THE WORD RELEASED WORKS

The Lord gives the word of power;
the women who bear and publish the news are a great host.
The kings of the enemies' armies, they flee, they flee!
She who tarries at home divides the spoil left behind.
Ps. 68:11 & 12

This is an updated version of my first post on this site March 21, 2006. It explains the circumstances that caused me to name this blog "Releasing the Word."

A SIGNIFICANT HOMEBODY?

The first time I read Ps 68:11 & 12 in the Amplified Bible I was in a season of my life where I was home full-time. And what I read surprised me. Was God really saying I could have a powerful life that impacted others even though I was a "homebody"? I didn't have to be a foreign missionary? Or president of the PTA, or march in the street, or head a corporation in order to be significant?

Yes, that's what it says -- a woman who "tarries at home" (vs. 12) can have a life of power that causes the enemy to flee. She can plunder from him and divide the spoils with those around her.

GOD GIVES THE WORD

The key is that God gives the word. The principle works for men and women, in any location. It's His word entrusted to us that provides the power. Publish here means to proclaim, to announce, to make known. As we bear (or carry) his word and release it, His power is released. In this way we partner with God in a unique and personal way. Through this partnership, victories are won -- victories that not only benefit the one carrying the word but others as well.

How do we get this empowering word? By fellowshipping with God, by submitting to Him in prayer, by making time with Him a priority. Some people call this "tarrying" with God. Whatever we call it, the life-changing word comes out of personal relationship with Him. And it is available to all who make time to draw near to him, not just homebodies. Sometime after I first got this principle, I learned desktop publishing and started a publishing services company. Now I'm in a new season and home-based again. Along the way I've learned that whatever the season -- it is still the time spent alone with Him that brings victory and power to my life.

GOD'S WORD RELEASED WORKS

I prayed about what would be appropriate to share here as a relevant example. This is the memory that came to me: My sister and I were traveling together in Arizona vacationing together on a "sister trip." We began to fellowship around Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our healer, and proclaim scriptures out loud such as "By His stripes I am healed" (Isaiah 53:5) and "He forgives all my sins; He heals all my diseases" (Psalm 103:3). We spent the third night of our journey in a tiny log cabin perched on the edge of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Sometime in the night I awoke when my sister cried out. She had gotten up to go to the bathroom and, in that moment, God had restored sight to her blind right eye.

Now back to Psalm 68:11 and 12 for a summary: God had given the word of power. We had carried His word with us and published it (proclaimed it, released it, shared it with each other.) The result was victory over darkness and disease. My sister literally "saw" the results! Later God healed her of MS, a healing verified by an MRI that showed the lesions noted by previous MRIs gone. She testified to that, prayed for others and saw more healing take place, in perfect demonstration of our scripture verse.

A year and a half since I first wrote this post, my sister has had another MRI that again verified she no longer has MS.

THE BRIDEGROOM

At a wedding reception I attended recently, the groom came up to me and asked how I thought the ceremony went. I told him what a lovely service it was and repeated some phrases the minister said that I particularly liked. Then I asked him what part he liked the best. With a light in his eyes he began to speak not of the wedding but of the wonderful qualities of his bride. It was clear he thought she was something special and he was excited and happy to have found her.

GOD AS BRIDEGROOM

I was really blessed by his enthusiastic delight in his bride and it reminded me of Isa 62:5B:[as] the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, [so] shall thy God rejoice over thee.

Later as I reflected on the experience and the scripture, I remembered one of my favorite books, The Divine Romance by Gene Edwards, subtitled "The most beautiful love story ever told." In the Prologue Edwards says this about God and why he created humankind: "He was Love. Passionate, emotional, expressive ... love." He also said, "Of all love stories I find this one unequaled."

BIBLICAL BRIDEGROOMS

After history's first wedding, performed by God, Adam, also was a happy bridegroom. First God let him experience bachelorhood, then he said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him." I've heard it said that Adam's response to Eve in Genesis 2:23 was the equivalent of "Wow!"

I continued thinking of biblical examples of bridegrooms and of weddings. In the Song of Songs, the bridegroom (the One Who Loves) is considered by many to represent Christ and the bride (the Beloved) is thought to represent the Church, the bride of Christ. I think that must be true. After all, Jesus' first miracle was performed at a wedding. His miraculous gift of wine allowed the celebration to continue, proving he had a special love not only for the bride and groom but for wedding celebrations.

LIVING EXAMPLES

The definition of bridegroom is simply, "husband of the bride." Which brings me to this question: Are there husbands among us today who reflect Christ's love for his bride, the church? Several come to mind, one in particular. Many times I heard the bride say she wanted a husband like her Dad, who has loved his wife and children with unconditional and sacrificial love. (I can testify to the truth of that statement, not as observer but as wife.)

We, the bride's father and I, also think the bridegroom in this story is off to a good start. When the minister asked, "Who gives this woman in marriage?" the confident response was, "Her mother and I."

A PERSONAL NOTE
We are pleased to say to our son-in-law, "Welcome to the family." And to our daughter, "Good choice!"

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. O!


Two are better than one,
and a chord of three strands
is not easily broken. Eccl 4:9&12

GLORIOUS SUNSET IN SCENIC VALLEY

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalms 19:1 NKJ

This glorious sunset is what I saw on my walk last night.
Isn't God good?

For more photos from Scenic Valley, click here.

How Do You Define God?

heaven knows what I want
Originally uploaded by gari.baldi | stopped activity on flickr

I've been thinking about the nature of God lately. It's not that we can define him, my title is misleading in that sense. But I want to get my head around a few of his qualities that are unique to him. After all, Isaiah 26:3 says that the mind set on him will be kept in perfect peace. It's a big subject (!!) and I need help because I'm stumped.

JOT OF HIS OIL

Specifically I have been trying to remember something I once knew that has gotten fuzzy. I was taught the acronym JOT OF HIS OIL as a way to remember God's unique qualities. The emphasis is on qualities that only he possesses.

The "O's" - the "J" - and the "L"

I'm pretty sure I have all three of the "O's" down: Omnipotent (all-powerful); Omniscient (all-knowing); Omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time).

And the "L" has to be Love, specifically agape.

What About the "J"?

Surely the "J" is for Just because all his decisions are right and true. If you have a better idea, please let me know.

What's Left?

Okay, this is what's left: T from JOT, F from OF. Then there's H I and S from HIS. After that I need to fill in the I from OIL.

Who can help me out with these? Guesses are acceptable. And if someone out there knows who originated the original JOT OF HIS OIL acronym and what it said, I would really appreciate the input.