By Mary Lindow

 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  -Psalm 139:14

 

WE ARE STRANGE AND EXQUISITE CREATURES.

We can ache for God tremendously; yet find ourselves getting nervous if God gets too close! After all, the closer God gets, the more we hear the call to be unpolluted. It's both exciting and frightening to hear that call!

A STORY: Once upon a time there was a little plant that was small and whose growth was stunted, for it lived under the shade of a giant oak tree. The little plant valued the shade that covered it and highly enjoyed and lavished the quiet rest that its majestic friend provided. Yet there was a greater blessing prepared for this little plant.

One day a lumberjack entered the forest with a sharp ax and cut down the giant oak! The little plant began to weep, crying out, "My shelter has been taken away! Now every fierce wind will blow on me, and every storm will seek to uproot me!"

The guardian angel of the little plant responded, "NO! Now the sun will shine and showers will fall on you more abundantly than ever before! Now your stunted form will spring up into loveliness, and your flowers, which could never have grown to full perfection in the shade, will laugh in the sunshine. Many will say, look how that plant has grown. How gloriously beautiful it has become by removing that which was its shade and comfort!"

THE TRAINING OF A SPIRITUAL COMRADE

We need to see that the Lord wisely trains his soldiers by calling them to difficult travels and service. He strengthens them through wildernesses and mountains. God knows that spiritually armed Soldiers can only be developed in battle and are not developed in times of calm. We can only become true seasoned soldiers of Christ when we train and serve in the preparation time of the inhospitable surroundings.

TRUST FOR A SEASON!

It's all about trusting God in the end. Oh yes it is! We often ask in the heat of difficult battles whether they are mental battles, spiritual battles, and financial battles. "Will He REALLY refresh us in this time of struggle?"

His Loving Word says so.

"For I satisfy the weary ones

And refresh everyone who languishes." -Jer. 31:25

 

THE LORD IS PRODUCING STAMINA! WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT! "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; For once he has been approved, He will receive the crown of life, Which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." James 1:12

THE FATHER IS URGING US TO RUN TO HIM, TO CRY TO HIM!

He is there! Even in this fog of struggle, loss, anxiety, or seeming success! He wants us to be desperate for Him and is training us to rely on His voice.

To make our decisions based on His plan for the whole earth!

TIE YOURSELF TO THE HAND OF GOD!

Get a "rope of expectation"(the word of God) and tie yourself to it. Hold on! The boding evil is nearly over! The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness And put on the armor of light." -Romans 13:12

INTIMATE PLACE OF COMMUNICATION

It would be a powerful opportunity for all of us to get on our knees in an intimate place of communication with the Lord, and refresh our commitment to purity, and with a willing heart to yield to the bidding of the Father.

"They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers.

They all march in line, not swerving from their course." -Joel 2:7

LET OUR HEARTS WILLINGLY Give Him Room to Move Freely ...

...in our daily actions in this Life.

We do this by clearing away or removing anything that feeds and pampers our flesh and our own concepts of the Kingdom.

WE PREPARE HIM A PLACE

A throne in our hearts from which He can reign and activate His anointing.

"No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs.

He wants to please his commanding officer." -2 Timothy 2:4 1

"As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeits just as it has taught you, remain in him." -John 2:27 

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Copyright © 2020" - THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow www.marylindow.com

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By Mary Lindow

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THE SPARROW IS A CLEVER LITTLE BIRD

In Psalm 84 David describes his longing to be with the people of God and in the actual moment that he wrote this, he was a wanderer; he was a fugitive.

He was not able to be in a place where he could have fellowship with God or other people, and this is when he wrote Psalm 84.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,  Lord Almighty!

2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;

My heart and my flesh cry out
 for the living God.

Have you ever felt this way or longed for fellowship like David wrote about with the Lord? His word so clearly express what it meant to David.

Then, he remembered one of his bird watching experiences. He remembered how at one time when he was in the house of God, he looked up toward the altar and he noticed some movement. When he looked closer, he found a sparrow building her nest, so he wrote in verse 3:

“Even the sparrow has found a home,

And the swallow a nest for herself,

Where she may have her young—a place near your altar.”

“Lord Almighty, my King and my God!” he said. “I wish I could be like that sparrow.

I wish I could be like that swallow that is able to build its nest at the very altar of God.” What David is saying here is, “Can you think of anything better than to have your home in the altar of God in the sanctuary?”

This is something so very precious to me because I am always so tremendously interested in nurturing and loving my family that I cannot pass this over.

Did you notice this swallow chose the altar of God to build a nest for her family?   She could have chosen any place to build a nest, but she chose the altar of God.

Yes! The sparrow is a clever bird.

BUILDING YOUR NEST IN THE SANCTUARY

I believe that things are put here for a reason and for instruction; so I am going to suggest that if you want your family to be all that God wants it to be, build your nest, metaphorically speaking, at the altar. Build your nest in the sanctuary because in the sanctuary is the answer to every question that you have. And I hope that you understand that I am not talking about a church building! I am talking about your fellowship with God. There must also always be room in your nest to include those with broken wings, or who have been abandoned or left as orphans.

A SPARROW IS VALUABLE

One more lovely thing about the sparrow. The sparrow is a valuable bird. I am sure that some people might question this statement! But it is a valuable bird, indeed. Some may say, “But not to man”! It is Valuable to God though!

I am sure the Lord did some bird watching as he travelled to places with his dear friends, but this particular instance that He records is in the temple.

As He went into the temple one day, He saw a whole bunch of sparrows, (remember that we are talking about a small bird) with their legs tied together, and they were being sold for a sacrifice in the temple.

In Matthew, chapter 10 notice what Jesus has to say about sparrows.

As He looked at those sparrows, He said, in verse 29:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?”

That was the least expensive offering that anybody could make.

If we were to stop there, we would say what we ordinarily say, “What is a sparrow? They are not worth anything at all,” but the Lord said, in the last part of verse 29:

…and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father knowing about it.

That is how valuable they are. Not one sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing about it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU SEE A DEAD SPARROW?

Do you just kick it out of the way and go on?  Often we see someone much like the little dead sparrow, wounded or suffering from the cruelty of others too busy to really care about a “broken wing” or perhaps a broken heart.

So many are busy licking their own wounds and getting on with their own lives, that they are unaware of the “sparrows” that God has placed in their midst. Those who need to be invited into a place of “Sanctuary”.! Do you treat your employees like this or a friend who has been through a season of sorrow or loss?

Do you find yourself simply walking past the Wounded or “dead Sparrow”? That would be a normal reaction, but evidently when the Lord saw the sparrow that fell very differently.  He said,

“MY FATHER KNOWS ABOUT THAT SPARROW…

…And my father cares about it.”

Then notice what He says:

Matthew 10

30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

A SPARROW IS SO IMPORTANT TO GOD,

…that it doesn't fall to the ground without God knowing about it, and you and those whom He has placed around you to radiate truth and hope to are of more value than many sparrows.

In Matthew, chapter 6 I think that Lord has done some bird watching and might want us to do some as well!

He said:

Matthew 6:26-34 (NCV)

26 Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.

27 You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? Look at how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves.

29 But I tell you that even Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers.

30 I clothe the grass in the field, which is alive today but tomorrow is thrown into the fire. So you can be even surer that I will clothe you. Don’t have so little faith!

31 Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’

32 The people who don’t know God keep trying to get these things, and your Father in heaven knows you need them.

33 Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.

34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A very well spoken and eloquent preacher said one time,

“There is never a sparrow that dies but that God goes to its funeral.”

This really touched my heart and impressed me. Not a sparrow dies, but that God goes to its funeral.

THE NEXT TIME THAT YOU SEE A SPARROW…

…Remember that God is paying attention to that little sparrow. God is interested in you and He is interested and concerned about me as well! Remember that God cares about you so much more than even that sparrow and that He wants to draw you closely into a safe place of Sanctuary with Him! A place of safety and peace, where you can rest and learn about His love for you, for your family and those dear close friends and perhaps a few lost or weary lonely souls that He has sent to you.

HE HAS MUCH TO TELL YOU REGARDING ALL OF THE PLANS THAT HE HAS FOR YOU!

“Settle into the nest…

…And Rest!”

God is waiting to speak and meet with you!

“The Lowly Sparrow”

~Author Unknown

I am only a little sparrow!

A bird of low degree!

My life is of little value.

But the dear Lord cares for me

He gave me a coat of feathers

'Tis very plain I know:

With never a speck of crimson.

For it was not made for show.

But it keeps me warm in winter,

It shields me from the rain.

Were it bordered with gold and purple

Perhaps it would make me vain

I have no barn or storehouse:

I never sow or reap:

God gives me a sparrow's portion.

But never a seed to keep.

If my meat is sometimes scanty.

Close picking makes it sweet:

I have always enough to keep me.

And life is more than meat.

I know there are many sparrows:

All over the world they're found:

But our heavenly Father knows

When one of us falls to the ground.

Though small, we are never forgotten-

Though weak, we are never afraid.

For we know that the dear Lord keeps

The lives of the creatures He made.

I fly through the thickest forest,

I light on many a spray,

I have no chart or compass,

But I never lose my way.

Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is welcomed provided that complete source and website information for Mary Lindow is included.

Thank You!

Copyright  2012 " THE MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow

www.marylindow.com

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