Hezekiah's Prayer

Hezekiah's Prayer

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” (Emphasis Mine)

Hiya!

I love reading Scripture.  Any of you who have been following this blog or know me at all know that.  I'm not a read a book about Scripture person, although I have no problem with people who do.  I am a 'go to the source' and let God help you figure it out advocate.  As I have said before, we read through the Bible every year.  I cannot express enough how important that is. It gets the Word into your heart and that's what comes out in times of stress.

As we read the account of Hezekiah in 2 Kings, his prayer jumped out at me.  Hezekiah had received a letter from the king of Assyria that basically said "Don't kid yourself, your God is no greater than the gods of the nations we have destroyed."  This is our second occurrence of the king of Assyria saying this type of thing but this time Hezekiah goes directly to the house of God and prays the above prayer.

Notice what he says: You alone are GOD.  You made the heavens and the earth.  YOU ARE GOD.  Then he concludes: Save us, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you O Lord are God alone.  

I was struck so much by this passage.  This is our prayer in Scotland.  We're not looking for any accolades.  Please don't get me wrong, we like to get credit for what we do.  We like it when people say thank you or say good job. There's nothing wrong with that.  However, if that never happened, we'd be fine with it.  All we want is that all the people in Scotland would see what He has done and would KNOW that He is God alone.  We pray this prayer over the children (and adults) of Scotland all the time.  Do it again Lord.  Blaze over this land so that no one can ignore that YOU ALONE ARE GOD.  

We believe that God is in control of everything.  We believe that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.  We believe that as we are faithful to do that which He has called us to that He will do what He has promised.  He loves people so very much and He desires to have a relationship with them.  We, as His body, MUST reach out to those to whom He has sent us.  

We cannot discard anyone that God has sent to us.  We cannot pass judgement on anyone that God has sent to us.  "For God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world but that the world through Him might be saved." 

God has granted each one of us the privilege to serve where He has placed us.  Clean toilets, vacuum floors, carry boxes, wash feet, pick up rubbish, whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord.

And may the God of all peace grant you each peace and joy in His Spirit.  With love and many prayers,

Mike and Tina Hook
Missionaries to the children of Scotland 

Zealous

Hello again!

Mike and I read through the Bible every year and have done so for....WOW about 15 years or so now.  I love reading Scripture and I love how sometimes the Lord will take things that we've read time after time and just jump them out at us.

We were recently, actually this week, reading through Numbers 25.  This is the story of Israel joining themselves to Baal-peor and Jehovah's anger was kindled against all Israel.  So He told Moses to kill all of the  heads of the people.  And as Moses is saying, "Slay every man who has joined himself to Baal-peor" one of the men of Israel brings a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and the children of Israel as they are weeping before the Tabernacle.  I imagine Moses standing there with this conversation bubble still over his head saying...slay everyone who has done this...and here's this brilliant man who just brazenly brings this woman into the camp.  (In case you've not figured it out yet, I'm saying brilliant in a very sarcastic way.)

When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw what this guy had done, he takes a javelin, goes into the guy's tent and runs them both through with it.  And so the plague, which had already claimed 24,000, was stayed.  

 ¹⁰ And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

¹¹ “Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned My wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for My sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in My jealousy.

¹² Therefore say: ‘Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace.

¹³ And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.’” Numbers 25:10-13 (21st Century King James Version)

Let's look at the word ZEALOUS for a moment...the dictionary defines the word as:

adjective

ardently active, devoted, or diligent; full of, characterized by, or due to zeal. Synonyms: enthusiastic,eager, fervid, fervent, intense, passionate, warm. Antonyms: apathetic; lackadaisical.

Phinehas was so devoted, eager, enthusiastic, ZEALOUS for the Lord's sake that he thought nothing of taking that javelin and putting the business end of it to work.  As a result, he is granted a covenant of peace from God.  This struck me this week.  

What kind of zealousness do we have for the Lord? Please understand that I'm not saying take the javelin and get rid of people that you think are not doing as the Lord intended.  The covenant of Grace in which we live is different than the covenant in which Phinehas lived.  However, the Lord is the same.  Did you catch that??  The Lord is the SAME!  The Lord that inspired such zealousness in Phinehas is the same Lord that you serve (if indeed you do).

Are you more zealous for the work than for the Lord?  Are you more zealous for your own agenda, social issues, political issues, or what have you than you are for the sovereign God of the universe? Israel got into trouble in the reference passage because they sought Baal-peor rather than Jehovah.  Are we truly seeking what the Lord has for us or are we only seeking what we want Him to have for us?

I love food for thought.  This one is a biggie.  My prayer for myself, Mike and, indeed, for all of you is that we would always put the Lord's will above our own; that we would be zealous for Him above all things.  

Until the next time...CHEERS!!

Blessings in Christ,

Mike and Tina Hook
Missionaries to the children of Scotland

Quixotic Imagining

So let me ask, did you have to go to a dictionary to find out what "quixotic" meant?  I learned the word when I was a Sophomore in High School, I would have been about 15 I guess.  I took that word home and tried it on for size...that's the type of person I am.  I always have to try out new skills, words, or what have you on people as soon as I get them.  My husband, Mike, says he loves that since I very often do that with recipes.  He's my first and foremost taste tester.  Anyway, my Father, and you'd have to know him to understand, latched onto that word and used it so far out of context that he had me in stitches for days and days.  Gotta love him!

What do I mean by quixotic imaginings?  It's almost like I'm saying the same thing as imaginary is one of the the words that is a synonym.  I'm not 100% certain but I think I will explore it here while I type and trust that you will indulge me as you read.

We are currently reading Circle Maker by Mark Batterson with the staff here at BFC (Bridge Family Church).  Now, I don't normally read this type of book.  Those of you who know me know that I am more likely to read a full out Science Fantasy or Mystery when I'm in the mood.  But Pastor Dave wanted us to do this so we are.  That's the thing about serving isn't it?  It means sometimes putting aside your personal convictions or preferences to fulfill the call to service that God has placed on our hearts.  For this comment I give you the 2nd chapter of Philippians where Paul tells us to "do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourself" and he also tells us to "have this mind that was also in Christ Jesus who, though He was in the form God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied Himself by taking on the form of a servant being born in the likeness of man.  And being in human form, He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross."  

When it was time for Jesus to go to earth, take on human form, and die for our sins He did not tell the Father, "Oh no, that's against my personal convictions."  Nor did He say, "That's not my ministry give it to someone else."  And He also didn't say, "Ok, I'll go but I'm going to listen to what makes me feel good and say only what I want to say."  The book of John tells us that Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing and only said what the Father told Him to say.

Servant-hood means putting your preferences away and blessing someone else.  It doesn't mean let people walk all over you, it rather means be willing to hold someone up even if their shoes are dirty.  That puts a different perspective on being a servant.  Understand that who you are or what you know doesn't matter.  Whose you are and Who knows you is the point.  I'm taking you now to the book of John chapter 13:

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant[c] is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 

Jesus knelt and washed the feet of His disciples and when He did so, Judas was still in the room.  He didn't differentiate between Judas and the others, I've done a blog on that already.  But see what He's saying here. If He has washed our feet, we ought to wash one another's feet.  If He has forgiven us, than we must forgive others.  If He has become a servant, than we must be servants as well.

Our job, should we choose to accept it and if you're a believer you have whether you want to do it or not, is to show Christ to the world.  That means, wash their feet whether you agree with them or not.  It means, be a blessing and a sweet smell to those to whom God has given you.

Hmmm....this didn't go at all where I thought it would.  Ah well, God has other plans for the blog than I do and I will go with His every single time.

May God richly bless each one of you.

Mike and Tina Hook
Missionaries to the children of Scotland

Presence

My husband Mike and I recently moved to Edinburgh Scotland.  Yes, I know that most of you already know that but there are a couple of you that might not.  We've been here for about 3 weeks give or take and are just captivated by the beauty and history of the surrounding city.

We've taken a couple of weeks to get our feet here but are doing fairly well and looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us.  In fact, we're looking at a 3 year plan starting today.

However, one Saturday a couple of weeks ago was a stunning day and we were wandering around getting our bearings when we discovered that we live right down the road from St. Mary's Cathedral.  There is a painting that we used during some of our itineration services, which was painted in 1910 in St. Mary's and the original is still there.

We trekked down the road at the end of which was the cathedral.  It's beautiful and very large.  We walked into the sanctuary, after we figured out where the door was, and wouldn't you know there was a choir practice going on.  They were practicing a piece from Thomas Tallis, it was lovely, we got a little misty eyed because we've not sung that type of music in years.  

The atmosphere was hushed even though the singing was going on in the background.  The air a little musty with dust motes floating in and out of the light coming in through the windows.  We walked down the right side of the sanctuary to a small lady chapel where we were encouraged to sit down and pray a while.  Then we saw it, the original painting, across on the left side.  We calmly walked back and up the left side.  Hearts pounding we stood before two paintings.

In one, the one we know, the church is lit up in the front as communion is taken but the back is very shadowed, the chairs askew as a lone woman sits on the floor bent over the seat of the chair in front of her.  She is in obvious distress but behind her Jesus stands, reaching forward to lay a hand on her shoulder to let her know that she is not alone in the midst of her struggle.

The other, which we did not know, is the same scene done in reverse.  Now Jesus stands at the front of the sanctuary as the emblems are given.  In front of him are the people in the congregation worshiping as they wait for communion to be given whilst beside him on each side are the Priests prepared to give.  

One painting is dark and haunted.  The other is light and rejoicing.  And I began to realize that these two paintings represent our walks with Christ.  On the one hand, He is the light of the world and we rejoice in His presence always.  On the other, He is the light of the world and we sob at His feet as we struggle.  

But in each of these times, HE IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.  We've said it before and we will say it again, your circumstances do not determine your anointing.  The bottom line in conflict or in joy is Jesus.

May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you throughout all.

Blessings,

Mike and Tina Hook

Missionaries to the Children of Scotland