Come to Me!

Ever had one of "those" days? In fact, ever had one of those weeks, months, years...maybe even a large portion of your life? You know what I'm talking about...when nothing seems to go right and even when it does go right, it's all wrong! We've all been there in life and we've all experienced both the ups and downs of life itself. The good news for us is that even when times aren't quite what they should be or could be, God still has a plan for you that includes your success and your blessing!

I have faced the darkest night that one can face, I have stared death in the face with no sense of hope or expectancy...in that moment of desperation and despondency, there was a whisper of help, a whisper of hope. Even in the depths of despair, there was a light burning that was already ignited even before I faced the greatest trial of my life and it continued to burn without even a possibility or hint of being extinquished no matter what the source of despair or dismay. I will have to admit that my ability to discern the light was shrouded by the circumstances that engrossed me, but it was there nonetheless and I was being pulled by the power of love towards that unquenchable light and the source of love that kept it burning ever so brightly.

 Within that light were the answers that I desperately needed, within it was the voice of assurance and comfort that could only be found in the light. The light itself was not new to me, neither was the source or the comfort...but it was to be expressed to me in a new and dynamic way. It would provide a sense of not only comfort, but direction for life and a hope for tomorrow! How did I ever get to the place where I needed such an amazing intervention of God in my life? I was the pastor, I was the spiritual leader. I prayed, I fasted, I stood on the Word and I believed God for His very best in my life. I dedicated my life to being an ambassador of the gospel, and I made sacrifices to be all that I thought God wanted me to be...this isn't fair, it's not supposed to be this way and this will forever alter my life and the lives of my children. This will bring a pain that can only be lived with and never fully understood, with scars that will never subside. Doesn't God love me? Doesn't He know that this isn't supposed to happen to me or my family? Other families maybe, and I'll be there to love and shepherd them through the hurt, but not me...not my family! I didn't ask for this and I certainly didn't deserve it! 

Those are the questions that plaque us and demand some element of reconciliation. In those moments and in those days, I had a very distinct and clear word from the Father that although He was not the source of my pain and hurt, He did allow it, and that it was out of His love for me and my family that He did so. I can't comprehend that in the natural and honestly, I barely grasp it even in the spirit...what I have learned is that God is not only capable of operating only in love, but that He is redemptive and His heart towards me is one of healing and wholeness, no matter how much pain and hurt and even injustice I have been forced to endure. The whisper of hope was that I would not only get through this, but that the promise of life and blessing was still mine. The pain and the circumstances of life do not possess the ability to steal the precious promises of God over you.

Before the intrusion of the demonic, and the devastation that you had to walk through in your life, there was a promise over you, a light of hope and a word that had sustained you...that promise, that light and that word was never diminished even though darkness was closing in around you.

I want to ask you to journey with me to the Word of God in Matthew 11:28, where Jesus directly addresses these moments in our lives. "Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." For years, I had heard this preached and always assumed that Jesus was talking to people who labored and heavy laden. In other words, I incorrectly assumed that He was speaking to one group of people. In studying the Word, what I actually learned was that He was speaking to two different groups of people: those who were weary from labor, AND those who were heavy laden. The call of the Lord to those who are hurting and beat up in life to "come" is not just a good idea, or a religious suggestion because you have nowhere else to turn, this is the Greek word "deute" and it is an imperative command.

This is the Lord recognizing where you are in life, what you are going through and saying to you with a divine urgency...come! Come to Me, now! I can heal you, I can restore you and I can redeem you. This word is to those who labor (Greek word kapiao), it simply means to be tired, weary and exhausted from the ordeals and everyday issues of life. Certainly, we have all been there! Thank God for the promises of the Lord as we navigate the day to day circumstances that push in from every side. The other group of people in this appeal really catch my attention...it's those who are "heavy laden". The Greek word is "phortizo" and it literally means to have a burden placed upon you". It is a burden or a circumstance that is unwarranted and never asked for. You didn't cause it, you never expected it and you certainly did not sign up for it...but it's now your issue to deal with! This is that job that you lost unexpectedly, that spouse that cheated on you, that child that was diagnosed with a disease, that auto accident that wasn't your fault, the family member that died unexpectedly, that tragedy or calamity that will cost you money that you don't have and time and energy that could and should be applied to other endeavors in life.

Jesus speaks with clarity and authority and says very simply: come! Find your way to me, find your way to life, to My presence and experience the healing, peace and provision that only I can provide. The term "I will give you rest", means to cease from the activity that is exhausting you, to recover and collect your strength, to be calmed and to receive a patient expectancy. Wow! What a promise. Only Jesus can meet you at the worst moment of your life and restore to you a hope and an expectancy, only He can take your burden and turn it into a blessing. The night that I faced my darkest moment, and sat in my living room with my children having just lost my wife and their mother, I wasn't even sure the sun would come up the next morning and I really didn't care, but it did come up and the Lord wrapped His arms of grace, love and mercy around my family. He took our grief, our burden, our confusion and misunderstanding and surrounded us with His Presence and His love.

The process of healing has been steady and consistent and I'm often reminded of Veronica's life scripture found in Jeremiah 29:11 "for I know the thoughts that I have towards you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope". Out of our ashes has arisen beauty, and out of our despondency has arisen a hope for a brighter tomorrow. I'm not saying that it's always been easy, but I am saying that whatever you are facing right now in your life, if you will respond to the command of the Lord to come to Him, you will find a hope and life of expectancy that only He can give. Your choice is to try and carry it all on your own and work through it, or surrender your hurt, confusion and fears to the One who deeply and passionately loves you and has a plan for your life and a purpose for your restoration!

In the Shadow of His Wings!

I want to take this opportunity to direct your attention back to a passage of scripture that I realize all of us are very familiar with, but I pray that the Lord would speak to each of us in a very fresh way as I unpack it for us once again.  I am deeply moved by the text of Matthew 9:20-22, where we find Jesus healing the woman who had an issue of blood.

I want to point out several things that are applicable to us as leaders and make note of very strategic principles that will serve to bring us to a place of healing, health and wholeness in terms of who we are – spirit, soul and body. I have a deep respect for this little lady, who against all odds, pushed her way through the crowds of life, was willing to break the law (being unclean, she was not permitted to be in public) and made her way to the very One who was not only the “source” of healing, but was the very essence of healing!  Out of her desperation, she stepped beyond the boundaries of her embarrassment.  How many times, do we as leaders miss an opportunity just because we are too embarrassed to ask for help? How many times could we actually use a suggestion and some advice that could take us to a new level, but we never reach out because we want people to think that we are okay?  This little lady set the standard, reached beyond her personal limitations, even broke the law, but at the end of the day she went home healed, healthy and happy!!

 I want you to notice with me the phrase “she touched the hem of His garment”.  Most of you probably know this, but it serves as a great reminder for us today in terms of how we reach out and make a demand on the promises of God over our lives and ministries.  In touching the hem of His garment, she was laying hold of His authority!

The garment that Jesus was wearing was the tallit, a garment that all Jewish males were required to wear according to Numbers 15:37-41.  At the four edges of that garment were tassels, called “tzitziyot” in Hebrew.  That’s what she was laying ahold of, and they represented much, much more than just the apparel that Jesus had on at the time. Throughout the scriptures, the tallit shows up in various places illustrating authority and covering.  It was the mantle of Elijah that fell upon Elisha, and by that, his anointing was transferred.  It was a tzitziyot that David cut off of Saul’s tallit in I Sam. 21:4-6 causing humiliation to Saul, and later, causing David to repent because he touched the king’s authority.  It was the edge of the robe (tallit) that Ruth asked Boaz to cover her with in Ruth 3:8-9, asking him to bring her under his authority and covering. When we are in need or sometimes even in desperation, we must find our way to the edge of the garment!

Three specific things are represented by the tzitziyot of the tallit, that I want to bring to your attention:

 1.) The Word of God.  ”He sent His Word and healed them”. Our life, our hope, our future, our very existence is found in the principles of the Word of God.  It’s so easy just to get somebody else’s opinion, but I encourage you to find your way to the life of the Word for the very health and wholeness that you need in every arena of your life and ministry.

 2.)  The Authority of Yeshua. Jesus Himself declared that all authority had been given to Him both in heaven and in earth!  The enemy with all of his tricks and tactics cannot and will not stand against the authority of Jesus in your life.  This is a great time to remind you that the level of authority that you walk in is relative to the level of intimacy with the Lord that you live in.

 3.)  Healing is in His wings!  Malachi 4:2 tells us that healing is in His wings.  The Hebrew word for wings is “kanaf” which means edges or fringes.  Could it be possible that this little lady had a really good Sunday school teacher who taught her that the Messiah would come with “healing in the fringes”?  Absolutely! She had complete expectancy that if she could just make contact with the Word of Healing, the Authority of Healing and the Hem of Healing, she would be healed!

 Today, health, healing and wholeness is yours if you can push beyond the embarrassment of whatever conditions you may have, step beyond the realm of natural law and take hold of the authority of the Word that will bring you into the realm of abundant life!