Covenant of Peace

It is not the earthquake

That controls the advent of a different life.

But storms of generosity

And visions of incandescent souls.

-Boris Pasternak

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 

“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 

‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. 

Say to them: “The Lord  bless you and keep you; 

The Lord  make His face shine upon you, 

And be gracious to you; 

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, 

And give you peace.” ’

-Numbers 6:22‭-‬26 

And if a man opens a pit,

Or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it,

And an ox or a donkey falls in it,

The owner of the pit shall make it good;

He shall give money to their owner,

But the dead animal shall be his.

-Exodus 21:33-34

"For the mountains shall depart

and the hills be removed,

but My kindness shall not depart from you,

nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,"

says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

-Isaiah 54:10

Of all the birthdays I have had, my 66th birthday is probably the most memorable. It was well-celebrated by friends and family alike. And I still cannot get over the fact that this was all part of Abba Father's plan for me. All the days ordained for me were written in His book even  before one of them came to be, as it says in Psalm 139:16.

My birthday is on March 27. But the celebrations started early and lasted up to the first week of April.

On March 3, my dear friend Pat treated me to a special birthday dinner at Cucina Maria. It was indeed special because we knew that in a just a few weeks, Pat would be returning to her homeland in Hawaii for good.

On March 12, my dear friends at Family Foundations International, Philasia (the ministry that I have served under since November 2000), gave me a quite unforgettable celebration. Ruby planned a raclette lunch, complete with a variety of sausages and cheeses, and a bowl of salad greens. She also prepared different kinds of bread for the occasion. Each one in the team presented me with the written blessings they had prepared ahead of time.

The celebration came early because I was leaving for Manila on Friday the 15th, for a series of Ancient Paths seminars that I was coordinating in Tagaytay City on the week of my actual birthday. 

On Saturday, the day after I arrived in Manila, my daughter Obedient One and I had lunch at my favorite resto, Cyma Greek Taverna, another early birthday celebration.

A few days later, on March 20, my dear friend Tina came over to spend some time with me in prayer and worship. It culminated in a special meal, again at Cyma. Another advance birthday celebration.

The next day, March 21, my friends from Victory Katipunan came to the house to celebrate my birthday. It was a wonderful afternoon of more blessings being spoken over me.

The following day, my friend Cora and her son Mobin, treated me to a wonderful vegetarian dinner at the Shangri-la Hotel at The Fort. It was my first time to have a birthday cake made of fresh fruit!

On Sunday, March 24, I went to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 after lunch where my friend Claire picked me up to go to Tagaytay City for the Ancient Paths seminars that week. 

Upon reaching Tagaytay City, Claire said we were to stop at Bag of Beans for an early dinner where the rest of our ministry team were already waiting. We ate a hearty meal over a lively conversation. Much to my surprise, after dinner, the staff of the restaurant came to our table, singing a birthday song, and presented me with a lovely bouquet of flowers and a birthday cake.  My teammates also gave me birthday gifts. It came as a complete surprise to me! Again, it was an early celebration of my birthday!

On the eve of my birthday, March 26, the team once again surprised me with another celebration. They prepared cake and balloons for me and spoke birthday blessings over me. 

On my actual birthday, March 27, I woke up refreshed and eager to welcome my 66th year. I was far from home, but the kindness and thoughtfulness of my teammates Agnes, Claire, Tess G., and Tess B.,  made me feel so loved and appreciated, not for a single moment did I feel bad for not being able to celebrate my special day with my family.

I returned to my home city on Sunday, the 31st of March. That evening our family had a special birthday dinner at Yakimix Japanese Buffet. It felt so good to be back home after a week of spiritual breakthroughs in Tagaytay City, and after almost an entire month of celebrating!

But It was not over yet. On the 4th of April, my dear friends at the Women of Purpose honored me with a special birthday lunch. Again I was showered with special words of blessing and many beautiful gifts.

Yesterday, April 7, one week after I returned to Bacolod City, my dear friend Miriam and I celebrated my birthday at Felicia's. We missed Melanie, for this is my first birthday in many years that our beloved friend is not around. For all the years of our friendship, Lanie would always have a special gift or birthday greeting for me, whether she was near or far.

What can I say to all this outpouring of love?

The year 2019 began with two special words from the Lord, hope and promise. And yet, even as I believe, and hold on to those words, there is a huge part of my heart that is struggling to believe. It is the usual battle between what my mind knows to be true and what my heart actually feels.

As I have mentioned a few times in my past blog entries, the past three years have not been my best years. My legal battles began in 2016,  and though the battles were not of my own doing, I have no choice but to face them. And the future holds much uncertainty for me as to what the outcome will be.

I do realize that the battle drags on for only one purpose, God is shaping my heart to fully trust Him. At times I feel I am fully surrendered, but the level of my faith changes from day to day. Some days are better than others. But more often than not, my faith is more of the intellectual kind.

And on most days, despite the many heartwarming messages I have received from God the past months, peace is only a word, not a reality.

Nevertheless, Abba doesn't give up. I wake up many mornings with the words of Isaiah 54:10 ringing in my ears: "For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

Covenant of peace.  This has been the recurring message of the Lord for me.

Thus, of all the many birthday blessings that I received, the word spoken by William is the one I have embraced and held close to my heart. 

William spoke the words of the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) over me:

"The Lord  bless you and keep you;
The Lord  make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”

And then he gave a brief explanation about the word shalom, the Hebrew word for peace. 

In Exodus 21:33-34 we read, “And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his."

The phrase in that passage "make it good" is actually shalam in Hebrew, and it is related to the word for peace, shalom.

Shalam literally means covenant of peace. How awesome is that?

It also means to make amends, or to make good something that would otherwise be a cause of discord, strife, or injustice.

This was the brief blessing that William spoke to me, "I bless you with shalom, and shalam."

That message was more than enough for me. As a child of God, I can look forward to the days, and weeks, ahead of me. 

God has promised that His covenant of peace will never be removed from me. A covenant is an unbreakable promise. And if God says so, it shall be so! Shalom is a Hebrew word that denotes wholeness and integrity. It stands for completeness... with nothing missing, nothing broken. Within this covenant of peace, my welfare is secure, my provision is sure.

This is an unforgettable birthday because of the series of celebrations I received. But what made it really special is the word God spoke to me through William, confirming the promise He has been downloading into my heart the past months.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

And all her paths are peace.

-Proverbs 3:17

photo source


Sow for yourselves righteousness,
Reap steadfast love;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the LORD,
That He may come and rain righteousness upon you.
-Hosea 10:12