THE FRUIT OF DESOLATION

In recent weeks the Lord has been taking me through a process that began with my reading of John 20.

As I read it was as if I 'was' Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb to look for the Jesus she knew and loved. She found Him gone. Suddenly He allowed my heart to feel the desolation of that place, her despair, agony of heart, pain heaped upon pain. She had seen Him crucified, and now even His body was gone! He began to teach me about the place of DESOLATION and the FRUIT that comes from this place when He brings us to it.

First Mary ran to her friends. They came and looked, and far from sitting with her to seek comfort and help together, they ran off back home!

Mary did not leave the place where desolation had met her, instead she remained there weeping and crying out. She had no Plan B, and there was no business as usual for her. She stayed where she had last seen Him.

As she wept before the Lord, His heart was moved to comfort her and SUDDENLY she opened her eyes to find two angels where Jesus' body had been.

SHE HAD ANGELIC VISITATION IN HER PLACE OF DESOLATION.

She turned, and SAW THE RISEN JESUS CHRIST.

JESUS SPOKE TO HER AND GAVE HER INSTRUCTION of what to do next.

She then RAN FROM THE PLACE OF DESOLATION to her friends and was able to say to them "I have seen the Lord!"

The end result of Mary remaining was that she could say "I have seen the Lord" just as Isaiah did in Chapter 6, when he was desolate because King Uzziah had died. Isaiah also was able to say "I saw the Lord".

There is revelation of Christ to be found in the place of desolation as it is found nowhere else, if we will remain and not run from it. Mary's sorrow was out of her great love for Jesus even more than her thoughts for herself, she continued to lookf or Him in her distress. What did she find: His clothes! In the natural scheme of things there was nothing but a remnant and a memory, but as she stayed with that, Heaven saw and found her, spoke to her and led her forward!

GOD'S FAMILY

For a long time I have held a great concern in my heart, but because of age and position have found it impossible, or at the very least unwise, to speak of it. However, recently someone much younger and wiser than I am has given expression to my heart even better than I could, so I feel a liberty to post it here in the hope that others will read and understand!

So here is a quote from a young person I love and respect who wrote about the current focus on youth initiatives:

"And what is the role of the older generation....?
As a young person I love my generation, but I see how necessary it is that we have wisdom, leadership and input from the older generation. It is vital to our success and survival that this happens. Our generation is already unbalanced in its views. The world has put emphasis on us by giving us 'liberation' in so many areas, sex, drugs, lifestyle etc.. we are given so many things and take for granted so much. We are the generation burdened with choices. We have little respect for those that may be in authority or who have gone before us and may have paid a price for us to live as we do. By annihilating moral absolutes the world has declared war on this generation. There is no sense of family unit which adds to the unbalance. We needs spiritual mothers and fathers, leaders in the body. The church needs to even the score and balance rather than further emphasise the imbalance by enhancing the inflated sense of how precious young people are. We need to be understood, released, inspired and given opportunity in the context that this world is not all about us and our generation. Every person alive on the face of the earth is precious as far as God is concerned. A point to remember is that my generation can't be seen through rose-coloured glasses either, as much as the world or people within the church limit our opportunities or put us down and are responsible for shutting us out or down in different areas, we are responsible for our own inability to commit to anything, respect anyone, our laziness and selfishness. We create as many issues for ourselves as the world and church creates for us. We must own our issues, not be excused from them or have someone pass the blame for us."

Ephesians 2:14-18

For he himself is our peace, who has made the TWO ONE and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. By abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to CREATE IN HIMSELF ONE NEW MAN out of the two, thus making peace, and in this ONE BODY to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father, BY ONE SPIRIT.

In the Complete Jewish Bible the word for barrier is 'm'chitzah' - the divider between men and women in the orthodox synagogue, or metaphorically the 5 foot high stone wall between the Court of the Gentiles and the Inner Courts of the Temple where the Jewish people could go. What a wonderful picture this gives us of His great desire to bring together men and women, Jew and Gentile, all to be ONE in Him.

We must take care in placing a stronger emphasis on one part of the Body than another - we could find ourselves breaking down the Family of God rather than building and strengthening it for His Glory.

SHALOM

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

I have a feeling that an answer is coming, but not as we expect – just as the Messiah Himself did not meet the expectations of the religious establishment.

What truly will be the effect of what Joel prophesied? It is so wide open in possibilities and so boundless in God. I think we will only survive if we let everything go into God’s hands and let Him have His way with our screaming flesh.

What does my flesh scream? “This is not the way it is supposed to be…” (Says who?) “This is painful…..” (He knows that!) “I cannot see an end to this….” (He does).
Then we turn around and look at the head with blood flowing where the thorns have torn His flesh, and the scarred hands, the blood and water pouring out of a wounded side, the back torn to ribbons with lashes……..”This is My body broken for you…” takes on new meaning for me in this place, and I run towards the One who is THE ANSWER to all of my pain and all of my questions.

I feel full of tears, but what am I weeping for? Is it that things are not as I think they should be? Is it that my flesh cannot cope with the pressure of it’s own death? Is it that I cannot bear watching others in the same process?

Lord, you know the seasons and times that You have appointed for us. Help us to run into You, again and again and again, for truly You alone are our hiding place, our refuge, our strength. Be the ‘all in all’ that only You can be for us. Be strength in our weakness. Be our light. Be our salvation. Be our deliverer. Over and above all of this Lord, be our PEACE.