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Kokabee and Hurricane Matthew

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

“But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me.”  Psalm 66:19-20

One day, a few months ago, I was sitting at my desk when I suddenly felt overcome with exhaustion. Now, I’m no energizer bunny, but this was very unusual for me. I must have closed my eyes, because the next thing I knew, I dreamed of a good friend of mine, a woman with a missionary heart, standing before me. She said, “Kokabee, true love.” That was it. It jolted me awake, wondering who or what a kokabee was.

It didn’t take long to discover that Omid Kokabee is a physicist from Iran who is imprisoned for not cooperating with officials in a nuclear military program. He studied in the United States and Spain, and traveled home to Iran for a visit. Iranian officials took him into custody while attempting to return to the U.S.

Kokabee, true love. He was unwilling to use his knowledge to harm others. Instead, he was willing to give up his freedom, and give up his life if necessary, for people who may never know of, much less thank him for, his sacrifice. Sounds kind of like Jesus, Yeshua, doesn’t it?

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.” John 15:12-14

I don’t know if he’s a believer, but we have been praying for his salvation and his freedom. If reports are to be believed, I read today that he was scheduled to be released on parole last August.

This week, Hurricane Matthew arrived off the coast of Florida, where I live. Many people prayed this storm would not come ashore. My church alone had three prayer meetings, and I know other churches were praying up and down the coast and in other states as well.

The projected path within the cone wobbled back and forth on either side of Lake Okeechobee. I noticed that every time we had a prayer meeting, the blue cone would move to the east, but before long, it would drift back over to the west. It really seemed that it was a battle, all up and down the coast, like a great arm wrestling match.

I really believe that it was the prayers of the saints, and the Lord’s answer to those prayers, that kept the storm off land. Christians with shields raised in battle lined the coast.

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. Psalm 144:1-2

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is litp-kokabee-and-hurricane-matthew-photo-by-ben-white-on-unsplash.jpg

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Then I came across this verse, in a way that only the Lord could have arranged:

“Let them give glory to the Lord and declare His praise in the coastlands. The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.” Isaiah 42:12-13

All glory, honor and praise to You, God, for delivering Your people! The Lord is good, and kind, and merciful, even when He doesn’t answer the way we hope for or expect.

It reminded me of Kokabee. They imprisoned him for refusing to use his knowledge to harm people, many of whom would never know or thank him for his sacrifice. How many people in Florida and on the coasts go about their business, unaware of the prayers of the saints and God’s response to those prayers?

We are called to stand in the gap, to be repairers of the breach. If we don’t do it, who will? We are here for such a time as this.

Let us not grow weak, let us not cease to pray for our country to turn to Him. Let us pray at all times, praying for those in authority, praying for racial unity, praying for unity within the church. Let us not grow weary in well doing. And above all, let us love well. They will know that we are His disciples when we have love for one another. Can we truly love if we’re not even willing to pray? May the love of God shine brightly in and through us as we serve one another in love.

For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:10-20

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Where is the Abundant Life?

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash

“You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”  Psalm 16:11

I grew up believing that God made me and loved me, and that Jesus died for my sins. That was all I knew about God. I didn’t talk to Him, and figured He was too busy running the world to talk to me.

One Christmas Eve, when I was 20, I learned someone I loved had deceived and betrayed me. It so devastated me that I didn’t want to live anymore, because it hurt too much. The pain was unbearable, and I didn’t know how I would endure it.

Not knowing if He was listening, I told God that I didn’t want to live anymore, but that I wouldn’t do anything to end my life. Then I said that if He wanted to do something with me, that was fine, but I didn’t want to go on and hoped He would just let me die.

About that time, my mother began visiting a Christian bookstore. Since I loved to read, she generously offered to buy me a book or two if I wanted to tag along. Taking her up on the offer, I began reading Christian novels and saw something within the pages that I had never imagined, much less seen in real life. The characters in the books talked to God and Jesus like they knew them…like they were actual flesh & bone people! I was stunned! Were there actually people that talked to them like that way, like they were good friends? And did their lives actually change as a result?

I was living alone in an apartment during that time. I had an old television that rarely worked and hadn’t turned on for months. To my surprise, a day or two before Easter, it turned on immediately when I tried. An Easter special filled the screen.

I watched in horror at the scene before me. The man portraying Jesus was lying on the ground upon rough beams of wood. Cruel soldiers were forcefully nailing his hands and feet to a cross. He cried out in pain, and I wished they would stop hurting this man. I knew little about the real Jesus, but I knew He didn’t deserve this.

It shook me when he looked straight at the camera, making it seem like Jesus was looking at me! The next thing I knew, I found myself face down on the floor, crying, knowing that the real Jesus had suffered tremendous pain and died on the cross for MY sins! He was there because of ME! Overwhelmed with sorrow at this discovery, I begged for His forgiveness for my wrongdoings against Him and others. I offered Him whatever was left of my life. That was many, many years ago, and I have not been the same since.

Fast forward to about five years ago. After accompanying my husband on a work assignment overseas, two of our children and I came back to the United States. I was in the middle of a divorce. Like before, I was devastated. For months, I read the Bible, cried, prayed, cried, questioned, cried, and then I came across this verse:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  John 10:7-10

I cried out to the Lord, “Where is the abundant life? Your Word says that You came to give us abundant life! This sure doesn’t look like abundant life to me!”

That was a turning point for me. My eyes were opened to many things that I hadn’t seen before. I realized I had put God in a box, and He didn’t fit! To better understand God’s Word, I studied verses in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, instead of relying on their traditional meanings. The more I read, the more I understood that these words, spoken by God through the Holy Spirit, contained promises for us. They were true, and I could believe them because God always keeps His promises. They could change my life.

Immersing myself in God’s Word changed my life. My pain, confusion, and fear vanished, and joy, peace, and love took their place as I immersed myself in God’s Word. The Lord is so good, so loving, and more at work in us and around us than I ever knew. He has given me abundant life, and the great news is that it’s not just for me, it’s for anyone who asks. Jesus, or Yeshua (His Hebrew name) came to give us LIFE!

During the weeks leading up to Christmas last year, I came across that verse in John daily. If I opened a book, it was there. If I went on Facebook, it was there. If I turned on the radio or television, it was there. Every single day. And every time I came across it, I thought about the abundant life that had been mine for the last few years. Real abundant life, living life to the full.

Then, about a week before Christmas, thieves broke into our home. Two of my children and I had been out to dinner with my sister and her family, who were visiting us all the way from Nigeria. Afterwards, we went to a hospital to celebrate the birth of a precious baby girl, born into a wonderful family who has been on the same spiritual journey I and my family have been on. How wonderful to have companionship on this journey!

Upon our return home, we discovered our home had been broken into. We lost jewelry, electronics, and even some of the Christmas presents that were wrapped under the tree. In the midst of it, though, I was not afraid. I didn’t feel violated, as many people do after a break-in. I wasn’t even angry. Disappointed, sure, for the gifts that I could not replace, and for the hearts and minds of the kids that broke into our home.

Looking back, I believe the Lord was not only warning me, but preparing me by reminding me of the abundant life that He has given me. Yes, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but we have something that he can never steal or take away from us. We have the promise of living forever with God, our creator and the lover of our souls, both here and when our time on earth is done, because Jesus, Yeshua, made it possible.

Are you experiencing abundant life? If not, do you want to? If so, ask Him for it. Jesus, Yeshua, came to give you life, and give it to you abundantly, and He promises that if you seek Him, you’ll find Him.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:13

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A Sacrifice

Ram - Photo by Angel Balashev on Unsplash

“The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.”  Psalm 147:11

There are many great, deep theological truths packed into the story of the Lord asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac – about how Isaac was offered up as a sacrifice as a preview of what was to come when God’s Son, Jesus, would be offered up as the final sacrifice for all mankind. The ram caught in the thicket as a substitute for Isaac foreshadowed how Jesus would become our substitute by dying on the cross for our sins. Abraham remembered and believed God’s promise to him – that he would have a son and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, even if it required the Lord raising Isaac from the dead. The ram’s horns were caught in a thicket, and sinless, compassionate Jesus wore a thorny crown about His head as He became the sacrificial Lamb of God. There are many more, the depths of which humanity can only try to fully comprehend. What is on my mind most right now, though, is Abraham as a father.

Abraham was told many years before Isaac was born that he would have a son, and although he believed God, 25 years had passed between the promise and the fulfillment. Abraham finally had the son he had longed for, the son of the Promise. Now he was being asked to give him up? His only son?

For the last few days, I’ve come across this verse several times: He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Genesis 22:13

Is there something you’re holding onto with all your might? You’re afraid to let go, afraid it will slip out of your grasp, and out of your life? May I encourage you to hold it up as an offering, palms up, no holding back? I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to keep this thing, this person, whatever it is, but I can tell you that there is freedom in giving it up.

Sometimes the Lord will let you keep it. When my husband and I separated years ago, our youngest child was seven. At that time, it wasn’t clear whether he would stay with his father or with me. It was already a very difficult time, and the thought of being away from my son, too, was almost more than I could bear. Finally, I reached the point where I had to just put the situation in the Lord’s hands and give my son to God–palms up, no holding back. I had to trust that God would do whatever was best for him, even if the best wasn’t me. The Lord was gracious and allowed him to live with me for the next five years.

Sometimes the Lord will not let you keep it. Recently, I had to do that again. It was a little easier this time, because my relationship with the Lord is stronger than it was back then, but it was still difficult, and I still cried a lot–not because I didn’t trust the Lord, but because I knew I would miss him so much. Sometimes I still cry, but the Lord is gracious now, too, even though my son is living in another country with his father. He is learning things he would not have learned here with me and experiencing the joy of being with his dad.

Whatever His answer, God is good, and He is faithful, and He comforts us and provides for us. He is our exceedingly great reward. He heals our hearts and fills our lives with good things. He honors our sacrifices and fills the empty spaces. His ways are not our ways, but His ways are good.

Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.” Genesis 22:14