Sunrise
What is Christmas?
It is the tenderness for the past,
courage for the present,
hope for the future.
It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow
with blessings rich and eternal,
and that every path may lead to peace.
Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and of good courage;
do not be afraid nor be dismayed,
for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
- Joshua 1:9
My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
- Psalm 62:5-7
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
- Psalm 62:5-7
Before this new year gets too old to be called "new" I really should write down some of the thoughts that have been on my mind since 2016 came rolling in.
January is nearly over, but it is still quite fresh.
Compared to my feelings early last year - feelings of ambivalence, and a sense of disconnect from what was going on around me, this time I felt really connected to the arrival of this new year. In my heart was a sense of excitement and looking forward to what lies ahead.
But just as quickly as Christmas Day had arrived, she bid us good-bye. Everything seemed to have ended much too abruptly.
As I was putting away the Christmas tree and the special decors that have come to symbolize what this season means to me, how I wished the festivities could have lingered a wee bit longer.
I wanted to savor the special family time together, and to ponder on the significance of Christmas and the New Year just a little bit more.
Instead time moved on too fast...
My daughter Obedient One arrived on the dawn flight of December 24, and right after breakfast, she promptly fell asleep. She had, after all, been awake for more than 24 hours already.
Daughter in law God-given, her children Forerunner and Peaceful One and I attended the Christmas Eve morning service at Victory in SMX Convention Hall where my son Worshiper was doing the keyboards for worship that morning. We arrived late, so we didn't hear him sing the opening song. Then also, the plans for a family lunch together didn't push through because Worshiper's second baby Joyful One was sick at home.
In the end, it was just me and God-given and her children who ate a quick lunch at the SM City Food Court.
Little things like this endear my family to me. It's okay for plans to change at a moment's notice. Well, let's face it ... sometimes it can't be avoided. I really appreciate God-given for her maturity and her quiet, easy going spirit. She is a woman of few words, very mature, and so easy to relate to. My daughters in law are definitely God's gift of grace to me. I am truly thankful that they love my sons and take such good care of their families.
My whole family spent Christmas Eve with Boy and Suzette's family, Ernie's sister and brother in law. The meal as always was prepared by Suzette with much thought, and there is something about the elegant setting that nourishes my soul. Every meal served at this home makes us all feel so special.
Suzie is the "soul" of our extended family - she reaches out, she does more than what is required of her, offering many opportune moments for us to bond and connect with one another.
Christmas Day lunch was here at home, a truly delightful time of family bonding and togetherness. Third grandson Joyful One was still not well, so we were missing one family member. But the meal, and the opening of gifts were all done in such a relaxed atmosphere. I was truly very happy.
I cannot always say that something makes me very happy. Probably it is because I no longer carry heavy expectations in my heart of how something should happen.
But as I was setting the table for the noonday meal, playing soft Christmas music, with daughter Obedient One in my bedroom cleaning her Polly Pocket collections, and dear friend Pat sitting on my bed talking with her... my heart was warm and at peace. I must admit, it's been a long time since I felt this way.
On New Year's Eve Worshiper and Chosen One and their children came and slept over for the New Year. First Born and his family were not with us, this time they had their last meal of the year 2015 with God-given's family.
After dinner, Obedient and I cleared up the table and the kitchen, and we prepared to welcome the year. Quietly, without fanfare. A few minutes before the stroke of 12, she and I and grandsons Full of Hope and Forerunner went out to the garden to watch the beautiful fireworks in the sky.
All of a sudden... 2016 was here.
The young ones were fascinated by all the fireworks. "This is the best New Year ever!" first grandson Forerunner announced.
But me, I was praying quietly...thanking Abba Father for His faithfulness to me and my family in 2015, and for the assurance that He will continue to be faithful in this new year.
The message God spoke was so meaningful.
He is my prevenient God... and He gives prevenient grace.
He is the God who goes before.
The year 5776 in the Hebrew calendar which began in September 2015 is the year we are in. It is called a Jubilee year, because it is the year after forty-nine years, or seven seven-year cycles, the fiftieth year in the Hebrew calendar.
There are jubilee year blessings in store for me, I believe this with all my heart. The year when all debts will be cancelled. When slaves are set free. When what has been taken from you is returned to you as the rightful owner. The year of restoration. The year of redemption.
The year 5776 is called Ayin Vav. Ayin has the numerical value of seventy and is the 16th letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It stands for right seeing, right choices, right perspective.
Vav is the sixth letter; it literally means tent peg, or hook. It stands for a connection between earthly and heavenly realities.
Jacob's ladder in Jacob's dream is the perfect example of vav.
Jacob has always been my top favorite Bible character. And the message of his dream speaks powerfully to me as this year starts.
God, my Abba Father, is nearer to me than I could think or imagine. The ladder in Jacob's dream tells me that there is a way to His presence, a connection, and that His angels are near... watching, protecting, guiding. The angels minister to my needs as well, in ways that I am not always aware of.
Last week I was in Manila for two reasons: to be with my sister for her arrival from the US, and to hold a start of the year retreat with the Family Foundations International Manila team.
On the second day of the retreat last Saturday, January 23, we wrote down the personal Jubilee blessings and declarations that we are speaking over our lives for this year 2016.
This is what I wrote in my journal:
This is the year of my redemption... my healing... my upgrade... my new sources of provision... a fresh awareness of God's glory in my life... cancellation of my debts... my restoration... my recompense.
I had no idea that what is confronting me today was going to take place.
As I write this post, circumstances around me have the potential of causing deep distress to my soul. Details cannot be openly shared here.
But I choose to declare, just like in the story of the Shunamite woman in 2 Kings 4:8-37, It is well.
The day before my husband passed away in November 2008, I was in Manila preparing to return to Bacolod. During my devotional time with the Lord, I was led to this passage in Psalm 32:6-7 which I quote below:
January is nearly over, but it is still quite fresh.
Compared to my feelings early last year - feelings of ambivalence, and a sense of disconnect from what was going on around me, this time I felt really connected to the arrival of this new year. In my heart was a sense of excitement and looking forward to what lies ahead.
But just as quickly as Christmas Day had arrived, she bid us good-bye. Everything seemed to have ended much too abruptly.
As I was putting away the Christmas tree and the special decors that have come to symbolize what this season means to me, how I wished the festivities could have lingered a wee bit longer.
I wanted to savor the special family time together, and to ponder on the significance of Christmas and the New Year just a little bit more.
Instead time moved on too fast...
My daughter Obedient One arrived on the dawn flight of December 24, and right after breakfast, she promptly fell asleep. She had, after all, been awake for more than 24 hours already.
Daughter in law God-given, her children Forerunner and Peaceful One and I attended the Christmas Eve morning service at Victory in SMX Convention Hall where my son Worshiper was doing the keyboards for worship that morning. We arrived late, so we didn't hear him sing the opening song. Then also, the plans for a family lunch together didn't push through because Worshiper's second baby Joyful One was sick at home.
In the end, it was just me and God-given and her children who ate a quick lunch at the SM City Food Court.
Little things like this endear my family to me. It's okay for plans to change at a moment's notice. Well, let's face it ... sometimes it can't be avoided. I really appreciate God-given for her maturity and her quiet, easy going spirit. She is a woman of few words, very mature, and so easy to relate to. My daughters in law are definitely God's gift of grace to me. I am truly thankful that they love my sons and take such good care of their families.
My whole family spent Christmas Eve with Boy and Suzette's family, Ernie's sister and brother in law. The meal as always was prepared by Suzette with much thought, and there is something about the elegant setting that nourishes my soul. Every meal served at this home makes us all feel so special.
Suzie is the "soul" of our extended family - she reaches out, she does more than what is required of her, offering many opportune moments for us to bond and connect with one another.
Christmas Eve 2015
Christmas Eve 2015
Christmas Eve 2015
January 3 2016 family lunch at Boy and Sue's
Christmas Day lunch was here at home, a truly delightful time of family bonding and togetherness. Third grandson Joyful One was still not well, so we were missing one family member. But the meal, and the opening of gifts were all done in such a relaxed atmosphere. I was truly very happy.
Christmas Day 2015
I cannot always say that something makes me very happy. Probably it is because I no longer carry heavy expectations in my heart of how something should happen.
But as I was setting the table for the noonday meal, playing soft Christmas music, with daughter Obedient One in my bedroom cleaning her Polly Pocket collections, and dear friend Pat sitting on my bed talking with her... my heart was warm and at peace. I must admit, it's been a long time since I felt this way.
On New Year's Eve Worshiper and Chosen One and their children came and slept over for the New Year. First Born and his family were not with us, this time they had their last meal of the year 2015 with God-given's family.
After dinner, Obedient and I cleared up the table and the kitchen, and we prepared to welcome the year. Quietly, without fanfare. A few minutes before the stroke of 12, she and I and grandsons Full of Hope and Forerunner went out to the garden to watch the beautiful fireworks in the sky.
All of a sudden... 2016 was here.
The young ones were fascinated by all the fireworks. "This is the best New Year ever!" first grandson Forerunner announced.
But me, I was praying quietly...thanking Abba Father for His faithfulness to me and my family in 2015, and for the assurance that He will continue to be faithful in this new year.
The message God spoke was so meaningful.
He is my prevenient God... and He gives prevenient grace.
He is the God who goes before.
The year 5776 in the Hebrew calendar which began in September 2015 is the year we are in. It is called a Jubilee year, because it is the year after forty-nine years, or seven seven-year cycles, the fiftieth year in the Hebrew calendar.
There are jubilee year blessings in store for me, I believe this with all my heart. The year when all debts will be cancelled. When slaves are set free. When what has been taken from you is returned to you as the rightful owner. The year of restoration. The year of redemption.
The year 5776 is called Ayin Vav. Ayin has the numerical value of seventy and is the 16th letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It stands for right seeing, right choices, right perspective.
Vav is the sixth letter; it literally means tent peg, or hook. It stands for a connection between earthly and heavenly realities.
Jacob's ladder in Jacob's dream is the perfect example of vav.
Jacob has always been my top favorite Bible character. And the message of his dream speaks powerfully to me as this year starts.
God, my Abba Father, is nearer to me than I could think or imagine. The ladder in Jacob's dream tells me that there is a way to His presence, a connection, and that His angels are near... watching, protecting, guiding. The angels minister to my needs as well, in ways that I am not always aware of.
Last week I was in Manila for two reasons: to be with my sister for her arrival from the US, and to hold a start of the year retreat with the Family Foundations International Manila team.
On the second day of the retreat last Saturday, January 23, we wrote down the personal Jubilee blessings and declarations that we are speaking over our lives for this year 2016.
This is what I wrote in my journal:
This is the year of my redemption... my healing... my upgrade... my new sources of provision... a fresh awareness of God's glory in my life... cancellation of my debts... my restoration... my recompense.
I had no idea that what is confronting me today was going to take place.
As I write this post, circumstances around me have the potential of causing deep distress to my soul. Details cannot be openly shared here.
But I choose to declare, just like in the story of the Shunamite woman in 2 Kings 4:8-37, It is well.
The day before my husband passed away in November 2008, I was in Manila preparing to return to Bacolod. During my devotional time with the Lord, I was led to this passage in Psalm 32:6-7 which I quote below:
For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.
On the plane, God impressed on my heart to read this passage again, and to listen to the song, You Are My Hiding Place.
How was I to know that my beloved husband had only one day left to live here on earth, and that the next day he would already be called home to heaven?
It was God's prevenient grace preparing me.
Ray Pritchard puts is so beautifully:
The prevenient grace of God means, "the grace that goes before." In every situation of life God is already at work before I get there. He is working creatively, strategically, and redemptively for my good and His glory...
He's not only with me now, He's already way up the road ahead of me.
Think of it this way: While I am struggling with the problems of today, God is at work providing solutions for the things I am going to face tomorrow. He's already there, working creatively in situations I have yet to face, preparing them for me and me for them.
Or to say it another way: While I'm living in Tuesday, He's clearing the road for me on Friday. That's what Proverbs 3:6 means when it says that he shall make your paths straight.
Or to say it yet another way: God is already at work providing solutions for problems I don't even know I have yet!
It would be enough if God simply walked with you through the events of life. But He does much more than that. He goes ahead of you, clearing the way, arranging the details of life, so that when you get there, you have confidence that God has already been there before you.
That's the prevenient grace of God. He goes before His people. He's at work in the future while we live in the present.
I can only bow in reverent fear, and put all my trust in Him this new year 2016.
So... welcome, 2016! As you came knocking at my front door, I was so looking forward to what you have to offer. I will not let the enemy steal that sense of enthusiasm from my heart.
And today, as I am singing this song again, my heart overflows with hope.
So... welcome, 2016! As you came knocking at my front door, I was so looking forward to what you have to offer. I will not let the enemy steal that sense of enthusiasm from my heart.
And today, as I am singing this song again, my heart overflows with hope.
3 comments:
Happy New Year sister Lidia! And I'm also believing always that no matter what lies ahead, God does and always is in control. As always, your heartfelt post encourages me as well and blesses my faith. May you always remain strong in the Lord's mighty power. Beautiful family...Full of love...Strong because of His grace. Hugs to you sister.
Dear Lidia, as always you have touched my heart and inspired my spirit with your grace.
I too, am learning the blessing of letting go (or loosening my grip) on the things that I cannot control! (and there are many)
It is that prevenient grace that I described as rooms in my life that the Lord was preparing for me to enter into, always there before me to equip the room with everything I would need.
Trust is the word the Lord put upon my heart this year, and I am inspired by your post that this is a year of renewal, and of jubilee..or joyful regeneration of the spirit, like a warm rain that refreshes and cleanses us and washes away all the things that are not enriching our walk with The Lord!
It does seem like time is rolling by even faster. Sometimes I have to check and re-check the calendar!
Blessings and love to you, my friend~Lisa
Lidia, your words once again wash over my soul with peace. I am facing the beginning of this year with some severe battles with anxiety. It's hard to trust, it's hard to let go. But, I love the idea of prevenient grace. Yes, He is the One who goes behind, beside, and before me. I will lean on Him ever more...
GOD BLESS!
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