"The Chosen Vessel"photo source
And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road!
Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”
For this is what the high and exalted One says—
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
- Isaiah 57:14-15
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
- Psalm 51:16-17
Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
- Matthew 11:29
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
- Micah 6:8
It's been three weeks since my last post. So many things have happened the past weeks, here I will try to put some of them into words.
On the last week of September, I returned to Manila to help Obedient One pack up her belongings and transfer to a new place to live. By a sad turn of events, it has been necessary for my daughter to move out of my father's house. Since I often go to Manila to spend time with her, it only follows that I am also moving out with her.
It was a hectic two week stay in Manila. When I bought my ticket a few months ago, I had no idea that this was the road we would travel on.
What amazes me is that God knew even before anyone else did. And He paved the way, always proving Himself to be the God who is trustworthy, the God who can always be depended on.
In this season of my life I realized how God has given me friends who would stick close to me through thick and thin. Dear friends were there for us, offering a place to live, offering their vehicles and drivers to help us transport our things. One friend lent us a worker for several days to put new floor tiles on the little studio unit that was to become Obedient One's new place of abode. On my last weekend in Manila, two friends ministered powerfully to my heart by putting a shield of honor around it by speaking words of affirmation and confirmation of God's calling on my life.
Meanwhile, dear friends back in my home city of Bacolod were also backing me up in prayer.
My friend Pat said she had been covering me in prayer because she knew that I had been running on adrenalin and was therefore not in touch with the depth of my pain.
She was so right!
During the day, while Obedient One was at work, I pored through countless internet ads and made numerous phone calls looking for a place to move into. With everything happening so suddenly, there was not much time.
I went around several possible places, made inquiries, mental notes, quick decisions, and assessments, trusting God would help bring discernment. In the evenings, Obedient One and I sorted through our things. We packed, discarded, and gave away stuff that were no longer useful to or needed by us. A door to door courier service proved very helpful as we had a huge box to ship back to my home in Bacolod City.
On weekends, we purchased the things Obedient would need to have in her new place (even though we did not yet know for sure where it was going to be) - a sofa bed, a small dining table, a few chairs, modular shelves, an electric fan, a new stove, a slow cooker, pots, pans, plates, and kitchen utensils.
Toward the end of September, there were two options open to us, and God helped us narrow our final choice down to one.
On the day of our final move, everything was ready and in place. On our first night in the new place, we offered our thanks and appreciation to God as we partook of our first meal. On our dining table was a small candle burning brightly to symbolize the presence of our heavenly Father in that new abode. I also prepared three small containers for grain, wine, and oil, a symbol of God's provision for all our needs. We celebrated the Lord's supper at breakfast the following day, claiming the victory that Jesus won on the cross over all demonic schemes and assignments.
I returned to Bacolod City on October 10, feeling such a great sense of accomplishment. I knew my daughter was in good hands.
The peace I felt was so real...
Transitions are always good because they propel us into the next move of God for our lives. There will be new lessons to learn, new breakthroughs to experience.
No matter what circumstances caused the change, there is a heavenly perspective from which to view things. God redeems... heals. In everything He works for good in the life of those who are willing and obedient.
Someday in eternity we will all know the full story as God reveals it to us. But for now, I am quite content in this season to live in what Oswald Chambers calls Gracious Uncertainty.
He writes:
Today is a very special day, Forerunner's third birthday.
He will have a birthday party on Sunday, but our family marked this special event by having lunch at Pizza Hut. With Worshiper at work in another city, and Chosen One and Elijah in Manila visiting Chosen One's mom, only four of us were around to celebrate it - First Born, his wife God-given, Matthew (Forerunner), and me.
It was a simple and quiet but delightful celebration of Matt's birthday. I pray that this day will be stored in this little boy's treasure chest of beautiful memories, and that his love bank will have registered another rich deposit today!
It is time for another birthday blessing from Nana... and the best blessing I can give is one that comes from the lessons that God is teaching me in the season I am in.
Many years ago, when I was in Rasa, Switzerland attending a four-week Life Revision Retreat, God gave me a new name.
I believe the best thing that God can ever do for anyone is to give him a new name, just the way He did in several Bible accounts - Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Jacob became Israel, Simon became Peter.
And one thing is clear, God changed a person's name because He wanted to establish a new identity. "You are Mine, God says, I have called you by name." Names are so important to God. When God gives us a new name, it is an honor! It is His way of revealing His divine plan to us, letting us in on His agenda. He doesn't leave us guessing as to what we have been called to do. He reveals to us a kingdom assignment that He wants us to carry out!
It was 1997, and the setting for this memorable season of my life was on a lovely spring day up in the Swiss Alps.
In that retreat we were being taught the value of the spiritual disciplines of silence, contemplation, and meditation. Part of our daily exercise was Lection Divina where a portion of Scripture was read to us after which we were to meditate on it, allowing God's story to meet with our own individual stories. I learned that by quieting one's heart to receive God's truth, away from the distracting and conflicting voices of the world, God was able to speak directly to my spirit and bring lasting life change.
Hans Burki, our retreat director, had just read to us the story of Jacob's encounter with God...
That personal lesson on humility was etched on my heart that day, but God has made sure I never forgot. Time and again He has brought me back to this particular lesson, a vital one in becoming a true Christ follower, that His heart may be reflected in my attitudes, words, and actions.
Micah 6:8 is a Bible passage that has become quite meaningful to me this year.
To walk humbly with my God... is such a beautiful picture of "a long obedience in the same direction", to borrow a phrase from Eugene Petersen. It is walking at the same pace as God's, sharing the same goal, being fully submitted to His authority over me. I am not pulling away from Him, wanting to go my own way... rather, I am cooperating with His plan and purpose for me.
What's more, when I am walking humbly with my God I have His full support and protection!
Gracious uncertainty, that's the season I'm in, the full details about which will probably never be openly shared on this blog. Suffice it to say that God has been real. And one thing He has revealed is that as I have entered my Lidia season of deeper intimacy and worship, to walk humbly with my God is a major requirement. There is no other way.
My blessing for my grandson on his third birthday:
I bless you today with a humble heart, one that is open to change, open to new direction.
May your heart be ready to deal with the unexpected changes, unmet expectations, and unplanned circumstances that come your way.
Forerunner, may your heart always be ready for God's "surprise visits!"
May you be as pliable, flexible, moldable, soft clay in the hand of the Potter.
Dear grandson, I pray that your heart will be open to embrace the strategic delays that God often allows... that we may be ready to receive His new move in our lives.
Father God, I pray that this dear one will not react with disappointment toward people who do not measure up to his standards... but rather have the largeness of heart and the willingness to allow others to be different, seeing others the way God sees them.
May your heart be truly hungry for the things of God... and may you know even at a young age the value of true riches.
Things will not always turn out the way you planned or expected them to... may you have the heart of Job who remained humble even in adversity.
Dear Forerunner, there will be seasons of joy as well as seasons of disappointment, may your heart be ever willing to embrace both... may humility be your greatest trait, dear one... and may you grow up to be a man who is willing to serve others, truly reflecting the heart of Christ to your generation.
In humility, may you become a true worshiper of God, as your heart is not focused on self, but rather on God alone.
Surely, God will be honored and given glory when you choose to humble yourself before Him!
Much love
Nana
Forerunner on his third birthday, with his two favorite food - ice cream and French fries (not very healthy options, I'm afraid!)
On the last week of September, I returned to Manila to help Obedient One pack up her belongings and transfer to a new place to live. By a sad turn of events, it has been necessary for my daughter to move out of my father's house. Since I often go to Manila to spend time with her, it only follows that I am also moving out with her.
It was a hectic two week stay in Manila. When I bought my ticket a few months ago, I had no idea that this was the road we would travel on.
What amazes me is that God knew even before anyone else did. And He paved the way, always proving Himself to be the God who is trustworthy, the God who can always be depended on.
In this season of my life I realized how God has given me friends who would stick close to me through thick and thin. Dear friends were there for us, offering a place to live, offering their vehicles and drivers to help us transport our things. One friend lent us a worker for several days to put new floor tiles on the little studio unit that was to become Obedient One's new place of abode. On my last weekend in Manila, two friends ministered powerfully to my heart by putting a shield of honor around it by speaking words of affirmation and confirmation of God's calling on my life.
Meanwhile, dear friends back in my home city of Bacolod were also backing me up in prayer.
My friend Pat said she had been covering me in prayer because she knew that I had been running on adrenalin and was therefore not in touch with the depth of my pain.
She was so right!
During the day, while Obedient One was at work, I pored through countless internet ads and made numerous phone calls looking for a place to move into. With everything happening so suddenly, there was not much time.
I went around several possible places, made inquiries, mental notes, quick decisions, and assessments, trusting God would help bring discernment. In the evenings, Obedient One and I sorted through our things. We packed, discarded, and gave away stuff that were no longer useful to or needed by us. A door to door courier service proved very helpful as we had a huge box to ship back to my home in Bacolod City.
On weekends, we purchased the things Obedient would need to have in her new place (even though we did not yet know for sure where it was going to be) - a sofa bed, a small dining table, a few chairs, modular shelves, an electric fan, a new stove, a slow cooker, pots, pans, plates, and kitchen utensils.
Toward the end of September, there were two options open to us, and God helped us narrow our final choice down to one.
On the day of our final move, everything was ready and in place. On our first night in the new place, we offered our thanks and appreciation to God as we partook of our first meal. On our dining table was a small candle burning brightly to symbolize the presence of our heavenly Father in that new abode. I also prepared three small containers for grain, wine, and oil, a symbol of God's provision for all our needs. We celebrated the Lord's supper at breakfast the following day, claiming the victory that Jesus won on the cross over all demonic schemes and assignments.
I returned to Bacolod City on October 10, feeling such a great sense of accomplishment. I knew my daughter was in good hands.
The peace I felt was so real...
Transitions are always good because they propel us into the next move of God for our lives. There will be new lessons to learn, new breakthroughs to experience.
No matter what circumstances caused the change, there is a heavenly perspective from which to view things. God redeems... heals. In everything He works for good in the life of those who are willing and obedient.
Someday in eternity we will all know the full story as God reveals it to us. But for now, I am quite content in this season to live in what Oswald Chambers calls Gracious Uncertainty.
He writes:
Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life—
gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life.
To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways,
not knowing what tomorrow may bring.
gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life.
To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways,
not knowing what tomorrow may bring.
Today is a very special day, Forerunner's third birthday.
He will have a birthday party on Sunday, but our family marked this special event by having lunch at Pizza Hut. With Worshiper at work in another city, and Chosen One and Elijah in Manila visiting Chosen One's mom, only four of us were around to celebrate it - First Born, his wife God-given, Matthew (Forerunner), and me.
It was a simple and quiet but delightful celebration of Matt's birthday. I pray that this day will be stored in this little boy's treasure chest of beautiful memories, and that his love bank will have registered another rich deposit today!
It is time for another birthday blessing from Nana... and the best blessing I can give is one that comes from the lessons that God is teaching me in the season I am in.
Many years ago, when I was in Rasa, Switzerland attending a four-week Life Revision Retreat, God gave me a new name.
I believe the best thing that God can ever do for anyone is to give him a new name, just the way He did in several Bible accounts - Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Jacob became Israel, Simon became Peter.
And one thing is clear, God changed a person's name because He wanted to establish a new identity. "You are Mine, God says, I have called you by name." Names are so important to God. When God gives us a new name, it is an honor! It is His way of revealing His divine plan to us, letting us in on His agenda. He doesn't leave us guessing as to what we have been called to do. He reveals to us a kingdom assignment that He wants us to carry out!
It was 1997, and the setting for this memorable season of my life was on a lovely spring day up in the Swiss Alps.
In that retreat we were being taught the value of the spiritual disciplines of silence, contemplation, and meditation. Part of our daily exercise was Lection Divina where a portion of Scripture was read to us after which we were to meditate on it, allowing God's story to meet with our own individual stories. I learned that by quieting one's heart to receive God's truth, away from the distracting and conflicting voices of the world, God was able to speak directly to my spirit and bring lasting life change.
Hans Burki, our retreat director, had just read to us the story of Jacob's encounter with God...
At one point in the story, I realized that it was no longer Jacob struggling with God, but me! And it seemed like God was also asking me my name...
That encounter led me to see many things that I never saw before. I was given the courage to admit before God who I really was, the same way Jacob did.
I had to confess that my old name was Proud, the perfectionist, always wanting to appear right, always wanting to impress. Surprisingly, admitting so was not painful anymore. On the contrary, it set me free. Free to be who God really created me to be.
God gave me a new name -- Humble.
No longer needing to pin a label on myself for others to see each time I did something good.
No longer demanding to have such high standards, not just for myself, but for others around me as well.
My new name set me free, and enabled me to set others free, from my own set of expectations.
My new name also gave me a new orientation, a new way of speaking:
Humble says, "It's okay to be good enough."
Humble says, "I accept you even when you don't measure up...because I am no longer the standard, God is."
Humble says, “I won’t try to fit life into my mold, nor will I expect people or circumstances to suit my agenda... because God is the Sovereign One over all areas of my life.”
An excerpt from my blog post Jacob's New Name
That personal lesson on humility was etched on my heart that day, but God has made sure I never forgot. Time and again He has brought me back to this particular lesson, a vital one in becoming a true Christ follower, that His heart may be reflected in my attitudes, words, and actions.
Micah 6:8 is a Bible passage that has become quite meaningful to me this year.
To walk humbly with my God... is such a beautiful picture of "a long obedience in the same direction", to borrow a phrase from Eugene Petersen. It is walking at the same pace as God's, sharing the same goal, being fully submitted to His authority over me. I am not pulling away from Him, wanting to go my own way... rather, I am cooperating with His plan and purpose for me.
What's more, when I am walking humbly with my God I have His full support and protection!
Gracious uncertainty, that's the season I'm in, the full details about which will probably never be openly shared on this blog. Suffice it to say that God has been real. And one thing He has revealed is that as I have entered my Lidia season of deeper intimacy and worship, to walk humbly with my God is a major requirement. There is no other way.
My blessing for my grandson on his third birthday:
I bless you today with a humble heart, one that is open to change, open to new direction.
May your heart be ready to deal with the unexpected changes, unmet expectations, and unplanned circumstances that come your way.
Forerunner, may your heart always be ready for God's "surprise visits!"
May you be as pliable, flexible, moldable, soft clay in the hand of the Potter.
Dear grandson, I pray that your heart will be open to embrace the strategic delays that God often allows... that we may be ready to receive His new move in our lives.
Father God, I pray that this dear one will not react with disappointment toward people who do not measure up to his standards... but rather have the largeness of heart and the willingness to allow others to be different, seeing others the way God sees them.
May your heart be truly hungry for the things of God... and may you know even at a young age the value of true riches.
Things will not always turn out the way you planned or expected them to... may you have the heart of Job who remained humble even in adversity.
Dear Forerunner, there will be seasons of joy as well as seasons of disappointment, may your heart be ever willing to embrace both... may humility be your greatest trait, dear one... and may you grow up to be a man who is willing to serve others, truly reflecting the heart of Christ to your generation.
In humility, may you become a true worshiper of God, as your heart is not focused on self, but rather on God alone.
Surely, God will be honored and given glory when you choose to humble yourself before Him!
Much love
Nana
Forerunner on his third birthday, with his two favorite food - ice cream and French fries (not very healthy options, I'm afraid!)
Forerunner with his mom and dad
