Women's Bible Study Fellowship

Our Women's Bible Study had a night of fellowship. It was wonderful to hear how the LORD is ministering to each individual woman exactly where they are at. Isn't that the way the Word of God is? One Book can speak to each personally. It was encouraging and exciting to hear what the LORD has done. We are looking forward to what He will do with the rest of the time we have together.

(This is totally aside...the bummer for me, personally, is that in the morning I had a root canal done and I totally did not enjoy my dinner. btw I had so forgotten what this whole experience was like, that as I started to remember and relive it I began to get an anxiety attack on the dentist chair - thank God for His Word which He has so graciously helped me to memorize. I began to think Scripture and to remember worship songs...then the whole process was finally over...thank you Jesus!)

Since I wrote the previous post I haven't been able to shake some additional thoughts -

What I've read, thus far, in the book The Darkness and the Glory is too deep and heavy to be able to do it justice by simply typing a few quotes. I quoted from Chapter 3 - The Darkness, but I want you to be aware that the quotes I picked are not even minutely close to what has ministered to me. In fact the entire chapter has me chewing, chewing, chewing. You would have to read the chapter in its entirety, and in that matter the entire book, in order to get the context and the entire picture.

Hebrews 12:1-4 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

2 Corinthians 8:9 - For you know the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

The Darkness and the Glory

A while back I was given a book called The Darkness and the Glory by Greg Harris. I was excited about the book, but I must admit that having read Dr. Harris’ first book, The Cup and the Glory, I was kind of apprehensive about reading this second book. Now, don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Cup and the Glory, however it was extremely sobering – Lessons on Suffering and the Glory of God is simply not the kind of lessons I jump at the chance to get into. I was also going through a lot of “hard-things” in every day life, and so getting into a “deep-book” was not something I wanted to do. I wanted something “light-flowery-kind-of-book”. However, God kept prompting me to pick up the book – The Darkness and the Glory.

In the beginning, do to my state of mind, I was simply not getting into it. I even thought of putting the book down and away until another “season”, but God would not allow me to.

I am not finished reading the book, however, the things that have been etched in my heart are so deep; they are not the kind of things that you read and move on. Some of the aspects of My Savior’s crucifixion have been shown me through this book that I couldn’t even began to think or understand. Thus far Chapter 3 has left a picture in my heart that has been so deeply sketched that I can’t shake it from my mind. Dr. Harris writes about those three hours of darkness during Jesus’ crucifixion in a way that I have never heard and in a way that shake me to the core.

And I quote:
…In answer as to why the darkness was over the cross comes this best bliblical response: in the same manner by which the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenant had darkness when they were ratified, so too did God employ darkness as He ratified His New Covenant in the blood of Jesus. This obviously requires God’s presence at the cross. Could God possibly be absent from a covenant that He Himself ratifies?

…Part of what made the cup that Jesus drank differ from all others and also added to torture that marred His body beyond measure was this second element unique to Him: God the Father struck and smote God the Son. Satan and rebellious man each had his role in this crime, and God held each party accountable for his actions. However, the Father played a unique role in Jesus’ suffering.

…While human and satanic agents all had a part, the Word mandates a specific and deliberate striking of God’s Messiah by the Father – a fact that we would never know unless God revealed it. Somewhere in the crucifixion narrative, in order for Scripture t be fulfilled, there must be a divine striking of God’s own Shepherd by God Himself.

…It seems best to understand that Satan had completed his God-ranted hour of authority at this point. He would no more play a major role in the crucifixion from this point onward; Scripture makes no more reference to him again regarding the crucifixion. What would transpire now lay only in the Father’s hands. Jesus had endured so much by the midpoint of His crucifixion, yet the two most horrific aspects of His suffering were only now beginning. No one needed to explain to either the angelic or demonic realm the key question at hand: what would god the Father do once He approached His son?

…For three hours – divine wrath inflicted and received by the One alone able to do so.

For three hours – silent, willful submission by the Lamb of God, the Servant of Yahweh.

For three hours – Jesus bore the full burden of sins past, present, and future.

For three hours – the Father smote the Son with the full wrath He alone could render.

And then – He stopped.

~~~~~~

I read Dr. Harris’ blog and on his post dated January 30, 2009 he writes, “With The Cup and the Glory, many of them had life experiences of their own cup and hardships. With The Darkness and the Glory, which deals with the cup that Jesus alone had to drink because no one else could, it has been a lot less vocal as a reverential awe and worship of what Jesus endured for us permeated our last session. There were still comments, of course, but when we look at what He endured, we see how far removed we are from Him, and often there are no words fit to express this. This is fitting and is as God intends and is at the heart of true worship.”

And to think that Jesus did this for you, for me…

Dr. Harris website: http://www.glorybooksministry.org/
Dr. Harris blog: http://glorybooksministry.blogspot.com/

I just saw a video/testimonials in a blog I visit that moved me to tears. Go over to Sue's Blog and check it out...I know it will minister to you.

ROOTS...

Wow! What God, once again is showing me is so incredible. The other day I noticed these huge, ugly roots in my back yard.

Who put them there? I didn’t. I didn’t plant them; I didn’t nurture them; I didn’t even water them. Yet, they grew and grew and grew. It took my husband and an ugly, big, steel pick to pull them out. And let me tell you the process wasn’t simple. My husband had to break up the ground all around the weed, he had to dig and dig and dig. Then he had to yank, and pull and dig some more, and pull some more, finally managing to get the weed with only some its roots out. Then by hand he had to clean out the remaining roots on the ground, otherwise we will soon have more weeds.

One of the things the LORD showed me was that although I had nothing to do with planting this weed, I had a choice of whether to leave it there or to take it out. I could have said, “It doesn’t bother me”; “I can’t take it out”; “It’s not that bad anyway”; “I don’t want to bother anyone to help me take it out”, “It’s been there all this time, why take it out now”, etc.

ROOTS – deep, embedded issues, situations, etc. that have left their ugliness in my heart, in my life…

As I thought about this, the LORD brought to mind something I had read in the book, “Hinds Feet on High Places” by Hannah Hurnard

Chapter 16 – Grave on the Mountain

…they (Much Afraid, Sorrow and Suffering) found it to be some kind of stone altar with the indistinct figure of someone standing behind it.

“This is the place,” said Much-Afraid quietly. “This is where I am to make my offering.” She went up to the altar and knelt down…

She knelt there quite alone in the cold, clammy mist, beside the desolate altar in this valley of shadow, and into her mind came the words which Bitterness had flung at her long before when she walked the shores of loneliness: “Sooner or later, when he gets you up on the wild places of the mountains he will put you on some sort of a cross and abandon you to it.”

It seemed that in a way Bitterness had been right, thought Much-Afraid to herself, only he had been too ignorant to know and she too foolish at that time to understand that in all the world only one thing really mattered, to do the will of the one she followed and loved, no matter what it involved or cost. Strangely enough, as she knelt there by the altar, seemingly abandoned at that last tremendous crisis, there was no sign or sound of the presence of her enemies.

The grave up on the mountains is at the very edge of the High Places and beyond the reach of PRIDE and BITTERNESS and RESENTMENT and SELF-PITY, yes, and of FEAR too,…(emphasis mine)

After she had waiting for a little and still he had no come, she put out her hand and with one final effort of failing strength grasped the natural human love and desire growing in her heart and struggled to tear them out. At the first touch it was as though anguish pierced through her every nerve and fiber, and she knew with a pang almost of despair that THE ROOTS HAD WOUND AND TWINED AND TRUST THEMSELVES INTO EVERY PART OF HER BEING (emphasis mine). Though she put forth all her remaining strength in the most desperate effort to wrench them out, not a single rootlet stirred.

For the first time she felt something akin to fear and panic. SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO DO THIS THING WHICH HE ASKED OF HER (emphasis mine). Having reached the altar at last, she was powerless to obey. Turning to those who had been her guides and helpers all the way up the mountains, she asked for their help, and for them to do what she could not for herself, to tear the plant out of her heart. For the first time Suffering and Sorrow shook their heads.

“We have done all that we can for you,” they answered, “but this we cannot do.”

At that the indistinct figure behind the altar stepped forward and said quietly, “I am the priest of this altar – I will take it out of your heart IF YOU WISH.” (emphasis mine)

Much-Afraid turned toward him instantly. “Oh, thank you,” she said. “I beg you to do so.”

He came and stood beside her, his form indistinct and blurred by the midst, and then she continued entreatingly, “I am a very great coward. I am afraid that the pain may cause me to try to resist you. Will you bind me to the altar in some way so that I cannot move? I would not like to be found struggling while the will of my Lord is done.”

There was complete silence in the cloud-filled canyon for a moment or two, then the priest answered, “It is well said. I will bind you to the altar.” Then he bound her hand and foot.

When he had finished, Much-Afraid lifted her face toward the High Places which were quite invisible and spoke quietly through the mist. “My Lord, behold me – here I am, in the place thou didst send me to – doing the thing thou didst tell me to do, for where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me” (Ruth 1:17).

Still there was silence, a silence as of the grave, for indeed she was in the grave of her own hopes and still without the promised hinds’ feet, still outside the High Places with even the promise to be laid down on the altar. This was the place to which the long, heartbreaking journey had led her. Yet just once more before she laid it down on the altar, Much-Afraid repeated the glorious promise which had been the cause of her starting for the High Places. “The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet and he will make me to walk upon mine High Places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments” (Hab. 3:19).

The priest put forth A HAND OF STEEL, right into her heart. There was a sound of RENDING AND TEARING, and the human love, with all its myriad rootless and fibers, came forth. (emphasis mine)

He held it for a moment and then said, “Yes, it was ripe for removal, the time had come. There is not a rootlet torn or missing.”

When he had said this he cast it down on the altar and spread his hands above it. There came a flash of fire which seemed to rend the altar; after that, nothing but ashes remained, either of the love itself, which had been so deeply planted in her heart, or of the suffering and sorrow which had been her companions on that long, strange journey. A sense of utter, overwhelming rest and peace engulfed Much-Afraid. At last, the offering had been made and there was nothing left to be done. When the priest had unbound her she leaned forward over the ashes on the altar and said with complete thanksgiving, “It is finished.”

Then, utterly exhausted, she fell asleep.