THE LAND OF GOSHEN

There seems to be a plethora of prophetic words these days which contradict the reality of what assaults me on a daily basis. At times I find myself dismissing these overly positive messages, but then this prophetic declaration knocked me off my feet:

"God Says: Do Not Fear - I Am Building Goshen!"*

What? When I hear the word “Goshen,” I think of bricks and slavery and brutality! The author Nate Johnston in presenting this word explains that “Goshen is the promise of being fruitful and increasing no matter what is taking place around you. Goshen was the place where God made Israel into a great nation and it's where God will establish, plant and build you.”

Nate also suggests that “Goshen speaks prophetically of territory and occupation in the enemy's camp.” Well, I can identify with this part of Nate’s message. As long as we have breath, we are occupiers on the devil’s turf. This is a bitter pill to swallow and a perception that seems to invade my personal space more and more, the older I get. When I look at the mess the world is in, it takes all my strength, determination, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ not to get disheartened by the naysayers and the oppressive news.

Thankfully, there are voices all around me that shout “hope” and “hallelujah”! And if we open our Bibles to read God’s word, we will discover He is not asleep! He reigns! He is King of kings and LORD of lords! Yes, the Israelites suffered in Goshen, but God heard their cries and delivered them mightily through the Red Sea. I don’t know what struggles you may be facing, but take heart. God is delivering, rescuing, saving, protecting, healing, loving, guiding, growing, pruning, renewing, restoring, and comforting his people day by day, moment by moment.

Lord, thank you for your love and mercy. Open our eyes and hearts to see You working in our midst and behind the scenes. Amen.

*"God Says: Do Not Fear - I Am Building Goshen!", https://elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=28180, Nate Johnston, October 14, 2022.

PUZZLES - Part 2

I like to work puzzles.  I discovered that looking at the shapes of the pieces is not helpful, but studying the picture on a puzzle piece and how it visually compares with the picture on the puzzle box brings much quicker results.  Some people would call this “cheating”. Not in my rule book.

Have you ever watched a small boy emulate his father? Putting an oversized baseball mitt on his small hand? Slipping his little foot into dad’s slipper? Little girls love to wear mom’s high heeled shoes. Are they cheating? No! They are experimenting and learning, trying to figure out what it means to be a dad or a mom.

It reminds me of the scripture where Jesus says, “He [Jesus] does only what He sees the Father doing” (John 5:19).  Was Jesus cheating? Of course not! He had an intimate relationship with His father. Jesus and the Father are One and doing only what He saw the Father doing was an expression of that oneness and an act of profound respect, submission, and identification.

O that God the Father would give us a deeper revelation of our oneness with Him and His Son Jesus Christ!

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21).

PUZZLES

When I get stuck in a routine on a dark winter day, working on a puzzle of brilliant colors or a sparkling mountain stream parts the clouds in my mind so I can think clearly again. And that isn’t my imagination. According to the Baylor College of Medicine, puzzles are good for the brain. The act of putting the pieces of a puzzle together requires concentration and improves short-term memory and problem solving*.

What I have learned… I can look at a puzzle for 20 minutes and not find a single piece that fits. If I leave and come back in an hour, I usually put 4 or 5 pieces in place with little or no effort. This tells me that my brain and intuition are working even though I have gone on to some other activity.

I find this strategy also works when dealing with the real challenges in life. Instead of beating a problem to death, taking a mental break helps to clear my mind fog and often enables me to unravel a problem to its core when I go back to look at the situation.

So what’s my point? Doing activities like working puzzles, drawing in a sketchbook, or engaging in some hobby may seem frivolous and a waste of time, but in fact may increase our overall effectiveness. I must admit that much of the time, I feel guilty taking these “creative” breaks, but God gives us gifts and talents to enjoy, to share with others, and as a way to make Him known. I take comfort in these words of the Apostle Paul:

“…Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

(1 Corinthians 10:31) 

*https://blogs.bcm.edu/2020/10/29/a-perfect-match-the-health-benefits-of-jigsaw-puzzles/ #:~:text=Puzzles%20are%20also%20good%20for,term%20memory%20and%20problem%20solving.