Draw Near and Ye Shall be Heard!

 

This year I watched one of my two favorite holiday movies, Miracle on 34^th Street on Christmas evening, after the presents were open and scattered, and the kids gone home. My husband, somewhat reluctantly sat beside me in our adjacent recliners.

I always enjoy this movie and always at Christmas time, but this year, one phrase from the movie remained in my mind over the next few days:

“Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. All persons having business with the Special Term, Part 3 of the Supreme Court held in and for the County of New York, draw near and give your attendance, and ye shall be heard.”

The court bailiff issued this announcement, almost singing the oft’ repeated phrase, as the judge entered the courtroom and took his place on the bench.

The entire courtroom stood to their feet as the judge entered, and once he had sat down behind the bench, they were permitted to sit down.

Draw near.

Is anyone in need of justice?

Draw near.

Are you in an impossible situation, being taken advantage of, lacking the resources to defend yourself?

Draw near, and you will be heard.

The judge promises in that two word phrase, draw near, to listen intently, judge impartially, to deliver justice.

People need hope. I need hope. I need to know that someone hears me. Someone knows my voice, gives me the right to speak, and promises to listen and rule justly on my behalf.

It’s just a movie, right? Just an old phrase that used to be said in antiquated courtrooms.

No, not so. There is still justice. “But God is the judge, and justice comes from him.” Proverbs 29:26.

And the weary, broken, persecuted and discouraged may run into his courtroom and still find justice. His courtroom? He now presides over a court that is always open, never closed down for holidays, never off limits. His courtroom is also his Throne Room where his saints through the ages have found mercy and justice to help them in their times of need.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Or in my favorite version, The Passion Translation:

“So now we draw near freely and boldly to where grace is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness.”

So draw near! Yes, there’s still justice available. There’s still someone on the bench who will listen and rule in your best interests. A just judge, a true “justice” on the high court.

And not only does he beckon you to draw near to the court for justice. He invites you into relationship with him, to run into his heart.

Hebrews 6:18-20

“So it is impossible for God to lie for we know that his promise and his vow will never change! And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakable hope! We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold, and where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone in before us. He is now and forever our royal Priest like Melchizedek. “

It’s true, believe it! Join me before the Throne. Draw near and you will be heard!

Hidden for you to find...

 

Reading through the book of Proverbs again this month, I came across that wonderful concept of searching for hidden treasure in Proverbs 25:2

“God conceals the revelation of his word in the hiding place of his glory. But the honor of kings is revealed by how they thoroughly search out the deeper meaning of all God says.”

I love how Bill Johnson explains in his teachings and books this concept of God hiding things from us. Bill shares the story of hiding Easter eggs when his kids were little. He says that he and his wife hid them often in plain sight, on a picnic table, or at the foot of a tree, when the kids were toddlers. They did not hide them up in the tree or on the roof where the kids could never find them, or if they actually did see the eggs up there, they had no way to retrieve them. No, he and his wife hid the eggs for the kids to find. The hiding places were age specific and grew more challenging as the children matured and could actually reach up into a tree to grab one.

It get frustrating sometimes when we feel like we don’t understand a situation we’re confronted with, and God doesn’t seem to be revealing what’s behind it, or how to deal with it. That’s when it’s good to remember that God is not hiding the answers from us, but for us, hiding them for us to find when we thoroughly seek him.

I was reminded of a short passage from my recently published book, Running with the Prophets, where I describe an imagined interaction between the prophet, Elijah and his parents when he was a young boy:

“Some of my earliest memories were of quiet mornings assisting my abba tending our terrace gardens. Well watered with rain from heaven and dew from the earth, our olive trees grew rapidly, producing some of the finest oil. Ima often prayed for me to grow tall and strong like an olive tree in the courts of Yahweh, our God. Abba sang over our family nearly every morning, “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table.” Ima and I laughed and danced as he sang! (Psalm 128:3)

I learned many lessons from Abba and Ima, but none so great as when Abba took me away for a few days, camping outdoors near our vineyards.

“You are becoming a man, Elijah. And I want you to know who you are.”

I laughed.“Oh, Abba, I know who I am. I am Elijah, son of Savah and Natanya, of the tribe of Benjamin!”

“Yes, my son, but there is more to your identity than your parents and your tribe.”

I looked up at Abba and waited for him to say more.

“Elijah, your name means ‘Yahweh is my God’. Do you understand what that means, for Yahweh to be your God?”

“I think so, Abba. It means that I worship the one true God. I don’t worship idols or objects that I can see in front of me. But, Abba, I do wish I could see the God I worship!”

“Ah, but you do see, Elijah! You see the sun rise each morning, and set each night. You see the vineyards bulging with the grape harvest, the olive branches heavy with fruit, the goats playing on the hills!”

“Yes, but I don’t see him, I don’t see Yahweh, and Moses taught us that ’You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’”

“Ah, but do you remember what Moses prayed for? He asked Yahweh, ‘Let me see your glory,’ and what happened next?”

“I know! I know!” I stood up then and recited the words of Moses.

“Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “Yahweh, Yahweh, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” (footnote ?Exodus 34:5-7)

Abba’s face beamed as he listened to me recite what he had taught me.

Then Abba continued. “My son, when Moses saw God’s glory, what do you suppose it looked like?”

“Light brighter than the sun! A presence bigger than a giant!”

Abba laughed and pulled me close. “Elijah, Yahweh is my God. Today I challenge you to pray the prayer of Moses. For the rest of your life, ask and keep on asking Yahweh to show you his glory. Yes, it’s a mystery, but one worth pursuing. It’s a bit like when you play ‘guess which hand’, with your ima. You know she’s got something sweet in her hand, and you know it’s for you. She’s not hiding it from you, but for you. For you to find. Yahweh is like that, my son. Search him out all your days. He’s not hiding his mystery from you, but for you to find when you search for him with all your heart.

“And you, my son, will continue to speak the very words of Yahweh, both from the Torah which you have memorized, and also those mysteries you hear as you search for Yahweh with all of your heart. Your words will be weighty, life changing and life saving to kings and commoners in the days to come. I challenge you today, Elijah, to say what you hear, and speak what you see. The world needs to hear from Yahweh, and you will deliver the words he gives you at just the right time. Although it may be difficult, even dangerous at times, to deliver the messages Yahweh gives you, you can trust him to take care of you, because Yahweh is your God.”

I felt Yahweh’s presence that day, although I could not see him. And I fell more and more in love with this mysterious God for whom I was named, the one inviting me to search for him in all his mystery.”

So today, I invite you to listen to Father God’s invitation to seek him for the answers you need about that problem, that job, that relationship. And hold tight to Jesus’ promise: “Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8