Tuesday, December 02, 2008, 10:41 a.m. – This song is still in my head:
Our God Saves / by Paul Baloche / from the album Our God Saves
In the name of the Father
In the name of the Son
In the name of the Spirit
Lord we've come
We're gathered together
To lift up Your name
To call on our savior
To fall on Your grace
Hear the joyful sound of our offering
As your saints bow down, as your people sing
We will rise with You, lifted on Your wings
And the world will see that
Our God Saves, Our God Saves
There is hope in Your name
Mourning turns to songs of praise
Our God Saves, Our God Saves, Yeah
I woke this morning out of two dreams. DREAM ONE: I was still a young girl living at home with my parents in this dream, only I didn’t feel like these were my real parents in the dream. My father kept trying to abuse me; to take advantage of me, but I resisted him. I believe I told someone, and then he was removed from the home, but that he came back and tried again and I told someone again. END
(This happened to me in real life when I was a child/youth. And, my father remained in authority over me until I got married to my husband at the age of 22.)
DREAM TWO: I was in my full length cotton nightgown, but I was in an office subbing for someone else answering the phone for him for a few hours. Then, that person’s boss came in unexpectedly and he then tried to take advantage of me since I was in my nightgown, but I resisted him, too, and I believe I told someone. END
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 12:
Help, LORD, for the godly are no more;
the faithful have vanished from among men.
2 Everyone lies to his neighbor;
their flattering lips speak with deception.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue
4 that says, "We will triumph with our tongues;
we own our lips —who is our master?"
5 "Because of the oppression of the weak
and the groaning of the needy,
I will now arise," says the LORD.
"I will protect them from those who malign them."
6 And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace of clay,
purified seven times.
7 O LORD, you will keep us safe
and protect us from such people forever.
8 The wicked freely strut about
when what is vile is honored among men.
My Understanding: In the first dream, I believe I am representing all children who are maligned by those in authority over them. This could be actual physical children under the care of an adult or this could be speaking more metaphorically of all the children of God under religious and/or governmental leaders who also “malign” them in many ways. The abuse can be literal physical abuse or it can be abuse of power; abuse of trust; and/or mental, emotional, and spiritual abuse, etc.
In the second dream, I’m in a nightgown in an office. I prayed about this, and I believe what the Lord has shown me is this ministry he has given to me and to others of answering God’s call in the middle of the night through dreams and visions and then writing them down at a desk in a home office. This is speaking of the privacy of our homes, I believe, where we feel we are in private.
The answering of phones in a “subbing” situation for someone else, I believe, is about how God has called many men to answer his calls in the middle of the night or day, but they aren’t answering; they aren’t picking up the phone, so he has chosen women in their place to sub for them. So, the “boss” of the men is the world and the world’s system, since these men (religious leaders and/or family heads) are not listening to God. [See Luke 7:36-50]
The abuse, in this case, can come via the world’s thinking, philosophies, language, etc. that is being brought into the home and into the church via these men (leaders) who are listening more to the world than they are to God. Our “Christian” homes and family units and our churches have become so much like the world that it is indistinguishable between the church and the world now days. The family’s conversations both at church and in the home revolve more around the world, not around the Lord, but no one seems to care that we’ve lost connection with the head.
This scripture passage begins with a call to God for help because the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. That is what these dreams are about. In the dreams I am telling someone about the abuse. I’m telling the Lord! I’m crying out to God because many of the leaders of our homes and many of the leaders of our churches are not listening to God, but they are listening to the world.
The Lord says in this Psalm that because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy that he will now arise and he will protect them from those who malign them. Ok, so what does that mean?
Until the Lord comes in judgment and he removes the wicked from the earth, wickedness will still exist. The innocent; the weak; the needy will still be taken advantage of; they will still be maligned by those stronger than them. Yet, the Lord promises to protect us. And, his words we can count on. He will not lie to us like men do. So, ultimately, what does this mean?
It means that we can trust in the Sovereignty of God. It means that the Lord will be with us, that he can quiet us from within even when the world around us is in chaos. He will be there to hear us, to comfort, to wrap his loving arms around us, to protect us in battle against the enemy of our souls, etc. He may not physically remove us from our circumstances just yet as we may hope, but he will be with us through them and he will give us much reassurance and hope for the future.
One day he will come to judge and the wicked will get their due reward for their wickedness. So, one day he will literally physically remove us from the oppression of the wicked. That is a promise we can depend on. He may do that in this life, but he may just keep us safe internally through our external circumstances via his peace, joy, salvation, love, mercy, grace, kindness, etc. The main protection in this life, I believe, is in our hope of salvation, in our hope of his soon return, and the internal peace he gives us even in difficult circumstances. This is a great Biblical example:
Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16:22-31 NIV): The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."
www.excite.com: Daily Bible Verse, Mat 6:25, New International Version
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Our God Saves / by Paul Baloche / from the album Our God Saves
In the name of the Father
In the name of the Son
In the name of the Spirit
Lord we've come
We're gathered together
To lift up Your name
To call on our savior
To fall on Your grace
Hear the joyful sound of our offering
As your saints bow down, as your people sing
We will rise with You, lifted on Your wings
And the world will see that
Our God Saves, Our God Saves
There is hope in Your name
Mourning turns to songs of praise
Our God Saves, Our God Saves, Yeah
I woke this morning out of two dreams. DREAM ONE: I was still a young girl living at home with my parents in this dream, only I didn’t feel like these were my real parents in the dream. My father kept trying to abuse me; to take advantage of me, but I resisted him. I believe I told someone, and then he was removed from the home, but that he came back and tried again and I told someone again. END
(This happened to me in real life when I was a child/youth. And, my father remained in authority over me until I got married to my husband at the age of 22.)
DREAM TWO: I was in my full length cotton nightgown, but I was in an office subbing for someone else answering the phone for him for a few hours. Then, that person’s boss came in unexpectedly and he then tried to take advantage of me since I was in my nightgown, but I resisted him, too, and I believe I told someone. END
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Psalm 12:
Help, LORD, for the godly are no more;
the faithful have vanished from among men.
2 Everyone lies to his neighbor;
their flattering lips speak with deception.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue
4 that says, "We will triumph with our tongues;
we own our lips —who is our master?"
5 "Because of the oppression of the weak
and the groaning of the needy,
I will now arise," says the LORD.
"I will protect them from those who malign them."
6 And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace of clay,
purified seven times.
7 O LORD, you will keep us safe
and protect us from such people forever.
8 The wicked freely strut about
when what is vile is honored among men.
My Understanding: In the first dream, I believe I am representing all children who are maligned by those in authority over them. This could be actual physical children under the care of an adult or this could be speaking more metaphorically of all the children of God under religious and/or governmental leaders who also “malign” them in many ways. The abuse can be literal physical abuse or it can be abuse of power; abuse of trust; and/or mental, emotional, and spiritual abuse, etc.
In the second dream, I’m in a nightgown in an office. I prayed about this, and I believe what the Lord has shown me is this ministry he has given to me and to others of answering God’s call in the middle of the night through dreams and visions and then writing them down at a desk in a home office. This is speaking of the privacy of our homes, I believe, where we feel we are in private.
The answering of phones in a “subbing” situation for someone else, I believe, is about how God has called many men to answer his calls in the middle of the night or day, but they aren’t answering; they aren’t picking up the phone, so he has chosen women in their place to sub for them. So, the “boss” of the men is the world and the world’s system, since these men (religious leaders and/or family heads) are not listening to God. [See Luke 7:36-50]
The abuse, in this case, can come via the world’s thinking, philosophies, language, etc. that is being brought into the home and into the church via these men (leaders) who are listening more to the world than they are to God. Our “Christian” homes and family units and our churches have become so much like the world that it is indistinguishable between the church and the world now days. The family’s conversations both at church and in the home revolve more around the world, not around the Lord, but no one seems to care that we’ve lost connection with the head.
This scripture passage begins with a call to God for help because the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. That is what these dreams are about. In the dreams I am telling someone about the abuse. I’m telling the Lord! I’m crying out to God because many of the leaders of our homes and many of the leaders of our churches are not listening to God, but they are listening to the world.
The Lord says in this Psalm that because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy that he will now arise and he will protect them from those who malign them. Ok, so what does that mean?
Until the Lord comes in judgment and he removes the wicked from the earth, wickedness will still exist. The innocent; the weak; the needy will still be taken advantage of; they will still be maligned by those stronger than them. Yet, the Lord promises to protect us. And, his words we can count on. He will not lie to us like men do. So, ultimately, what does this mean?
It means that we can trust in the Sovereignty of God. It means that the Lord will be with us, that he can quiet us from within even when the world around us is in chaos. He will be there to hear us, to comfort, to wrap his loving arms around us, to protect us in battle against the enemy of our souls, etc. He may not physically remove us from our circumstances just yet as we may hope, but he will be with us through them and he will give us much reassurance and hope for the future.
One day he will come to judge and the wicked will get their due reward for their wickedness. So, one day he will literally physically remove us from the oppression of the wicked. That is a promise we can depend on. He may do that in this life, but he may just keep us safe internally through our external circumstances via his peace, joy, salvation, love, mercy, grace, kindness, etc. The main protection in this life, I believe, is in our hope of salvation, in our hope of his soon return, and the internal peace he gives us even in difficult circumstances. This is a great Biblical example:
Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16:22-31 NIV): The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."
www.excite.com: Daily Bible Verse, Mat 6:25, New International Version
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
