“Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”
Psalm 77:20
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Take my hand, Lord,
and guide me through this weary time.
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Gently lift and gently lead,
my eyes are tired,
the path is dim.
—-
Take my hand, Lord,
a grasp of friendship,
a grasp of love,
—-
Father to child,
child to father,
trusting,
secure,
warm.
—-
Take my hand, Lord,
that I might be healed,
and capable soon,
to reach my hand,
back to another.
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But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Mark 13:32 (KJV)
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I drive between the small town I live in and Phoenix, AZ every week. Although the trips can make me very weary, usually it is quite uneventful and often gives me time of insight and inspiration.
5 o’clock came, end of day, and I started packing my car, ready to head back up the mountain toward home. I was about to place a box of files in the back seat of my car, but for a flash of a second I saw them flying around in the sky. I’ve learned to trust these flashes and with a smile I said, “Okay Lord” and put them securely in the trunk, wedged tight.
Traffic through the city was lighter than usual, for that I was grateful. I had my glass of Iced Tea (to keep me awake) and my Christian Music (to keep me singing and bouncing), I was on a mission to get back to the family.
The main highway has been under construction for years and always poses a challenge for impatient drivers. I set my speed with my cruise control and tried not to let anything distract me. About an hour and a half into my trip I was in the heavy climbing area, where the road winds back and forth. Trucks are to follow the signs that are posted in that area and remain in the right lane only; at least that’s what I thought.
The road curved to the left ahead of me and as I cleared the curve there was a semi-truck over half way into the left lane, directly in front of me, it was attempting to pass a slower truck in the right lane. I hit my brakes and held the steering wheel as firmly as I could. The brakes hopped, skipped and sang. I went from 70 mph to 33 mph in . . . well . . . I was a little too preoccupied to notice, but I can tell you it was very few seconds. It was the closest I have come to hitting anything; inches. I don’t think the semi-truck ever saw me.
As soon as I was safely back in the lane of travel I heard the words, “No one knows the day or the hour.” It quickened my spirit and pulled at my heart. Only the hand of God kept me from hitting that truck – it wasn’t my day, it wasn’t my hour.
“Yes, Lord.” Was I ready? The faces of my family ran through my mind – I had almost left them behind that day. What would have happened to them? Had I finished the call that God had place before me? WAS I READY??
God, nudge me. Never let me tarry on items you’ve called me to complete. Give me the strength and Wisdom to complete every task – leave nothing unfinished. Teach me what is most important in Your eyes, that all will be complete.
Are you ready?
By Linda J. Humes
Written 5-31-2009
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. Luke 15:31-32 KJV
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Where is my heart, Lord,
The heart You can see.
Has it wandered much too far,
From where it ought to be?
—-
I rest in Your presence
And wonder where I am.
Have I gone too far?
Have I given up too soon?
You have set a path for me,
Charted by Grace,
Out of bondage,
Through the Wilderness,
Into the Promised Land.
—-
How often do I cast a glance
At the familiar security of bondage?
My memories, sweetened with time,
Draw me back across the Wilderness
That I have already overcome.
My promise of tomorrow,
Looses distance,
By my own temptations.
—-
Yet, at the end of my daily journey,
As I cry out,
You rest with me.
Words of encouragement urge me forward,
The reality of temptation, once again,
Becomes clear.
—-
There is no anger in your voice,
There is no disappointment,
Only tears of joy,
Fatherly pride,
As I step, once again,
Toward the promise.
—-
Callous my heart, Lord,
To sweetened memories,
To familiarity.
—-
Tender my hear, Lord, toward You.
Let me see Your path with certainty.
Harness my mind and confusion.
Touch the greatest depths of my soul,
That when we meet again,
In the cool of the day,
That I might hear You,
With a perfect heart.
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“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” 1 John 2:27
Have you ever walked into a church and felt the anointing? Have you listened to a song and felt the presence of God flowing over you? Has someone laid hands on your shoulder as you were deep in prayer and felt the power of God shoot straight through you like a charge of electricity? Have you reached out to caress an old worn Bible and felt a tenderness in your hand? Have you ever placed a prayer cloth over your head or around your shoulder and felt a calm pass through you? We all have “God Moments” when there is no doubt about His presence. But, have you ever felt the anointing in the little things?
I’ve been told that people can tell when others are praying for them, it’s the anointing crossing the distances we cannot. The anointing can go into the battlefield with a soldier, into a prison cell, into a hospital room or into a classroom with the person in prayer sits in an office or bedroom miles or countries away.
Recently someone gave me a small knitted blanket with a bag of donations, one I suspect was knitted for a baby boy (it’s blue!). When I touched it I could feel the anointing of loving prayer, likely spoken as each row was knitted. I keep it in my travel bag, what comfort and peace it brings, no matter where I am.
I wonder if we leave that same anointed feeling as we walk through our daily lives. Does the accident victim feel the comfort of the Holy Spirit as we whisper a prayer in passing? Does the stranded motorist feel the angels of protection, placed in prayer, as help is summoned. Does a hurting person feel the hug of God as we fold them in our arms and pray? Does the inmate feel “something” as they open the letters of encouragement mailed off with a seal of prayer? How much do our prayers make a difference?
I can only give as much anointed prayer as I have worked to receive through personal time with God. I can only share the anointing I have been filled with through hours of prayer. How much do I want to give? How much do I want to make a difference? Lord, use ALL of me.
Lord, God, let me never forget that the comfort I can share may be the only moment of peace in a person’s week, month or year. Let me be like that small blue blanket, stitched with love, that still feels like and smells like the anointing of God. Draw me continually into prayer. Amen.
By Linda J. Humes
Written 6-2-2010
What manner of Saint must I be,
To follow in the footsteps of Christ.
What sort of war must I wage,
What must I give for the price.
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Must I walk in the path of wealth,
giving my treasure to find my way.
Must I earn every possible dime,
Letting riches pave my way.
—-
Must I walk in the wisdom I’ve gained,
Sharing my thoughts and beliefs with all men.
To continue to search, to continue to learn,
To follow the path of the pen.
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Or is it the path of helps,
Feed the poor and encourage the lost.
Will this bring the angels, to show me the way,
Will I walk with the Heavenly hosts.
—-
Is it in learning Your Word and Your ways,
That Your steps will be revealed.
By quoting a verse, or by singing a Psalm,
Is this the way that’s real?
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Tell me Lord. What manner of Saint must I be?
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“These are all good,” spoke the Lord’s tender voice,
“And will help you to understand Me.”
“But, the truth is so simple, so easy to follow,
“It’s something that all Saints can be.”
—-
“Just step in My footsteps, with the foot of a child,
Trusting, open and free.”
“Step where they lead you, without weighing the odds,
At the last step you’ll truly find Me.”
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” And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” Genesis 9:16
Isn’t it wonderful when God’s Promise graces the sky in beautiful colors, standing proud before angry clouds. Wonderful.
“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand
shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall
bow down before thee.” Genesis 49:8 KJV
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Judah is rising up,
As the Phoenix Bird from her ashes,
Reborn and Refreshed,
To take His place in the line of war.
—-
His dead are walking forth from the tombs,
where they have been wrapped,
In the works of this world.
—-
The scales are being removed from His blinded eyes,
Falling to His feet of bronze.
His tongue is being loosed,
To bring the message of God.
—-
Judah is rising up to take His place in the line of war.
—-
With the blessing of Jacob,
And the prayer of Moses,
He prepares Himself,
Ready to battle,
In the Armor of Light.
—-
The belt of truth glistens in the light of the sun,
Making a way,
Distilling the darkness.
—-
Righteousness adorns His breast,
Truth, Grace, Justice.
Peace from the written Word,
Which was God and is God,
Steadies and guides His feet.
Cloaked with faith,
Which no evil can penetrate.
—-
Covering His head with the Anointing oil,
A Spiritual helmet,
Cleansing the mind,
Clearing the confusion,
Making salvation clear.
—-
Stepping forth in the strength of the Spirit,
Both violent and tender,
Judging in Love,
He begins the walk.
—-
Judah has risen,
He is taking His place,
In this Spiritual War.
The singers march first,
To anoint the field,
Causing demons to flee.
—-
The Levites remain, interceding,
Protecting, lighting the way,
With prayers unceasing.
Those that have fallen,
Those that have strayed,
Hear His call.
—-
The Lion roars in the tribe of Judah,
The Root of David gains strength.
The songs of Angels’ tongues break forth,
Screams and gnashing echo in the darkness.
—-
Judah has risen, He has taken His place.
“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 KJV
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Born of sacrifice,
Birthed in grace,
Bone of man’s bone,
Blood of man’s blood.
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Chosen to serve,
Cleaving to the covenant,
The promise of Adam,
The promise of Abraham.
—-
Grace to bring forth,
The children of promise,
Destined to call,
Destined to serve.
—-
Grace to pray truth,
Into the nation,
Grace to endure,
Intercession by day,
Intercession by night.
—-
Unwaivering love,
Unmerited favor,
To see past the pain,
Of sin’s temporal hand,
To the promise of life,
This side of the cross.
—-
Faith in the truth,
Abounding with love,
To believe in the birth,
To believe in the death,
Of life and of Sin,
Of spirit, of soul.
—-
Grace to bloom forth,
As the rose in the desert,
With fragrance and velvet,
From the thorns,
Rigid arms.
—-
Rising to God,
In manifest witness,
Of grace and of mercy,
In truth from above.
—-
Matthew 17:20 “ . . . If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
While enjoying a moment of prayer and being enveloped in the blessing of anointed music, I was touched by the greatness of God. The God that brought the children of promise out of Egypt; the God that parted the Red Sea; the God that brought life to the womb of a virgin Israelite girl; the God who created life and set the sun, moon and stars in their orbit. The God that give life to the grass, flowers, animals and man – no two alike. The God that holds every thought and every emotion of each of His children close to His heart, and turns His head toward the broken, sincere prayer. What a Mighty God We Serve!!!
As I sat in thanksgiving of how great He is, I rejoiced in how He loves us so much that He has packaged all of His power into a faith that would fit inside the tiny mustard seed. A seed so small, that I could hold hundreds in the palm of my hand. That thought fills me with such joy. The faith of Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Peter and Paul would fit into five tiny seeds that rest in the crease of my palm. The faith to lead a nation, to speak life into dying people. The faith to perplex natural events and raise the dead back to new life. The faith to stand, and when they were weary and no longer had the strength to stand, by faith they stood.
Jesus, I pray that I will be content enough with myself that I will want to abundantly bless another in my smallness. I don’t want to feel that I must be well known and in frontline ministry to be able to make a difference. Help me to remember that I can rest in prayer, and with the faith the size of a mustard seed, send up the sweet savor of a miracle to be birthed in another, half a world away.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Recently 19 Hotshot Firefighters went home to be with the Lord. Most of them just beyond voting age. All of them were courageous and deeply loved.
In the hours that followed the recognition of the horrible tragedy that had just taken place, Yavapai County, the State of AZ, and the Brotherhood of Emergency Responders pulled together to comfort these families and attack and extinguish the fastest moving fire in AZ history. It was a true example of the love of God manifested in the little town of Prescott, AZ.
I knew one of the young men and consider his family to be dear friends. Between my 3 boys, we knew 6 of the 19 who perished. Social Media helped us to stay updated with the community events, news stories, videos, shared memories, fundraisers, the Memorial Wall around the fire station, where there was a need and where needs had been met.
It showed us what needed prayer and where prayers had been answered. It showed us the pain and the helplessness of the families, but it could not take us close enough to hug them and hold them as they cried. I was so thankful that at this most challenging time for these families, that God rose up an arm of caring people to be His hands and feet. God sent people to comfort. God sent people to clean homes. God sent people to provide meals. God inspired people to offer rooms for those who came to help. God sent people to fill out forms and complete paperwork that the families would have had such a difficult time completing. God sent people bringing thanks and honor and respect. God brought an army of Angels to be His hands and feet.
The families will continue to struggle with “Whys” and ‘Hows” for a time, but they will never wonder about how much love God can send to them in their hour of pain, they have already experienced that.
Jesus, please keep me always mindful of the pain and the needs of others. Every life in crisis, no matter the cause, needs to be touched by Your love, by any means you have placed in our hands. We won’t always be able to solve the problem, but we can always offer a prayer, speak a word of encouragement, give a hug, listen, and sit with them as they cry. We can be Your hands and feet of compassion to a hurting world.
Linda J. Humes 