in the gap to intercede? Why are the Christians so silent? Why are so many of us still talking about little things, and proclaiming that we'll carry out all our God-sized dreams (by which they don't mean suffering or tribulation or distress).

David Wilkerson, a prominent evangelist and pastor of Times Square church in NYC -- the founder of Teen Challenge and World Challenge -- who was killed in a car wreck a few days ago -- re-issued a prophecy not long before his death that soon there would be such provocation against Israel that it would (ultimately) bring on Armageddon.

On the one hand, people can say we don't know the time-line. And that's true. But Jesus also said we would see the signs, and should look up "for our redemption draws nigh." At the moment, to me the signs look ominous.

This is a prophecy David has repeated at intervals for almost 30 years. Some of us originally believed it would be much sooner. But later he said he thought that God had been merciful and was giving America and the world more time to repent. But we do know the Mid-East is totally volatile. Many, many of his prophecies have already happened, such as the war in Kuwait, and the earthquake in Japan.

There's such a need to ask God's protection over us (all of us) -- and praying that his perfect will may be done.
Even so, Lord Jesus, come.