Ruins to Redemption

“They are constantly in my thoughts.  I cannot stop thinking about Your mighty works.  Oh God, Your ways are holy.  Is there any god as mighty as You? You are the God of great wonders!  You demonstrate Your awesome power among the nations.”  Psalm 77:12-14

Oh Lord God, You are constantly in our thoughts!  Your mighty works are constantly on our mind.  Your ways are holy and there is none as mighty as You.  This past weekend at the Deeper Still Retreat, You demonstrated once again Your awesome power.  You amaze us.  You are the God of great wonders.  We praise Your name.  Amen.

 

In the book of Nehemiah, we find that Jerusalem had been lying is waste for about 150 years.  That is a long time and no doubt the Israelites had almost given up on rebuilding.  I know from personal experience that when something has been in ruins for a long period of time, the task of rebuilding can seem daunting.
 

Perhaps, they adapted to seeing the bricks lying around and didn’t think much of it after a while.  After all, it is just the way it has always been.

 

Many of the participants that come to the Deeper Still Retreats might be able to relate to these Israelites.   From years of having the enemy beating them down, the task of rebuilding might seem overwhelming.
 

However, the city walls of Jerusalem that had laid in ruins for 150 YEARS, were rebuilt in only 52 DAYS!  When God decides it is time to rebuild, it doesn’t have to take a long time.  God is never overwhelmed with our mess.

 

At the Deeper Still retreats, participants come with 20, 30, 40, 50 plus years of living in ruin. I am continually amazed at the transformation from ruins to redemption that basically takes place in a little over 24 hours!  And He did it again this past weekend (of course He did!)

 

Will you praise the Lord with us today as we celebrate His glory and redemption in the lives of His sons and daughters who were restored and rebuilt this past weekend!!  Oh Lord, You are indeed a God of great wonders!  We praise Your Name!

Wheat, Wine, and Oil

“For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, streaming to the goodness of the Lord—for wheat and new wine and oil, for the young of the flock and the herd; their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all. “  Jeremiah 31:11-12

Father, we thank You that You have redeemed Your sons and daughters.  Lord, as we just celebrated the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus, we thank you for sending Jesus as our Ransom and that He rescued us from the power of death and sin.  Father, we sing and praise You for the work You will do in the lives of all the participants coming this week to the Deeper Still retreat.  We praise You for the wheat, new wine and oil in their lives.  We thank you that their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

As I was reading the verses above, the words “wheat, new wine, and oil” caught my eye.  After doing some research, I found the following very interesting:

Wheat represents harvest or seeds sown in a field along with what is produced from those seeds.

New wine represents life (or new life), joy, celebration, and abundance.

Oil is representative of the Holy Spirit.

 

God’s people received wheat, new wine, and oil. 

 

This weekend, I pray for the participants to receive a harvest in their lives and that they would then be free to plant seeds and produce fruit for a harvest.  I pray they would leave with new life full of joy, celebration and abundance through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

The next verses say what will happen next.

“Then shall the virgin (pure and unspotted) rejoice in the dance.  And the young men and the old, together;  For I will turn their mourning to joy, will comfort them, and make them rejoice rather than sorrow.  I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:13-14 (parenthesis added)

God calls His beloved, “virgins”.  Because of His Blood, we are pure and unspotted in His sight.  He alone turns mourning into joy, saturates our souls with abundance, and satisfies us with His goodness.   He alone is our Randsom and Redeemer.  Lord, we thank You for all You will do this weekend in the lives of every participant and that they will rejoice and praise Your name!  We praise Your name.  

One in Three

“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory  of the Lord is risen upon you….Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.  Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy.”  Isaiah 60:1, 4-5

Father, we ask for Your glory to rise on the ministry of Deeper Still so that You may be glorified.  Lord, I pray that we would arise and shine and lift up our eyes.  We thank You that you are bringing Your sons and daughters with abortion wounded hearts from afar into Your loving arms and care to find freedom and healing in You.  May they then also become radiant and their hearts swell with joy.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Statistics reveal that approximately one in three women will have an abortion.  Think of this—when you are praying these prayers along with us for freedom and healing for those with abortion wounded hearts, you are praying for every third person you will see today.

 

This statistic also includes men.  For every woman with an abortion wounded heart, there is also a man attached with a wound of his own.   This statistic is staggering when considering the gravity of one in three people being held captive by the sin of abortion.  One in three people feeling enslaved, bound up, and unable to fulfill the call of God on their lives due to wrestling with lies of unworthiness, shame and guilt.  One in three robbed of their full potential in Christ, not because of what they did, but because of misguided thoughts of forfeited destiny.  God needs His sons and daughters free.  He needs them to step out on the water in faith, to run to Him with open arms, and do the work He has called them to do. 

God is waiting for His children to be healthy, healed, and whole.  He needs them.  The world needs them.   Oh, there is so much at stake here.  Thank you for praying for the one in three today.  Your prayers are impacting the world. 

As mentioned above, for every woman with an abortion wounded hearts, there is a man with an abortion wounded heart as well.  There is a retreat coming up at the end of April, the 25th-27th in the Knoxville, TN area.  If you know of any men who need healing from a past abortion, there are still spots for men.  Please go to www.godeeperstill.org for more information.  Don't hesitate or delay!  It is only about 1 week away!