Embracing the Flame

I can’t believe that FMA starts in less than a month. I think this is gonna be a significant season for me. I don’t really have a grid for what to expect but I always know the Lord has cool things up His sleeves when I feel that way. I am really excited but I also feel like this might be a more challenging season than the others.

Since the summer when I attended the School of Worship in Oregon, the Lord has been speaking to me about being refined in the fire. Mostly from Malachi 3:3-4 which is:

“He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in the former years.”

At the School of Worship, Don Potter talked about this a couple times and pointed out that when the Lord comes to refine, He comes to the Levites first, to the ones in the place of worship. And you see that in this verse because then in verse 5 the Lord says that “then” (after that) He will draw near for judgement. And Don was just really putting out that invitation and call to say yes to the Lord’s refining as worship leaders, singers, and musicians. And ever since then, I just can’t get away from this. I’ve been praying this ever since…and aware of what that means. I think sometimes when we talk about stuff like being in a season of refining and the wilderness we give this negative connotation to it as if we wouldn’t want to be in it. I know I have done that a lot anyways. But lately I’ve been trying to view it differently because it’s like, do we want to stay the same? I just don’t want to stay the same, I don’t want to be okay with where I’m at. I feel like there’s this preparation that needs to happen inside of me and I wanna say yes to the flame as much as I can. Now I know that could mean some challenging things are ahead. Refining and wilderness type things are hard but I’m just asking the Lord for grace to embrace whatever He has for me this season. I know it’s to bring me forth as gold, to buy gold refined in the fire and I want all that He has.

When I visited FMA for the day with a friend recently, one of the students got up and shared a word He felt like the Lord gave Him for the school. The gist of it if I can remember it right was that he felt like the Lord told him that He’s set a furnace before them this next semester and that it’s our choice to step in. Yeah. Needless to say I was like, “well that about confirms that I’m supposed to be here even more” lol. That being said, I think a lot of this refining will take place while being in FMA so if you think of me, please send up some incense for me, I always need it.

Like I said, I don’t really know what this is gonna look like but I’m just saying yes now. And praying for grace for whatever lies ahead. I know I can’t make it through on my own strength but it’s gotta be His so I think it’ll be a season of learning to lean more and more into my Beloved and my Father.

“Take me through the fire, take me through the rain, take me through the testing, I’ll do anything. Test me, try me, prove me, refine me like the gold, like the gold…” (Misty Edward’s “Fling Wide”)

 

Christmas Song!

The quality isn’t the greatest cause I just used GarageBand but it still works! I hope your hearts are blessed as Christmas nears with revelation of how amazing our God is in how low He came to us! I attached the scriptures that kind of inspired different parts of the song. I was really meditating mostly on the Luke 2 passages and praying for myself to just really experience what happened when that Baby was born. I pray your hearts get taken there as well!

Lyrics:

(Luke 2:4-7)
What was it like on that silent night
When time stood still as eternity stepped in
What was it like to see the sight
Of this helpless baby boy, who is called the King of kings

What was it like for Mary
To know the King that she depends on now depends on her
What was it like for Joseph
To hold in his arms the One who knit his own soul

(Philippians 2:5-7)
Oh, the humility of our God
Oh, the humility of the One who came for us
Oh, the humility of our God
Who left it all for love (2 Corinthians 8:9)

(Luke 2:8-12)
What was it like in that open field
When the dark rolled back and glory filled the sky
Oh dear shepherds do not fear
Cause born to you this day, is the long awaited Christ

(Luke 2:15-17)
What was it like when they finally arrived
And their eyes beheld that Babe lying in a trough
What was it like to know the Christ
Who once wrapped Himself in light (Psalm 104:2)
Was now wrapped in flesh and cloths (Luke 2:12, John 1:14)

(Philippians 2:5-7)
Oh, the humility of our God
Oh, the humility of the One who came for us
Oh, the humility of our God
Who left it all for love (2 Corinthians 8:9)

(Luke 2:14)
Glory to God in the highest
For that Babe born in Bethlehem!
When a Son was given called Jesus (Isaiah 9:6)
When God became a Man (Luke 2:12, John 1:14. Philippians 2:5-7)

Oh our God became a Man

The Humility of Jesus

Ever since Stuart Greaves spoke about the beauty of Jesus’ humility and meekness as our Servant, my heart hasn’t been able to get away from this amazing attribute of His. Jesus’ humility is one of the most stunning things to me. You might be wondering what that picture of the apple tree painting has to do with any of that. I’m in the prayer room right now and they’re singing around this verse in Song of Solomon 2:

“Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” (verse 3)

A while back when I first started to get into the Song of Solomon and would come across this verse, I really had no idea what it meant for Jesus to be likened to an apple tree. All I understand from it was that it’s like she’s saying that He’s the only source of nourishment and refreshing. And that was and still is an awesome truth for my heart that the Lord revealed to me. But when I actually saw an apple tree in real life, it opened up so much to me.

Now, I didn’t see an apple tree for the first time in the past years or something. I’d gone to the orchards and stuff as a kid, but I was a kid. Any tree seems huge and majestic to you. But I remember when I first drove by an orchard of apple trees in the last couple years. My response was, “That’s what You’re like?” It suddenly made so much sense! If you’ve seen an apple tree, you know that they aren’t the most ascetically pleasing trees, especially in the winter time. They’re kinda all over the place branch wise and overall they’re just…small. The Lord reminded me of that verse in Isaiah 53 that says,

“He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.”

The One who’s very name IS beauty! The One who was covered in unapproachable light, covered in His Father’s glory since before time began! He came and took the lowest place. He was so high and lofty but came so low. That is unbelievable to me. No wonder why Isaiah says before that, “Who has believed our report?”

Like an apple tree…He came so low to make Himself, His fruit, His life available to us. He was wrapped in light as with a garment but when He came to us, we found Him wrapped in OUR flesh and swaddling clothes as a helpless baby! Man. I love how the bride here in Song of Solomon is exalting Him as this apple tree among the trees of the woods too. His amazing humility makes Him to most beautiful among men, the fairest among men to our hearts.

That’s what I was trying to show in that painting I did up top. The background is supposed to represent the high and lofty trees. And the apple tree Jesus’ beauty and humility. I purposely did the background black and white. When you look at the painting, because the background is that way, your eyes go straight down. Not to what is high and lofty, but straight down to where He is. That’s where I want my heart to go. To where He is as my Servant, to learn from Him how to be meek and lowly like He talks about. He is exalted IN His humility and servanthood as higher than the lofty things of this world.

This is such an appropriate theme in the midst of the Christmas season too. We won’t ever exhaust what it meant for our Jesus to come as that little baby. The earth received her King in the body of a shivering, little, crying baby boy. The King who knew glory forever and ever, CHOSE to rise up from that place and lay aside His eternal garments. To take on the form of a servant, to meet with us and wash us (John 13:4, Philippians 2:6-8).

God, especially this holiday season, reveal to us Your humility. Let us fall in love with You and how beautifully humble You are.