Footsteps in the sand.

One night I dreamed a dream.

As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,

One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,

especially at the very lowest and saddest times,

there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. 

"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,

You'd walk with me all the way.

But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me." 

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you

Never, ever, during your trials and testings.

When you saw only one set of footprints,

It was then that I carried you." Mary Stevenson

A brother in Messiah Yeshua has just lost his wife to a neurological condition; he and his children are now faced with the issue of coming to terms of life without a wife, helper and mother.

His brother, a very dear friend and also a brother in Messiah, has just got of the phone to me; he waxed and waned from a sincere heart about this dear departed lady and all she meant to him personally through the years she was married to his brother.

This morning whilst being quiet and sitting before The Father I was reminded of a few things that were deposited into my spirit this last weekend which I would like to share with you all. 

The first was the Truth of true Biblical Love as expounded upon in 1 Cor. 13, this is the love that Yeshua HaMessiach came to pleroo (G4137 - fully preach, show perfectly and accomplish completely - See: Mat. 5:17- I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil (pleroo) - HE IS OUR PERFECT AND ONLY EXAMPLE AS TO HOW WE CAN ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE THIS LOFTY AND GLORIOUS STATUS ONLY AVAILABLE TO HIS BLOOD WASHED DISCIPLES!  

According to 1 Cor. 13:13 which in summation tells us that ALL OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ALL OUR KNOWLEDGE AND TERTIARY ACCOLADES, ALL OUR GIFTS TO THE POOR AND NEEDY, ALL OUR "SPIRITUAL" ENDEAVOURS, ALL OUR MOST HEART FELT SACRIFICES - IN A NUTSHELL - ALL WE EVER ACHIEVE - IF IT IS NOT DONE WITH LOVE IN AND THROUGH MESSIAH IS WORTHLESS!

Let us look again at the Biblical word for LOVE - it is the same word and root as used in 1 Cor. 13:13 and in the Gospel of John chapters 14:15-31 & 15:9-10: If we love Yeshua we will obey His Commandments as He obeyed His Father's!

G26 - agape - From G25; love, that is affection or benevolence; specifically a love feast: - (Please read Fruits of the Spirit for a more complete teaching on LOVE).

The next piece of "manna" that I was fed was received via a Scripture a brother in Messiah felt he needed to share with me this weekend past - Mark 6:45-52:

Very briefly here is what I gleamed from this Scripture -

Messiah Yeshua instructed His Disciples to climb aboard what would most probably have been a medium sized fishing boat and told them to sail across the Sea of Galilee whilst HE stayed on the shore to spend time with Abba - NB: It is said that in a dream or vision from YHWH a boat, car etc could be indicative of the ministry that one has been given by YHWH.

So it is reasonable to assume that The Disciples were definitely right in the middle of the will of both Yeshua and His Father!

So we now have Yeshua on the shore whilst His Disciples were obeying His instruction and heading to the other side of the Lake, in fact they were in the middle when a storm of monumental proportions unexpectedly struck.  THIS STORM BEGAN TO RAGE FOR NO APPARENT REASON AT ALL, AND YET IT WOULD SEEM THAT YESHUA LEFT THEM ALONE IN IT (The Storm) FOR A WHILE, EVEN UNTIL THE 4TH WATCH IN FACT - ABOUT 03:00 IN THE MORNING - THE VERY DEAD OF NIGHT! Please note that Yeshua was watching His Disciples the whole time - HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON!

Here was a teaching moment developing for His Disciples and us today.

YESHUA THEN CAME TO THEM - BUT HOW DID HE COME TO THEIR ASSISTANCE? 

HE CAME IN A WAY COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED AND MIRACULOUS - WALKING ON THE TOP OF THE WATER! We should never expect Yeshua to come to our rescue in a way that we could predict!

IT WOULD SEEM THAT YESHUA DID NOT EVEN CALL OUT TO THEM, HE WAS ABOUT TO WALK PAST THEM - THERE WAS NO FAN-FARE OR TRUMPET BLAST TO ANNOUNCE YESHUA'S ARRIVAL - HE WAS JUST ABOUT HIS BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS STORM!

I HAVE ASKED MYSELF WHY DID YESHUA NOT WALK TO HIS DISCIPLES? WHY DID HE NOT CALL OUT TO THEM?

MY ANSWER - COULD IT BE BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE ALL THE BIBLE ACCOUNTS OF THIS INCIDENT WE DO NOT SEE MENTION MADE EVEN ONCE OF HIS DISCIPLES CALLING OUT TO HIM?  

COULD IT HAVE BEEN THAT THE DISCIPLES, LIKE US MORE OFTEN THAN NOT,  WERE SO ENGROSSED IN THE TASK AT HAND THAT THEY FORGOT HIM AND TRIED TO SORT OUT THE TROUBLES OF THE STORM ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN WAYS AND MEANS?

If what I think is correct, it would seem that YESHUA NEEDED THEM TO GET TO THE END OF THEIR OWN STRENGTH AND WAYS IN THIS BATTLE TO SEE THAT THEY COULD NOT SORT IT OUT FOR THEMSELVES?

I DO NOT KNOW, BUT IT SEEMS THAT WAY TO ME. HOWEVER WHEN THEY DID FINALLY SEE HIM THEY WERE PETRIFIED, THEY THOUGHT HE WAS SOME SORT OF DEMONIC POWER - BUT WHEN HE SAID TO THEM - "BE OF GOOD CHEER; IT IS I: BE NOT AFRAID" EVERYTHING CALMED DOWN - THEIR MASTER HAD SPOKEN - THEY KNEW HIS VOICE!

Do we know the Voice of our Shepherd Yeshua in the storms of life?

The final thing I saw was the fact, that like all of us do - in the heat of the storm THEY HAD ALREADY FORGOTTEN THE MIRACLE OF THE FEEDING OF THE 5000!

We so often and readily forget the massively important things that Yeshua has already done in our lives when crises hit us, we just simply flounder and begin to battle out the storm - we do not lift our heads up to the Testimony of Messiah and His promises in our lives and worship and praise Him for the moment, because HE is coming, even if we have not called. James 1:2-8; 1 Pet. 1:6-9

There is more that we could say about this Scripture and the feeding of the 5000, but that is not what this missive is about right now. This is about YESHUA AND HIS UNCONDITIONAL COVENANT COMMITMENT TO HIS FATHER AND HIS BODY AT ALL TIMES, AND ESPECIALLY IN THE STORMS OF LIFE!

Now let us take a look at Yeshua our Messiah Himself - because remember He came to pleroo the Perfect Torah to us in Person so that we could follow His Footsteps in the sands of time and their by love YHWH our Elohim with all our Heart and with all our Might and our neighbours as ourselves; so that we could become more like HIM! Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29-31; 1 Cor. 11:1.

Is. 53:2 Yeshua would grow up out of "dry ground"!

Is. 53:2 Yeshua would have no physical attributes or beauty, social standing, or social pedigree with which to attract anybody at all! 

Is. 53:3 Yeshua was despised and rejected by His own brethren!

Is. 53:3 Yeshua was a man understanding and subjected to massive grief and sorrows.

Is. 53:3 We, mankind, hid our faces from Yeshua, we would not look on Him; we despised Him  - AND WE PAID HIM NO RESPECT OR HONOUR AT ALL!

Yet after all this HE STILL GLADLY TOOK UP HIS STAKE, AND SUFFERED GRIEF AND SORROWS - BECAUSE HE NEEDED TO DIE FOR US AS DEMANDED BY THE FATHER FOR THE SIN IN OUR LIVES! 

He was unrighteously oppressed, afflicted and judged by man but still went without defending Himself like a Lamb to the slaughter - Is. 53:7 - YESHUA DID THIS AND MUCH MORE AND WHY?

SIMPLY BECAUSE IT PLEASED THE FATHER TO BRUISE HIM…..SO THAT THE FATHER SHOULD SEE YESHUA'S TRAVAIL (severe toil and draining) OF HIS VERY SOUL SO THAT THE SUFFERING AND OBEDIENCE OF YESHUA WOULD JUSTIFY THE REDEMPTION OF MANY, DESERVING OF ETERNAL DAMNATION AND DEATH BY THE BEARING OF THEIR INEQUITIES ON HIMSELF!

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YESHUA HAD NOTHING AT ALL WITH WHICH TO ATTRACT ANY BODY OR ANY THING TO HIM - JUST HIS LOVE AND COMMITMENT TO HIS FATHER AND THE WILL OF HIS FATHER, yet we make the terrible mistake today of thinking that to be respected by the world, live according to our traditions, be an upstanding politically correct pillar of society who never rocks the boat, having a good house, bank balance, plastic technocratic church and denomination we are helping YHWH Elohim to draw people to His Kingdom!

Maybe we should stop and look back again at Yeshua and Is. 53 because when I see the Church today compliant with the democratic-secular systems of the world and compare it to Yeshua's walk in the world, I can see no comparison what so ever.

When we look back upon the footprints of our lives are we able to see Master Yeshua carrying us, or have we manipulated and sorted out our own paths?

Are we able to see Master Yeshua feeding us, coming to us in the Storms; calming the storms of Life?

Does Yeshua give us all we need to do HIS will - or do we insist that He give us all we want to live the "blessed life of comfort" according to our own wills and perceptions?

We so often forget that it is in these Storms of Life that Yeshua carries us, loves us and teaches us!

THESE STORMS HAPPEN BECAUSE HE ALLOWS THEM TO SO THAT WE WILL CALL ON HIM! John 9:1-3

We forget that it is only when we are truly weak that we, through Yeshua, can really be strong! 2 Cor. 12:10 

Brethren, can we like Sha'ul (Paul) say that Yeshua has said to us "My Grace is sufficient for you, My strength is made perfect in weakness!" 2 Cor. 12:9

Can we like Sha'ul say that we will glory in abject infirmities, reproaches, needs, persecutions and distress FOR MESSIAH YESHUA'S SAKE - so that WHEN WE ARE WEAK MESSIAH WILL STRENGTHEN US AND WE CAN THEN BE STRONG AND BRING GLORY TO HIS NAME!

Can we walk in these Footprints of our Master, Yeshua?

BRETHREN HERE IS OUR HOPE IN MESSIAH YESHUA - 

WE HAVE ALL SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF YHWH ELOHIM, BUT HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED BY GRACE THROUGH THE REDEMPTION (deliverance from sin - breaking of the Law 1 John 3:4) THAT IS IN AND THROUGH MESSIAH YESHUA. Rom 3:21-31 

WE ARE UNABLE TO WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF OUR MASTER ALONE - ACCEPT IT AND COME TO TERMS WITH IT!

I, for one, again realised this week-end that I AM ABLE TO DO NOTHING OF ANY CONSEQUENCE WHAT-SO-EVER OUT OF MYSELF, AND THAT THE FOOTPRINTS I MADE PRIOR TO MY REBIRTH IN MESSIAH YESHUA HAVE NOW BEEN WASHED AWAY BY THE WAVES OF FAITH IN THE FORGIVENESS I HAVE RECEIVED FROM MESSIAH BY GRACE - I CANNOT GO BACK AND CHANGE THEM - I CANNOT GO BACK AND UNHURT THOSE I HAVE HURT, BUT HE CAN - HE CAN DO FOR ALL THOSE THAT I HURT AND DISAPPOINTED THE SAME AS HE DID FOR ME WHEN HE REDEEMED ME - IF WE WILL JUST CALL ON HIM IN THESE STORMS AND BE OBEDIENT TO HIS CALLING AND COMMANDMENTS - HE WILL COME ON THE WATER TO US!

Will we get everything right first time around; or even the second or third - will we be leaving a great path in the sand for all to follow?

NO WE WILL NOT!

But the same Messiah Who said come to me all who are weak and heavy laden,  was the same Messiah Who said to Kephas (Peter) forgive seven times seventy and tells us in 1 Cor. 13 that his love for me is long-suffering! Mat. 11:25-30;  Mat. 18:21-22

It may be a very good idea for us to each begin right now to forgive ourselves for past footsteps in the sand - BECAUSE, AS SAID, ABBA YHWH THROUGH YESHUA HAS WIPED OUT THOSE OLD FOOTPRINTS WITH THE TIDE OF HIS REDEMPTION - AGAIN I SAY - WE CANNOT EVER CHANGE THE PATHS WE HAVE WALKED OUT IN THE PAST - ONLY YESHUA CAN RECTFY THE DAMAGE WE HAVE DONE THROUGH THE CROSS (STAKE)!

It is note worthy that the Brethren of Scripture seemed to mark the passing of a family member by remembering and celebrating their lives and all that they had done, both good and bad, and out of this whole life a full legacy could finally be considered!

Brethren the Patriarchs, Prophets and Apostles of Scripture KNEW THAT THEY WOULD BE SEEING THEIR LOVED ONES AGAIN IN ETERNITY & FOR ETERNITY, THUS THE PASSING SADNESS WAS EASED BY THE HOPE AND FAITH OF MESSIAH WHICH WAS ALL UNDERPINNED BY HIS LOVE, HIS COMMITMENT TO HIS FATHER AND HIS COVENANT!

From what I have heard of my dear brother's wife's who has just passed on - she walked a path in the sand that is and shall be a lasting legacy for her children and their children's children - truly leaving a lasting and eternal legacy of value and LOVE! Ex. 20:6

May this be said of each of us as well when we one day lay down our heads - NO MATTER HOW GREAT THE STORMS OF OUR LIVES ARE!

A true legacy, more valuable than silver and gold, can only be attained through the crucible of affliction. Prov. 17:2-3; Heb. 5:7-10

May YHWH Yeshua Bless and keep you all, and like always, please check out what I have said with prayer and the Word because I too am really just trying to find my way home as well!

Shalom

Bo'az.