Two keys to the secret place

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 Psalms 91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

This is one of the earliest verses the Lord ever told me to claim as my own. 

I was on the sandy shore of the Persian Gulf. I and two fellow soldiers stood on the beach and prayed- concerned for our lives (we were there for the Gulf War). I remember now how I prayed as we all walked away from each other- each seeking a solitary place to talk to God. 

I remember the Lord breaking in on my prayers and telling me to open my Bible. And there, in the quickly fading daylight (or was it by flashlight? I don't truly remember now), he illuminated a promise to me that I would make it through the Gulf War. 

I'm a little bit slow witted sometimes. It would be years and years later before I would finally begin to sense the deeper invitation that was hidden in plain view within those precious words, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high..."

I was freshly biblically born again, but the Holy God of the universe was inviting me to LIVE (dwell) in a secret place (a special close relationship) with him (the MOST HIGH). 

Through the years he would have me preach sermons with themes like, "Come up hither" and "living where I AM." But, I was too dense to see that he was still inviting me personally to that same "secret place." It's been over 32 years since that precious dusty beach, but God is finally clearing away some of the layers from my eyes. 

My questioning has become "Lord, how do I dwell (live in) that secret place with you?"

The first answers are obvious. 

Prayer and Bible study. Without prayer and study, we will never learn of God nor grow any deeper in God. So we must absolutely take the time- not find the time- but MAKE the time to pray and read his word. It HAS to be of the highest priority in our lives.

But, beyond that he's beginning to show me some things. 

There are at least 2 (probably more) keys that can open up the secret place in God within our lives. 

1) Staying focused on God

Isaiah 26:3

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." 

This ties in with Jesus being our priority. It's a promise. No matter what we are facing. No matter what we are going through. If we will keep our minds (our thoughts) focused on God, then he will keep us in perfect peace! This is exactly what Psalms 91 is saying. If we will stay focused on him, then we have the comfort (the peace) to know that we are under HIS shadow- he's watching over us. We know- no matter what- he's in charge. 

The three Hebrew men (Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednigo) in Daniel didn't have a direct word from God for their situation. But, they lived in prayer and in his presence every day. They knew that no matter what happened, they were not going to bow to the idol. They told the king that whether God chose to save them or not, they were not worshipping the idol. 

God showed up and shook the kingdom! They could stand on this because they dwelt in the secret place with God.

2) resting in the promises of God

Luke 8:22-25

King James Version

22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.

23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Jesus is 100% God, but also 100% man. 

But, in his earthly ministry, he walked in a way in order to show us how we are intended to walk in his spirit. 

This snippet is one example of how he did that. 

He told them to get in the boat. They were going to the other side of the lake. 

As they "got busy," he went into the deeper recesses of the boat and went to sleep. 

Two mistakes I've made when I've gotten a word from God.

1) File the word away and concentrate on what God has done in the past. They had just left some awesome ministry. Spirit's were high. Excitement was in the air. "Wow! Remember this...and that...?"

It's easy to focus on yesterdays blessings and not notice today's storms until they're in our face. 

2) Focus on the new word. Try to understand it, disect it, analyze it. What exactly does he really mean by what he said for the future?

It's easy to be excited about the future and not see today's storms bearing down on us. 

Jesus knew what had happened before. Jesus knew where they were going. Did he jabber about either? Did he stand around in awe of the past? Did he wonder about the possible glories of the future?

No. He rested in the promises. He slept in the presence of the spirit of God so that when the future arrived, he was ready to do whatever the spirit told him to do. When the storm arrived, he was much more bothered by their lack of faith than by the storm.

Peter was in jail. He was being gaurded by 16 Roman soldiers. He was under a death sentence. The only reason he wasn't dead already was because it was a Jewish holiday and illegal to execute anyone on that day. Was he worried? Was he bawling and squalling? Was he frantically seeking a way out?

No. 

He remembered how Jesus had said he was going to die, compared the circumstances to that, and said, "It's not my time yet." Rather than chewing his nails off, he followed the example of his master, and went to sleep. The angel that was sent to free him had to wake him up to get him out. 

He was able to do this because he was resting in the promises and presence of God. He had learned the lesson of the lake in Luke 8. 

Jesus rebuked their lack of faith. Why? Because Jesus had told them they were going to the other side before they entered the boat. But their faith was on the storm, the circumstances, rather than on his promise. It became a teaching moment for them. 

So when Peter found himself in prison under a death sentence, he remembered Jesus promise to him and just rested in that promise. 

If we will a) stay focused on Jesus throughout our day and b) rest in his promises and presence, then we will be able to dwell in (live in) that precious secret place and know that no matter what- we are abiding under HIS shadow of protection- in his perfect peace. 

A lesson from Elijah

 1 Kings 17:1-3

King James Version

17 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

If you read 1 Kings 16, there is a succession of kings. Omri's dad was bad, but he was worse than all the bad kings before him. Then comes Ahab, who marries Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal. And it says that Ahab did worse than all that were before him. 

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

They pushed the worship of Baal and Asherah, a false god and goddess. Asherah promoted the temple prostitutes that, for a price, would have relations with men and somehow guarantee them that they would have children and their crops would do well. The groves that are so prominently mentioned in scripture were an outgrowth of this practice. The prostitutes would go to these areas and practice their "arts" to bless the locals out in the country with the opportunity to worship Asherah the same way as the city folks did. 

Part of Baal worship was child sacrifice! Another form of this false god was Molech. And God was very angry at his people for sacrificing their children "in the fires to Molech."

So the false goddess promised prosperity and children, while the false god required the same children to be killed in the fire for him. 

Yet, Israel and Judah, both turned away from the one true God and turned to worship these false ones.

Why? 

Jehovah God requires morals, honesty, morality, and faithfulness.  The false gods said, do this for me and I'll bless you and let you do what you want, how you want, and when you want. 

Along with this religious mess, the "school of prophets" that existed (not at God's behest, mind you), did little more than try and spit in the wind. Very few of these prophets prophesied truth. And the few that did flamed out very quickly. Note: ever notice in our history that whenever man tries to organize an education system in order to train workers for God that it never goes well and usually winds up badly? Study it out for yourself.

The school of prophets? No effect really.

The early church set up colleges to educate young preachers? The church wound up getting completely off track for hundreds of years.

One of the greatest evangelists of the 1800's started a college in order to help educate young preachers. It's now one of the most liberal and ungodly colleges in the world. In fact, nearly all of our major colleges and universities were started as Christian colleges to help young preachers. And the vast majority of them do not retain even a vestage of their original Christian heritage. 

It was in the backdrop of Baal worship and spiritual hypocrasy that Elijah seems to burst on the scene out of nowhere. He was not a member of the priesthood. He was not a member of the school of prophets. Yet, suddenly, boom! There he is facing down the king! 

And not only that, he makes an absolutely startling pronouncement. 

"And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word." 1 Kings 17:1

If you fixated on the part about the no rain or dew except by his word, you missed it. 

Yes, that was incredible. This previously unknown prophet has the audacity to burst into the kings audience room in the palace (God only knows how he got there in the first place) and makes his drought declaration. 

But, if you really pay attention, the most amazing part of his statement wasn't the drought. It was this phrase: "As the Lord liveth, BEFORE WHOM I STAND..."

Now think about this from a kingdom perspective for a minute. 

In a kingdom, when you go into the presence of the king, it is 1) at the kings request only (you don't just burst into his audience chamber. They'll kill you.) and at his chosen time, 2) and you must bow before him until he gives you leave to get up- IF he does. Only a precious few close friends and confidants were allowed to stand in the kings presence. It was a chosen place indeed.

Now Jesus is the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS. Soon, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW before him. Even in the tabernacle or the temple, you didn't just enter into his presence any old way. There were strict guidelines and procedures, a select few to begin with, and sacrifices had to be made. 

Yet, in walks Elijah and says in his self introduction, "Before whom I STAND..."

This strongly implies a very close walk with God almighty. How did he accomplish this?

Think about it. 

We tend to look at things from our modern experience. We live in a country where the word of God is readily available and easy to access. We have Christian book stores, Christian radio, Churches both on every corner and in the middle of nowhere. Most people here, to some degree, claim some form of belief in God. So, when a preacher says we can hear the voice of God through his word or from the preacher/teacher, we don't bat an eye. 

But, in ancient Israel and Judah, the word of God was pretty well just Genesis through Deuteronomy and was only found in the hands of the priesthood and read in masse to the congregation of Israel only on certain feast days. Otherwise, only they had the word of God. And since most of the roaming "prophets of God" were false prophets out to make a living for themselves, hearing the voice of God from the "man of God" was a shaky proposition at best. The school of prophets was mostly a farce. 

So, how did Elijah even hear from God, much less become the great prophet that he was?

It's simple, yet profound really.

At some point, Elijah, who obviously had a heart for God, decided that he wanted to talk to God himself. Forget the false prophets, the idol worship, the priests who were just going through the motions, and the country's leaders who didn't care about the people or the one true God. He was going to bypass the whole system and go straight to the source. 

He'd heard the stories of Israel's deliverence and establishment in the promised land and he believed them. He looked at where things stood and asked, "Lord Jehovah, where are you?" 

But, rather than get despondant and depressed, or angry and crazy, he apparently began to seek God for himself. He began to pray to find God and establish a relationship himself. He bypassed the whole religious system of his day and went straight to the source. 

We don't know how long it took for the relationship to form and grow. We don't know how many ups and downs Elijah experienced in his journey. But we do know that at some point, Elijah made a strong connection with the God of the universe. So strong in fact that when God had had enough of his people's antics, that God bypassed their religious system and tapped Elijah on the shoulder and said, "I got a job for you to do, son." 

No high priest was contacted. No prophet from the school was called. God reached out to Elijah and sent him from the backwoods of small town Israel to the kings audience chamber. There, he used this unknown, backwoods prophet to rebuke the king of Israel in front of his entire entourage! 

Elijah would do amazing things for God. He never was a part of the religious establishment. He was tacitly recognized by the school of Prophets, but nowhere does it even imply that the priests and levites even acknowledged him. He would bring Israel to repentance, call fire from heaven on several occasions, temporarily set back Baal worship in Israel, and set up the next great prophet in his stead. 

He probably prolonged Israels stay in the promised land.

But, it all started with a desperate prayer on some backwoods hilltop. "God, where are you?"

Imagine, even as backwards as our current society is becoming. Even as crazy as things are going to get, if we (you and I) were to take Elijah's attitude and reach out to God to find him and have a relationship with him. 

Elijah didn't start out trying to be a prophet. He didn't start out longing to bring revival in Israel. He sure didn't see himself facing down the kingdom. He just wanted to find God and get to know him. That's all.

And that's what Jesus came to do. He came to open the door wide for us to be able to do as Elijah did- become more than worshippers of him, more than religious followers, but become his friends! Just as the Apostles and early church. 

This is what Jesus offers us:

John 15

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

With this relationship, Elijah shook Israel to it's core. With this relationship, the early church changed their world. 

Scripture says "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts." (Haggai 2:9)

It's going to happen. Some people are going to reach past their limitations and find God and do amazing things because of that relationship. 

"...the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." Daniel 11:32

"20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." Mark 16:20

Since it's going to happen, why don't we decide to reach out to God and become whatever part of his endtime revival he wants us to play? Why don't we seek him and follow him- just to grow that relationship with him. How he uses us is up to him.

But, just as Elijah and the Apostles formed their relationship with God not knowing how they were going to be used, lets just fall in love with God and let him lead us. We may be amazed at what he decides to do with all of us nobodies. 

How about it?

Why don't we give it a shot? 

 

Lets discuss becoming....

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 John 1:12-13

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Romans 8:14

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

The context of this lesson is not about this, but in order to help to make a point here, I must say the following:

The phrase sons of God in Genesis and twice in Job refers to angelic beings that left their position and place with God in rebellion with Satan. They were, beforehand, God's choir. Satan had been their leader in heaven- second only to God himself. But the sons of God followed Satan into open rebellion and were cast down to earth to become demons. 

But, as born-again saints of God, we have been given the opportunity to take their original place in the cosmos and become God's new choir. 

But, being born again does not automatically make us part of the group! 

Being born again only gives us the opportunity to BECOME that. 

What we do with that opportunity will determine where we spend eternity. 

Matthew 7:21-23

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

In order for a person to do many wonderful works in his name they must be filled with his spirit. (Part of the new birth). Evidently, these people will be born-again believers. Yet Jesus says, "I never knew you." 

First, what does that mean? 

Jesus was God in human flesh. There's nobody that God is not acquainted with or does not know better than they could ever know themselves! If there were, then he's not all-knowing and therefore not God. 

The answer lies in Genesis:

Genesis 4:1

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.

So Adam had an intimate, loving relationship with Eve and she conceived. 

So Jesus is saying on judgment day, "Yes, you received my spirit, but you never developed an intimate, loving relationship with me. Therefore, because you never developed our relationship, depart from me." 

But, brother Winskie, how could they have operated in the gifts of the spirit and not been right with God?

Easy.

Romans 11:29

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

In other words, If I get born again, and God gifts me and calls me in ways he can use me (worship leader, teacher, preacher, etc) and I do not keep up my relationship with him like I should, the gifts and callings will still work- even if I'm in need of renewal and repentance! 

And he could use me to heal thousands and teach millions because his gifts are still operating when I'm around someone who needs it! It's not because of me. It's because I'm a tool he can use to help a hungry soul- even if I myself am not right! If I stay in that state, I will hear him say depart from me when I die! 

So if I'm not a son of God when I'm born again, and he's only given me the power to become a son of God, how do I become a son of God? 

Romans 8:14

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

So, when we are born again, we receive his spirit. But, we must pray and actively work on our relationship with him to the point where we can a) hear his voice and b) are willing to obey his voice. 

And please do not try and tell me that we don't hear his actual voice. Really?

Two points:

1) The prophets and some people of old heard his voice and they weren't even born again!

2) Let's hear from the Lord himself:

    John 10:27

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

So, if the prophets heard his voice and Jesus said we are supposed to hear his voice, then WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HEAR HIS VOICE!

John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

There are many, many voices in the world. As a writer, we are constantly being told that we must find and market "our voice." Now, if every writer in the world has a voice, (and there are thousands) and if every singer has a voice (thousands more), and if every political person and group has a voice, and if every company has a voice, then there are literally millions of voices in the world! Movies and TV shows have voices. Even religious groups and personalities have a voice!

It's a cacophony of voices in this modern world. And all are vying for our attention, our support, our money, and our adherence to their ideals! 

It's no wonder that the voice of God is called a "still small voice." His voice is constantly having to compete with all the other voices in this world that try and lead and guide us. But, he doesn't use the tactics of the world to get our attention. God simply speaks to us and tries to get our attention, love, and obedience. 

In other words, other voices want something from us. But God wants us! Our whole hearts and our whole selves. He wants a real relationship with us.

Therefore Jesus says his sheep KNOW his voice and won't follow another.

But in order to KNOW (be intimately acquainted with and know well- with no doubts) his voice, and be able to differentiate between his voice and the millions of others out there, we must actively work at getting close enough to him to be able to hear his voice clearly! 

And in order to trust his voice, we have to allow him to talk to us actively and often. As we hear and obey his voice, we learn through experience that his words are true and his ways work best. When we do this, then when we hear other voices telling us to do things that God's voice and written word say are wrong, then we won't follow those other voices! (This is called discerning of spirits, by the way. When Paul heard the demon-possessed girl yelling out the truth about him, he recognized the demonic voice behind the truthful statements and cast the demon out. Why? Because he knew the voice of Jesus!)

Then we are his sheep. And guess what? We are sons of God because we are being led by his spirit! And as long as we are listening to, and following his voice, then we will remain sons of God. So, how do we gain that level in God? 

Philippians 4

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

This is where the vast majority of us live. We pray and ask. We offer thanks. We drift away. Then we find ourselves in a crisis. We begin to really cry out! We repent and ask God for forgiveness and deliverance. He then comes through and delivers us. We find ourselves at peace in the world because of his intervention in our lives. Then, we chill and begin to fall away again. 

Read the book of Judges. 

This is the same seemingly endless circle that Israel followed. And most of them didn't make it! Their country and promises wound up being lost because they continually stopped listening to and obeying the voice of God. 

The same can happen to us if we stop with being born again and do not actively work at our relationship with God so thatwe can become what we were recreated to become! 

So how do we get out of the endless cycle of chaos that becomes a slippery slope to losing out with God? 

Philippians 4

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

It's simple really, and to the world, it seems harsh. 

We continue praying to and praising him. But, instead of only doing that at church or in rough times. We do that daily. Paul said, "I die daily." He "put (his) flesh under subjection."

1 Corinthians 9:27

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

How do we keep our body (flesh) under subjection?

It begins in our thought life, but that begins in our actions. 

Psalm 101:3

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

That means we keep his word foremost in our minds ("whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."). And because of that, we will not purposely set anything evil (according to God's definition) in front of our eyes. 

Yes, we will sometimes accidentally come into contact with evil. We are to reject those influences in Jesus' name and go on with him- leaving those things behind.

Why? Because the eyes are the window through which we see the world. And what we see affects how we think. And how we think affects how we act. And how we act, affects how we live. And how we live affects our eternal destiny! (Thank you Bishop Jeff Arnold for burning that thought process into my mind!)

So, we are to be careful what we look at, what we watch, what we read, what we listen to (for hearing adds another element that makes what we see that much more powerful), who we hang around (because they can influence how we think and act), what we become involved in, etc. 

2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

So we are to judge what we see, hear, etc by the word and voice of God. If what we see/hear disagrees with what God says in his word and to us (note: his voice will never disagree with his written word), then it is exalting its ideas against what God says is true and just. We are to understand that and cast down that idea out of our thoughts and lives in favor of God, his word, and his ways. 

As we learn to obey his written word and rid ourselves of nonbiblical distractions, the other voices begin to lose the hold that they once held on our lives. This has the effect of having the voice of God grow louder to us. 

The more we practice this, the more we cut out the world's voices and cling to his word and his voice, and the more we can be led by God. 

If we will saturate ourselves with the things of God, prayer, and working at hearing his voice, then the world will lose its grip on our lives and we will become what he wants us to be (the sons of God). We will have not just the peace of God, but we will have the God of peace actively working in and through us to change us and reach out to others!

That's when miracles begin to happen. That's when people begin to be reached. That's when cities, towns, and individual homes begin to be changed into what God wants and ordains.

Lord Jesus, grant us repentance to the acknowledgment of and obedience to your truth. Help us to become.... what you have called us to become! 

In Jesus' name, we pray!

Another lesson from my dog: The call of the Father

 John 6:44

King James Version

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

This is Angel. Her nickname from me is Angel Cakes. She's a sweet little girl who's currently 5 years old. About 4 years and 8 months ago, Angel and her brother (Teddy Bear) both came down with the deadly dog disease, Parvo. We knew they weren't feeling well but we weren't quite sure what the problem was. 

One stormy night, Angel didn't come in with the rest of the pups. She stayed out in the back of our backyard, in the rain, just lying in the grass. Others in the family called and called her but got no response. Finally, my wife came to me with desperation in her voice saying, "Honey. Something's wrong with Angel. She's out in the rain and won't come when we call."

I was alarmed and went and opened the back door. I stepped out onto the back deck and called out into the storm, "Angel Cakes!" 

No response. 

Again, "Angel Cakes, come here girl." 

No response.

Knowing that when dogs feel they are about to die, they will (many times) seek a dark place apart from others, I went and got the huge flashlight we had and shined it out into the storm. When I located her with the light I again shouted, "Angel Cakes. Come here, girl!"

She looked toward me, slowly stood up, and began to make her way to us as fast as she was able (which wasn't very fast since she was not feeling well at all). 

The next morning, we took Angel and Teddy Bear to the vet and they were diagnosed with Parvo. They were given IVs and shots and were sent home with us. 

They both survived, thank God. 

But, what if Angel hadn't heeded the call and stayed out in the storm in her sickness?

She probably would've died that night- alone in her storm. 

But, she did respond. And she received the love and treatment she needed to bring her through her sickness, enabling her survival. 

John 12:32

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Jesus said that his purpose in coming to this earth and being lifted up on the cross was to draw all men unto (him). He further stated that he came to "seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10)

Many of us like to say that we "found God," like he's lost somewhere and we had to look really hard to find him. And to us, it may have seemed that way. We were lost in our sickness (sin). We were at the end of our ropes. We thought it was too late for us. When suddenly, a light shown around us and we were able to see the way home out of our storm. And we thought, "this is what I've searched for all of my life."

But, the truth is, Jesus was calling to us. In the middle of our sins. In the middle of our storms. Jesus saw our predicament and was calling to us- drawing us. He shined his holy light of love around us and illuminated our path home. 

We thought we were looking for him, but he was looking for us. 

We thought it was all over, but he showed up and brought us out. 

When we, like Angel, got up out of our sickness and storm and made our way to him following the path he showed us (repentance), we began a relationship with him that is unlike anything in this world. 

Sometimes, when I'm letting the dogs inside, Angel will deliberately hang back. She waits for me to open the door and call her name. Then she excitedly comes in all smiles (yes dogs can smile) and wagging nearly her whole body because I once again proved to her that I'd come calling her. Then she knows she is still loved and important to me. 

Just as, when I get a little bit lost in this big old world, my savior calls me back to him. And he proves one more time that he loves me and he'll still leave the 99 behind to come looking for the one who's gotten a little lost (me). 

So, I love you, Angel Cakes. 

And I love you, Jesus for continuing to prove how much you love me.