Priestly Blessing and Conspiracy

As I was pondering what to do this morning it seemed that what was stirring in my heart was to be shared with you. 

I have spent some time in the scriptures this morning with the Lord and as we move into January it seems timely to share a couple of things that were illuminated this morning.

A friend of this list,  had requested more prayer on her Facebook page and a person referred to Numbers 6:22 as her prayer for the lady.

So I looked up Numbers 6:22 and found that very familiar word of blessing so often used as benedictions in services and upon people as they leave loved ones.  But I noticed for the first time that this was given as a way to pray for Israel. And while I pray for Israel, I found these words of Himself given for that purpose very encouraging and useful today as our Sec. of State is meeting with the leader of Israel and my heart beats heavy over what might be the outcome of those discussions.  So I offer this prayer to you today which I am sure many of you more versed in scripture concerning Israel will be most familiar with

The Priestly Blessing

22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

24 “‘“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”’

27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Another things that I was stirred in awareness to this morning was as a result of a post one of the list sent me about the role of the Vatican in these last days.  I have long wondered when we would see the fingers of the Vatican in the activities of these days and the post seemed to indicate some areas where those fingers might very well be operating.  But as I read the post and did some of my own research which gave different insight on some of the specific things in the post,  I kept hearing a scripture that was posted to the old AP list by the then moderator's wife as some of the issues involving the Clinton Administration and the Bush Administration were being publicized. And I remember her posting, or perhaps her husband posted it, Don't call it conspiracy....

I know I had looked up that scripture before and had read and was much aware of that phrase. But the context, I wasn't aware of until this morning. And as those words stirred in my thinking I looked up the context in order to know just what the Lord was saying. And I trust that what those scriptures spoke is relevant to the situation that we find ourselves in today. But I am going to just quote the specific scripture and urge you to look up the context and let the Lord show you what it means for you, for this nation today.

“Do not call conspiracy
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
    and do not dread it.  Is; 8:12

King James uses the word "confederacy", it is also translated rebellion, treason, etc....

Today we use the word conspiracy very freely in many circles and I really was stirred to believe what the Lord says is to be our attitude in the midst of circumstances.

I am coming to that very Jewish belief which I so clearly remember one of my early mentors teaching, to trust that God is the Lord God of all, and he has ALL Things in His hands. When it says He hardened Pharaoh's heart, it means He is Lord and he can use any source to accomplish what He wants done to accomplish His purposes. In many cases, it is the enemy of our souls who works on our wicked and corrupt hearts that accomplishes "the Lord's work."  

The Jewish way of thinking is that God is God and ALL things are in His control. I am finding that way of thinking is most helpful in understanding much of the things written in the Old Testament and understanding things happening in these "last days." 

In closing today's Musings,  I am reminded again of something I have referred to in these musings several times over the past year. I was in a clinic recently and had to fill out those lovely papers as a  new patron of that clinic. When I handed them back to the lady she said, "Good job."  I almost laughed out loud.  A 35 year old woman in "parental mode" tells a 67 old lady, she did a "good job."  I laugh when I think of how silly some of us are!  We take our parental roles into the work place, into Facebook, into our personal relationships and end up treating people like "children."  Many psychologists who understand human nature better than I do, would suggest even as does the scripture that even healthy parenting encourages and affirms more than declaring things like "good job."  Encouragement and affirmation often are most effectively expressed in Thank you, I appreciate, and words that are "personal."   I still remember a former client who when hearing this teaching, told of how years ago as a foreman on a job he told his crew at the end of a very difficult job, "Good job guys"  and they muttered back, What do you think we are? Kids?"  He never understood why they would say that until he sat under some teaching about "judging."  I have been learning how to be personal in my responses to a variety of things. It is still a learning process as my very basic nature is to "scale things" and respond accordingly.  My husband will joke after dinner at times and with a twinkle in his eye, look at me and "You did a good job" referring to dinner.  He laughs because he too is learning to be personal rather than to "measure" things on some kind of scale. It takes a whole lot of effort to be personal, to lay the scale of measurement down and say, I really liked that dinner, or I appreciate the time you took to make that dinner for me."  To be personal is extremely contrary to much of the way most of us have grown up.   Some of you may recoil as you read this and I just ask that you not take this as any "standard" that judges you. Perhaps you will find yourself in a situation that will reveal the Truth of what He might be speaking through this.

May the year we have begun be a "holy" year of Oneness in Him who is our Peace.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Meri Ford