I had a very interesting insight into the workings of God this morning.
The past two weeks have been particularly difficult, not only prior to my healing from macular degeneration, but with some unexpected challenges. A few nights ago, my friend Jane Anne (who some of you are getting to know through reading this blog!) was praying. After asking God for wisdom, she distinctly heard Him say, "Intercede for thy sister." (Although she and I have different parents, we are very close and feel we are spiritually related through the blood of Jesus. Like sisters, we have a lot of fun together and call each other "Sisti." :)
Anyway, Jane Anne went on her face before the Lord, asked Him to forgive her for anything that would separate her from Him and asked that He would open the portals of Heaven to her, as is her custom. Then she simply waited to hear Him speak a word pertaining to her Sisti. Amid all the human thoughts that went through her mind, the voice of the Lord eventually sounded unmistakably. He said, "Open" and then "the ladder."
Jane Anne remembered the story of Jacob and how he had a dream one night, where a ladder came down from heaven and angels ascended and descended upon it. She then prayed that God would open the ladder for me.
Without understanding why, I have been very happy for the past few days - even bubbly - in sharp contrast to the depression that has been trying to overtake me.
A few weeks prior to this, JA and her mom and I had gone to a Jewish synagogue in observance of the Day of Atonement. (I have begun to have a deeper desire to understand the Jewish roots of Christianity in order to understand my faith more deeply.) There we were greeted by a woman by the name of Joan who, in later conversation with JA, told her about the importance of the Body of Christ reading portions of the Torah in the same period of time, so that God can address particular issues in peoples lives at the same time. It was very interesting. Joan then directed her to www.torahportions.org, whereupon JA went to the site when she got home and printed out the prescribed Torah portions for us. (I encourage you to go to the site and print them out for your own use.)
Interestingly, Elaine Zimora, who connected with me re my legacy work, has been speaking to me regarding the importance of the Torah portions. I had never heard of this prior to these two introductions.
Today, I decided to begin the Torah readings for the first time. There was a reading from Genesis, one from the Prophets and another from the New Testament. As I began to read the Genesis portion in Chapter 28, I was stunned to read, "And Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place and put them for his pillows and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed and behold a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it..."
With all the places in the Bible I could have read today - what are the chances...? Have my happy feelings been the result of angels running up and down the ladder, ministering to me? What a delightful thought. It is so important to pray for each other!! God hears us - by design!
P.S. After reading this blog, JA called me and said Gid had had a further word for me. It was, "Hold tight to the rungs!" That's a word that important for all of us. Our journey through this life to the next is lived just one rung at a time, but we must hold tight to the Sure Support. :)
The past two weeks have been particularly difficult, not only prior to my healing from macular degeneration, but with some unexpected challenges. A few nights ago, my friend Jane Anne (who some of you are getting to know through reading this blog!) was praying. After asking God for wisdom, she distinctly heard Him say, "Intercede for thy sister." (Although she and I have different parents, we are very close and feel we are spiritually related through the blood of Jesus. Like sisters, we have a lot of fun together and call each other "Sisti." :)
Anyway, Jane Anne went on her face before the Lord, asked Him to forgive her for anything that would separate her from Him and asked that He would open the portals of Heaven to her, as is her custom. Then she simply waited to hear Him speak a word pertaining to her Sisti. Amid all the human thoughts that went through her mind, the voice of the Lord eventually sounded unmistakably. He said, "Open" and then "the ladder."
Jane Anne remembered the story of Jacob and how he had a dream one night, where a ladder came down from heaven and angels ascended and descended upon it. She then prayed that God would open the ladder for me.
Without understanding why, I have been very happy for the past few days - even bubbly - in sharp contrast to the depression that has been trying to overtake me.
A few weeks prior to this, JA and her mom and I had gone to a Jewish synagogue in observance of the Day of Atonement. (I have begun to have a deeper desire to understand the Jewish roots of Christianity in order to understand my faith more deeply.) There we were greeted by a woman by the name of Joan who, in later conversation with JA, told her about the importance of the Body of Christ reading portions of the Torah in the same period of time, so that God can address particular issues in peoples lives at the same time. It was very interesting. Joan then directed her to www.torahportions.org, whereupon JA went to the site when she got home and printed out the prescribed Torah portions for us. (I encourage you to go to the site and print them out for your own use.)
Interestingly, Elaine Zimora, who connected with me re my legacy work, has been speaking to me regarding the importance of the Torah portions. I had never heard of this prior to these two introductions.
Today, I decided to begin the Torah readings for the first time. There was a reading from Genesis, one from the Prophets and another from the New Testament. As I began to read the Genesis portion in Chapter 28, I was stunned to read, "And Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place and put them for his pillows and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed and behold a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it..."
With all the places in the Bible I could have read today - what are the chances...? Have my happy feelings been the result of angels running up and down the ladder, ministering to me? What a delightful thought. It is so important to pray for each other!! God hears us - by design!
P.S. After reading this blog, JA called me and said Gid had had a further word for me. It was, "Hold tight to the rungs!" That's a word that important for all of us. Our journey through this life to the next is lived just one rung at a time, but we must hold tight to the Sure Support. :)
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