Echoes From Zion

Ps 20:1-7 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; 2 May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; 3 May He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice.  Selah 4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose. 5 We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Commentaries say that this scripture was most likely one that the Hebrew people prayed for their king before he went into battle. The Bible Exposition Commentary says, "Before the army went out to battle, the Jewish law of warfare required the officers and soldiers first to dedicate the...

So, I got a phone call a couple days ago. I didn't recognize the number at all but being the nice person I am, I cheerfully answered, 'hello.' What I heard in response, though, wasn't what I expected. Instead of a responsive, 'Hello to you,' I heard someone speaking Spanish on the other line. I stood there kind of stunned and finally said, 'I don't speak Spanish' in clear English, and apologizing, I hung up the phone. I knew it was stupid to speak in English to someone who doesn't speak English...but what else could I do? I don't speak Spanish.  Now, I took French in High School for a couple years. And with all of the cassette tapes we listened to and the VHS tapes we watched of funny little French teens speaking in their berets, I still only know just enough French to make me sound like an idiot. I can understand some words in French and speak some sentences but they're usually ones that have no benefit to real life -  sentences such a...

I was a messy child. From my bedroom to my desk at school, I was plain messy. No matter what my parents did to get me to keep things neat and tidy, it just never happened. Mom and Dad, if you're reading this...I'll admit it: You did your best but I was inevitably messy. Heck, my teachers kept me in at recess sometimes to clean my desk. My parents grounded me until my room was clean. But try as I may, I always ran into the same problem: the mess was too much for me. 9 times out of 10, when told to clean my messy room, I would walk in and see the mess and just become completely overwhelmed. I would then walk right back out with my hands raised in surrender to welcome my punishment. But my parents would not accept defeat. They would simply make me march right back into the room and stay there until it was clean. Here is where I would run into another problem - instead of remaining overwhelmed at the task before me, I would sit down in the middle of the mess and play! As I p...

If there's any disciple that gets a bad rap it's Thomas. I mean, how would you like to be know as Doubting Desiree or Doubting Tom, Dick, or Harry? Not exactly the title we'd want to be known as. I'm sure when we get to heaven, Thomas will say, 'Okay! Let's just address ONE thing right now: My name is not DOUBTING Thomas! I mean, I was a MARTYR for goodness sake!' In all honesty, I love Thomas'...well... honesty! In John 14, he's the only dude to break the silence and say to Jesus, 'we have no idea what you're talking about' (vs 4-5)! Like the other guys weren't thinking the same thing. It's real easy for us to criticize him for his doubt or Peter for his 'foot in mouth' disease, saying 'tsk, tsk!' as we read their stories. But every single person can identify on some level with their humanity and weakness. Weakness and humanity is not a bad thing. It's when we try to work and reason within our human weakn...

Okay, so I don't mean DEEP like you're thinking! :) I find that the most simplest of truths are deep in nature. But this one is both simple and deep. I was journaling about humility and I simply asked the Lord this: Do I have a humble spirit? What is humility, child? Well, I’d say it You: willing to take the low seat, to serve...but still so strong in character. It’s not weakness…it’s preferring others in true love, in serving them from the nature of the heart and not duty. You have answered well, child. And speaking of well…look at this well.( I see me and Jesus at a well! ) Its depths are truly deep, are they not? They are, Lord. I can see deep down into darkness. Now I see Jesus and me on a rope, descending deep inside the well with spelunking lights on our heads and flashlights and picks in our hands. Where are we going, Lord? I want to show you the depths of humility, child. It is linked into the heart of a man, in the well of the spirit. It ...

So I was praying and journaling with God today, asking him to show me any attitudes in me, whether good or bad, that effect me. The Lord began to show me that weariness can be an attitude that creeps up in me. Most ministers can heartily agree with me that weariness can suddenly hit you. The Lord showed me something, however, that really opened my eyes today:                                                                                                           ...

Most Believers can quote John 14:1-3,   “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.   3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." How many songs have been writen about this passage? How many prayers of comfort in the time of loss? Everyone is looking for heaven! I am amazed at how many hymns in my hymnbook talk about 'these many mansions' that Jesus has built. If we were to ask, according to this passage, 'Where has Jesus gone & where are we going?' most everyone would say, 'to heaven! Jesus has prepared a place for us.' And while this is true, I believe this passage shows us that streets of gold and mansions are not His destination nor is it ours. Keep reading:  " 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will...