Retreat
"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you. During our church retreat, we drew a picture of a time when the Lord blessed us and kept us. Mine is a picture of my time in Israel. I am lying on large rocks on top of a hill. With my hands behind my head, I am looking up at an eagle high above me. Though at that time the country was in upheaval, my personal months there were covered in peace. I was living and working on a kibbutz - and only later discovered that kibbutzim are the most secular segment of the country. Yet I was in a blanket of prayer that covered every part of my soul - both spiritual and tangible. In all my experiences in Israel, in every aspect of everything, I came home without a scratch.
The Lord turn his face toward you. Then we drew a picture of a time the Lord turned his face toward us, and saw us when no one else did. Mine is a picture of me at a youth purity seminar several years ago. It is a picture of a multitude of people, the faceless heads of a large crowd. There is an arrow pointing randomly to one of the heads . . . me.
I was just one in a crowd that day, and no one knew me there. That seminar was not even meant for me; it was meant for high school kids. But it was I who ate up every word. I was lost in a sea of faces that day, but the LORD saw me there.
You are with me. My life was Your idea, Your wish. I entrust my relationships to You. And I receive the emptiness that You brought into my life.
At our retreat we each went on a prayer journey in solitude. The first part of the journey was about loss and suffering. I prayed for God's grace to receive the emptiness that He has brought into my life. To receive it as a gift.
Then, we called God by His names. Some of my favorites were:
Jehovah-shammah (The Lord is There)
El Roi (The God Who Sees)
Jehovah-nissi (The Lord My Banner)
Jehovah-jireh (The Lord Will Provide)
Qanna (Jealous)
Jehova-mekoddishken (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)
The Lord bless you and keep you. During our church retreat, we drew a picture of a time when the Lord blessed us and kept us. Mine is a picture of my time in Israel. I am lying on large rocks on top of a hill. With my hands behind my head, I am looking up at an eagle high above me. Though at that time the country was in upheaval, my personal months there were covered in peace. I was living and working on a kibbutz - and only later discovered that kibbutzim are the most secular segment of the country. Yet I was in a blanket of prayer that covered every part of my soul - both spiritual and tangible. In all my experiences in Israel, in every aspect of everything, I came home without a scratch.
The Lord turn his face toward you. Then we drew a picture of a time the Lord turned his face toward us, and saw us when no one else did. Mine is a picture of me at a youth purity seminar several years ago. It is a picture of a multitude of people, the faceless heads of a large crowd. There is an arrow pointing randomly to one of the heads . . . me.
I was just one in a crowd that day, and no one knew me there. That seminar was not even meant for me; it was meant for high school kids. But it was I who ate up every word. I was lost in a sea of faces that day, but the LORD saw me there.
You are with me. My life was Your idea, Your wish. I entrust my relationships to You. And I receive the emptiness that You brought into my life.
At our retreat we each went on a prayer journey in solitude. The first part of the journey was about loss and suffering. I prayed for God's grace to receive the emptiness that He has brought into my life. To receive it as a gift.
Then, we called God by His names. Some of my favorites were:
Jehovah-shammah (The Lord is There)
El Roi (The God Who Sees)
Jehovah-nissi (The Lord My Banner)
Jehovah-jireh (The Lord Will Provide)
Qanna (Jealous)
Jehova-mekoddishken (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)
posted by Natalie at 6:04 PM
1 Comments:
Oh, this is so good, Natalie. I'm sorry I couldn't go to the retreat with you. May the Lord continue to bless you with insight.
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