Dependence

image source

Truly my soul silently waits for God;

From Him comes my salvation, 

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be greatly moved.

- Psalm 62:1-2

Last weekend, the growth group I belong to in church, the Women of Purpose, had our year-end retreat.

For three days ten of us enjoyed our time together at the lovely mountain home of my friends Dan and Jing.

We feasted on the Word of God, worshiping, praying, sharing our hearts with one another.

Jing was the "hostess with the mostest" making each meal and snack time so special with her personal touch.

The cool weather made everything so perfect for us.

One of the lessons that really spoke to me was the importance of the one thing that Jesus will not take away from us when all the busy-ness is done, and all the serving and the ministering have left us exhausted and depleted.

This one thing is a heart of worship, kneeling before God with a thankful heart, what Graham Cooke calls "living the paradox."

Martha and Mary are two sides of the Christian life, but they are paradoxical, as are many other things in our spiritual journey.

To be great, one has to be a servant.

To truly live, one has to die.

To receive, one has to give.

To find our life, we have to lose it.

The Martha syndrome is the preoccupation with the doing... and yes, we all need to be a Martha at some point in our lives; but the Mary heart is more concerned with who we are and what we are becoming. This is what will get us through, and will replenish us when our spiritual reserves are running dry.

A heart like Mary is what builds up the extra supply of oil for our lamps, the oil of intimacy.

To have a heart like Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, gazing into His face, hanging on His every word, is to be focused on the one thing that is needful... and that is the be-ing part.

When push comes to shove, our being is the fuel for our doing. It is not that doing is not important, but we need to recognize that the being comes before the doing.


I have been thinking much about these things the past days.


I came back from the retreat on Sunday afternoon; that same evening my family and I celebrated the first night of the feast of Hanukkah.

Hanukkah is also known as the Jewish Feast of Dedication, commemorating the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek oppression and the rededication of the Temple in 165 B.C. after it was desecrated by King Antiochus IV.

The focal point of this feast is actually the miracle that God did at this time.

In the Temple, the eternal flame of God was to be lit at all times as a symbol of God's presence. But according to tradition, when the Temple was rededicated, there was only enough oil left in the Temple to burn the flame for one day. The rest of the oil had been defiled by the Greeks during their invasion, and it would take a week for new oil to be processed and purified. At the rededication, the Macabees went ahead and lit the eternal flame with the remaining supply of oil, and God's holy presence caused it to burn miraculously for eight days, until the new sacred oil was ready. That is why the feast is also called the Festival of Lights, and why the Hanukkah menorah is lit for eight consecutive nights of celebration. (Read more about the Feast of Dedication here.)

Each night after that first night,  I lit the Hanukkah menorah and thanked God for giving me His light to understand spiritual truths.

Hanukkah, Day 7

I did not want my observance of Hanukkah to be a mere ritual. Rather, I wanted to look at the significance of light, as well as the spiritual symbolism of oil in my inner life.

The truth is that the light God gives is really just enough light for one step. His Word is the ray of light on my path.

How I need to hold on to Him, to obey Him one step at a time. Without holding on to Him, I could easily fall into the trap of being a Martha, the trap of believing that doing is more important than being.

I have looked at my heart these past days and must admit that I have seen some ugly things in there. Even in this, the light of God's word is needed to expose what we would rather keep hidden.


The Christmas season is also a beautiful time for reflection and self-evaluation. We celebrate it in many ways, but mostly by giving gifts... reminding ourselves that the Son of God was given as a gift to humanity, to pay the price for our salvation, the ransom for our rescue from the hand of the Enemy.

But above all, Christmas is a time for worship and adoration. Looking upward, thanking Him for all He is, all that He has done, and will continue to do for us.

Pastor Joe once said that thanking God is a sign of humility. When we thank God, we are admitting that we are dependent on Him.

I am only too aware that I am dependent on God for everything.

Even for the unlovely attitudes I see in my heart, and which I am unable to let go of, I am dependent on God. I need His power to enable me to obey what He says I should do.

I never could really do it in my own strength.

There are good days when I think I have enough spiritual strength to live as God says I should.

But these days I see the need to cultivate the heart of Mary in me, that I may become more of the woman that God wants me to be.

Mary of Bethany

My only grand-daughter Peaceful One turned ten months old on the seventh of this month. Tonight I want to bless her with a heart of Mary, a heart that is thankful, and dependent on God for everything that she needs.

My dearest grand-daughter, Peaceful One...

As you celebrate your tenth month of life, I bless you with the heart of Mary, a heart that is hungry and thirsty for more of God.

I pray that you will grow up to be a young woman who seeks God's guidance for every move you make, a person fully dependent on God.

And may you understand that to be fully dependent on God means to be humble, admitting that you cannot do things in your own strength or power or ability.

Abba Father will give us opportunities and abilities, but in humility, we acknowledge that they all come from Him.

Grow up to be a young woman who sees not the faults and shortcomings of others, but believing in the best that they can be.

That is what it means to be a humble person, dear grand-daughter. For the Bible says that we are to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit; instead, in humility, we are to value others above ourselves. (Philippians 2:3)

This will not be easy, for it goes against the grain of what our hearts are made of. But I declare that you will come to Christ, depending on Him to give you the power to be this kind of young woman.

Humble. Thankful. Dependent on God.

Indeed, dear one, you will have a gentle heart like Mary's... 

Obedient, not proud... 

Thankful, not arrogant...

God will be honored in your life, dear grandchild.

This is my blessing for you this month, and I believe that God will fulfill this in your heart as you grow up.

Love always,
Nana


Some songs for worship:










Blessings for Peaceful One on her first year of life:

Peace, Not As the World Gives
Day of Birth - February - Shalom: Undivided
First month - March - Love
Second month - April - Joy
Third month - May - Patience
Fourth month - June - Kindness
Fifth month - July - Goodness
Sixth month - August - Faithfulness
Seventh month - September - Gentleness
Eighth month - October - Self-Control
Ninth month - November - Prudence
Tenth month - December - Dependence: Heart of Mary