A group of fellow believers united in prayer as one in our Messiah Jesus.

© Desireofmysoul.faith (.com and .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

Join us before our King . . .

Recent prayer needs listed below.

Email your prayer requests: prayer@desireofmysoul.faith

Let the battle commence. Intercessory prayer is strategic, seeking God’s face, His will, His direction.

I waited expectantly, patiently for the Lord until He reached down to me and heard my cry. —Psalm 40:1

February 2024

7 Prayer Listings

CARMELLA

Psalm 34:18

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Carmella’s longtime friend, partner, and fiancé–Gary–passed away unexpectedly on Monday, February 19. May his memory be a comfort to her and every family member both now and throughout this year. And may the faithful, loving presence of the Lord be a source of great strength for her in the days and months ahead.

J.B.

Psalm 145:17-19

A strong believer in the LORD, J.B. seeks His wisdom for her high-pressured medical job, His favor in a financial investment, and His loving intervention in her friend’s life (Eric) who needs salvation through Jesus our Messiah.

LISA

Psalm 71:15-17

Lisa has stood on her Rock, her Messiah Jesus, through a stroke, cancer, and Lupus. Walking with a limp and a cane, she still is going strong, praising her King. Lord, please bless her abundantly for sharing her uplifting testimony and for her kindness to us at the cinema.

HENRY

2 Corinthians 5:17

Henry needs a divine appointment with the Lord for salvation. He is doing drugs, his girlfriend is pregnant, and she may need to return to jail. Currently, he has no visible means of support to take care of himself or the child or his girlfriend. May their hearts, minds, and souls be turned toward God–and may the Lord’s mighty hands protect this unborn child.

COLLEEN & K.M. & L.G.

Psalm 91:4

Christian marriages are under assault—the enemy’s troops are on the move, deceiving many spouses in ways that lead to betrayals, separations, and divorce. May the Lord embrace these women whose husbands have gone prodigal. May our King of Glory cover Colleen, K.M., and L.G. (along with her little daughter, Abigail) with His truth and holiness, ushering in His discernment, healing, leading, comfort, and protection as they maneuver a painful separation and transition period.

MAUREEN

Jeremiah 17:14

May the Lord’s mercy cover Maureen from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet and bring healing to her lungs, removing aches and pains, worries and fears. May His Name be magnified.

IAN

Psalm 90:17

Ian’s an owner of a business selling international spices. He had been doing well, but due to overly zealous litigious lawyers in California that have brought down many such businesses, things are difficult for Ian right now. He appreciates your prayers for his business. May the Lord restore his business or lead him to a new one, using all of this to bring Ian closer to Him and salvation through Jesus, our Messiah.

PHOTO CREDIT: Wrecking ball photo only was purchased from iStock.com (my text was inserted onto the photo afterward).

As 2024 stood in the ready, a restless spiritual longing that had been stirring within me for a while surfaced. The eventual calm came with four watchwords God impressed on me—the last one is a command. Here’s what He showed me.

“I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower and look out to see what He will say to me.” —Habakkuk 2:1

© desireofmysoul.faith (.org and .com) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

READING TIME: 12 MINUTES.

WATCHWORD GIVEN: From New Year’s Eve Eve 2023 and the initial moments of January 1, 2024, 12:01 am through God’s appointed third watch (midnight to 3 am).

Days before 2024 rolled in, a restlessness brewed within me as I waited for the watchword God would give me during our decades-long New Year’s Eve prayer “date.”

Part of it was a desire—quickening, aching, rising—for something with God, from God, that could not yet be defined—something that existed far beyond what’s been. For you, for me, for all who seek His face.

I’ve broken this post into the four intrinsically linked watchwords impressed on me for 2024—the first (lion’s share of the post) sets the course for the other three. I’ve also shared scriptures, some reflections, and my experiences along the way.

That said … How God uses this post for your walk is between you and Him, confirmed by His Word.

These watchwords themselves aren’t new per se . . . but how He moves in them may well be.

And note: they’re not more things to squeeze onto an already crowded, guilt-ridden To-Do list. This is God calling us nearer, birthed from His love and holy desire in this critical prophesy-rich hour.

1. Utter-Quiet

2. Hear His Voice

3. I AM

4. Trust [a command]

Surrendering to Him more means change is afoot, possibly leading to . . .

a redirection

to the unexpected, to a more humbled, childlike re-beginning in Him, the God of beginnings within beginnings

a release

from anything veiled under the vast, comfortable umbrella of the common, rote, patterned, sound-bite driven, self-focusing provincial surrounding us and within us

a shedding

of whatever the Lord highlights that has to go—like those faltering intents and mental attitude sins that have gone stealth, secreted in the crevices of our minds and souls

of any hardness within . . . lethargy, a distracted spirit, compromise and spiritual waning, self-focus, shrouded pretenses, deceit, duplicity of heart, or guile, false motives hidden from others and ourselves

a disruption

of what’s been for something more honestly and better aligned with Him . . . a truly consecrated life . . . where daily living is worship in action . . . a breaking up of what was within for a breaking through to His heart . . . the new pouring out to burst the old

#1: UTTER-QUIET

The spiritual restlessness mentioned earlier in this post had occurred at various times throughout my walk. And similar to the past, it signaled that a shift-and-release is unfolding.

But this time, the restlessness cut deeper, broader, begging for a rushing away from the “sound” pollution, the noise storm, crashing against my soul. The daily chatter, mumblings, rumblings. The spiritually intrusive along with the well-meaning busyness of life—even ministry-focused endeavors and beloved biblically-focused broadcasts and the group-immersive resonance of church services/worship, in person or online.

My soul sought major relief before the Lord. From other people’s voices. And especially, from my own.

We’re the sheep of God’s pasture. And sheep, as I recently learned, change their ear positions when they’re stressed, fearful, in pain, contented, etc.—and they don’t like loud noises. Well, I could relate. Because spiritually, my ears were twitching. The life “noise” around me—even the noise from the rest of the flock—needed quelling. God was calling.

I felt like a bruised sheep seeking its shepherd’s refuge, longing for His arms and assurance, His authoritative staff leading me to quieted waters, and His voice—recognizable, comforting, trustworthy—driving back the exhausting sway of the noise storm.

Soul desire: to find rest in the tenor of Heaven—the unalterable, unwavering calm riding on the wings of God’s Holy Spirit . . . to sit in my LORD’s utter-quiet.

NEW YEAR’S EVE EVE

The Lord called me to a special time of our year-end prayer, earlier than usual—the night before New Year’s Eve. Maybe as a kindness to relieve my soul and give it the deep exhale-inhale-exhale it panted for. Maybe to help my sheep-ears get repositioned to standing status again. Or maybe He did it for something else entirely. His lead. Mine to follow.

Gentle, low-key worship music—a new-to-me, refreshingly different CD that honored His Name—streamed softly in the background. No other sounds. No other voices. No daily life noise pollution. Only my Bible and journal at the ready next to me.

And then, in time, there it was. A stilling, a shushing of my soul.

His humbling utter-quiet.

All masks drop. His presence real, down-to-the-bone revealing. His holiness, a penetrating truth. The soul, naked before Him.

lowly

wordless

awed by His magnitude and might

fear-struck by His profound holiness

repentant

And yet, gratitude rises. His grace lifts it higher. His mercies and forgiveness gifted through our Messiah Jesus/Yeshua are overwhelming, unfathomable.

As I prayed-journaled, I felt like a sheep-reverted-to-a-lamb. Herded forward to a new beginning. To become like a child again before Him, humbled, leaning on Him, teachable, obedient, trusting, seeking, panting after Him, wide-eyed and filled with wonder.

From now and until we’re called home, may we seize our days, hours, moments. May we deep-dive, desiring Him, voyaging to unexplored depths in His utter-quiet.

The Lord of Hosts, Him shall you consecrate (sanctify),

He shall be your fear (trembling, holy fear),

He shall be your dread (awe).

He will be a holy place (a sacred place, a sanctuary, a mikdash)

—Isaiah 8:13-14a

REFLECTIONS:

SITTING/PRAYING IN HIS UTTER-QUIET:

(A)

Experiencing His utter-quiet creates a radical change, freeing a believer’s soul from its worn-torn, desolated state.

In Genesis 1:1-2, the earth is a ghastly desolation and emptiness. God’s glory moves over the chaotic—the tehom (Hebrew for depths, subterranean waters, even a deep soul-to-soul murmuring). Torah scholar/author Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg suggests God cuts through that deep murmuring—the “primal noise”¹ to form a “creative silence,” a clearing for His creation Word to come forth.

I sense God’s desire to do that with our desolated souls, our groaning. Cutting through our noise (internal and external) on the subterranean level to usher in His utter-quiet where relationship with Him, authentically knowing Him, honesty before Him, and deep change ignite and grow. A deeper move forward into a spiritual, consecrated lifestyle of regularly forsaking the noise to submerge in His utter-quiet.

(B)

A Hebrew word came to mind. It’s found toward the end of the blessing said before studying the words of Torah: la’asok.

It means to immerse ourselves in, soak up (as one of my rabbis used to say every Torah study), engage in, engross ourselves in, occupy ourselves with, toil in.

That’s what God’s utter-quiet is about. Simply “be” with Him. To sit with Him awhile. To soak up and bask in His loving, mighty presence.

In His quiet, our souls are quiet. As the noise within us and the noisy pressures of the world and others fade, He and His Word step forth.

And we’re ready to la’asok b’divrei Yeshuatenu—to soak up the words of the God of our Salvation (Psalm 68:19 [20]).

John 1:1, 14a

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God . . .

and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

#2: HIS VOICE

Right before I opened my eyes around 5 am on New Year’s Eve, I clearly heard this spoken to me:

“To hear his voice, go deeper into worship.”

This isn’t about singing louder, cranking up the volume, wildly dancing, or gathering 100 of your closest friends for a worship fest in the backyard—as wonderful as all of that would be.

Going deeper in worship (in this context) is birthed within His utter-quiet presence. Wooed and radically amazed by His character and might. Overtaken by Him. Consumed by Him. His being. His holiness. His gentleness.

Your soul bows down. It may weep at His beauty, majesty, grace. But it can no longer be silent. It must speak out, sing out, cry out His Name, praise Him . . . because we were created for His glory (honor), called by His Name, formed to declare His praise (Isaiah 43:7, 21).

Words adoring Him seep out from meek crevices in your soul and stream from your lips. They can be said, they can be sung, they can be whispered, they can be exuberantly shouted. Overcome by His weighty presence, even your body might not be still.

That level of worship becomes a sweet offering carried by a fiery, unquenchable, indestructible passion for Him. A dance of your two souls binding together. Ascending higher in Him to new depths and breadths, climbing the rungs of Jacob’s ladder, that Heaven-and-Earth connection in Jesus/Yeshua, you join the voices of Heaven . . .

Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, who was, and who is, and who is to come.

In that stillness of soul, that deeper worship level, your spiritual being is sensitized, nurtured, corrected, encouraged, a repository where God can release new or greater insight and understanding.

Walking in it. Worshiping deeper flows from the utter-quiet out to your day-to-day life, into all that you do: laundry, your job, cleaning the house, caring for family members (human and furry ones), helping others, going the extra mile, waiting in line, etc.

Your soul carries the calm and understanding gleaned from the utter-quiet so your life becomes humble worship before Him, before others. Because with every breath, it’s about Him, it’s about Him, it’s about Him. Breathing Him in, exhaling Him out to the world.

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.

Ani l’dodi v’dodi li’

אני לדודי ודודי לי

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.

You are serving the Lord Messiah.

—Colossians 3:23-24

#3: I AM

#4: TRUST [a command]

New Year’s eve with the Lord began with His addressing a recent, spiritually sorrowful upset in our family.

NOTE: What the Lord impressed on me is relevant to all of us, whatever situations we face or will be facing going forward.
 

About a month prior, an in-law went rogue. Prodigal. And that forced a heart-wrenching rift in their marriage. My soul reeled, aching first and foremost for my immediate family member experiencing it . . . but also for the one causing the pain, blinded by what they’ve done.

No matter how many times I’d asked the Lord if I could call, text, whatever, His answer was the same: a flat no.

But my soul was wrecked. I’d gone prodigal in my earlier adult years in the Lord—nearly 50 years ago—and the pain of that still stings.

So I kept petitioning Him: “Lord, someone has to speak to this person. They need help. They need to see spiritually what they’ve done and where they’re headed. Please, send someone. Who will go?”

And bam! Just like that, God had these words looming taller than me and BOLDLY LARGE before me, appearing like this:

I

AM

This wasn’t God merely saying, “Hey, I’ve got it covered.”

He was conveying much more, wanting me—and all of us—to more fully, deeply embrace and more firmly stand expectantly on His Name which we know reveals His character:

I AM the Great One. I AM the Mighty One.

I AM the GREAT I AM.

And I and I alone will be doing this.

I AM.

Only I AM can move into the heart. Only I AM can send His Spirit to convict and counsel the soul.

In Isaiah 45, He declares: I AM the LORD and there is no other . . . I, the LORD, speak righteousness . . . There is no other God besides Me . . . A just God and a Savior.

Immediately, the Lord hung another word—a command—also tall and BOLDLY LARGE looming before me. It was so spiritual that it became somewhat physical . . . I had to lean back a bit to avoid nearly “bumping” into it as I tried to sit down on my sofa, grasping what He was doing. That’s how real and palatable it was.

TRUST

His command meant: TRUST the GREAT I AM.

Trust in His character, His love, His long, long, long-suffering.

TRUST His timing. Don’t jump ahead.

Don’t lean away . . . doing a “little” something to help out.

TRUST the GREAT I AM.

There’s a difference between faith (אמונה, emunah) and trust (בִּטָּחוֹן, bitachon): Believing God exists is faith. But trust is having the certainty, the confidence, that God is “involved in events and that their outcome accords with His will,” as The Stone Edition of the Chumash (Torah) puts it.

For me, trust is walking on a high-wire with no visible net, putting my faith (emunah) in the GREAT I AM (who is my net).

May we grow closer to Him in this hour of biblical prophetic history . . . growing in His love and bearing His NAME to a lost world.

1. Run to Him in His utter-quiet.

2. Go deeper in worship to Hear His Voice.

3. Fix your eyes on the GREAT I AM.

4. Walk in His command . . . TRUST the GREAT I AM.

REFERENCES & RESOURCES

1. The Murmuring Deep, Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. Schocken Books, New York, 2009

2. The Stone Edition of the Chumash (Parasha Vayeishev, Genesis 37-40:23, pg 221)

PHOTO CREDITS

Lighthouse by Michael Krahn on Unsplash.com

Clustered flock of sheep by Christopher Burns on Unsplash.com

Light surrounding a single sheep by Mike Erskine on Unsplash.com

Jesus praying to the Father, sheep following by ArtPlus, purchased on istock.com

Jesus helping lamb stuck on cliff ledge by ArtPlus, purchased on istock.com

Whether across the globe or next door, our prayer team is a group of fellow believers united as one in our Messiah Jesus.

© Desireofmysoul.faith. (.com and .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

Join us before our King . . .

Recent prayer needs listed below by date.

Email your prayer requests: prayer@desireofmysoul.faith

Let the battle commence. Intercessory prayer is strategic warring in the spiritual. Seeking God’s face. Seeking His will, direction. Waiting to hear His voice and heart so we know how to pray.

I waited expectantly, patiently for the Lord;

until He reached down to me and heard my cry. —Psalm 40:1

January 8, 2024

11 Listings/Prayer Requests

Adonai, we join David in the words of his Psalm 40: “How much you have done, my God! Your wonders and your thoughts toward us—none can compare with you.”

We bow down to you in gratitude, in humility, seeking your presence in these many requests . . . pierce the darkness, breathe hope and encouragement, release healing and answers, cover us with your wisdom, clarity, and discernment in this late hour we’re in. We intercede on behalf of these listed below in the precious, life-changing, life-giving Name Above All Names, Jesus, our Messiah.

Serene

A lovely 81-year-old believer in Jesus seeking His help with fiscal stability, health, direction. She’s doggedly working three part-time jobs and still struggling. Praying God sends the ministry of healing in all levels along with warring angels to supply all her needs in every area of her life for His glory.

Donny Davis

He’s in the hospital with a blood infection, bladder infection, and kidney infection. Father, speak to the minds and hearts of the doctors to know which medication to use . . . but please step in supernaturally to bring total healing and the salvation message in a way that penetrates Donny’s soul, mind, body for physical and spiritual recovery.

Miss Jessee

Abba, let wisdom with discretion fall down upon her like holy rain from your throne. Help her hear your voice in new ways and follow you, not veering off course or leaning to her own understanding. Release the resources to enable her to move forward on this unique journey of yours, canceling demonic assignments and interference so she remains in sync with you on every level.

Cody

We cry for mercy. Cody is suffering from a serious condition with his hands making it difficult for him to do his job at times. Also, may his soul hunger for and receive Jesus, our Messiah.

Lisa

It’s been a long journey finding work. Thank you, Lord, for the gifts and skills you’ve given your daughter Lisa. As she waits expectantly, faithfully, humbly before you, let your will arise and your perfect ways beam forth like the noon-day sun, blessing her at every turn.

Carmella & family

Carm is struggling with health issues of her own plus her entire family—every one of her many brothers are ill; one is quite ill with stage 4 cancer. And her brother-in-law (Tom) just got diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (six weeks of aggressive treatment needed)—and her spouse (Gary) has heart valve issues. Mighty, Glorious King, our Great Healer and Restorer, please cover Carmella and her family with your steadfast love, continual presence, releasing encouragement to these whose hearts have experienced hope deferred along this rugged road. May they be comforted by your Holy Spirit and draw closer to you.

Will

How marvelous you are, Lord! Blessing this brother and his wife with an unexpected pregnancy—twin boys! They’ve had only girls prior. May his wife find rest, healing, and carry them well in full-term for your glory. And may these sons be carriers of your presence all the days of their lives, telling many of your ways, greatness, and salvation through Jesus.

Gene & Toni

My Uncle Gene and my dear sister in the Lord (Toni) need God’s covering. Both are having possible colon issues. El Shaddai, our Mighty God, may you direct the physicians, diagnostics, and outcomes for complete healing so your Name is lifted up and Gene and Toni are blessed.

K.M.

Walk with your daughter, sweet King. Put your arms around her, teach her, lead her, heal her physically, emotionally, spiritually as she braves through a divorce stirred by her spouse’s emotional and then physical infidelity. Let her know you in new ways that she may walk even closer to you than before as you bring spiritual beauty from these painful ashes.

Chris

Abba, your eye is everywhere . . . on the rulers of the earth and the poor. You see the hard work this homeless man does. Bless him. Have mercy on him. Heal his body, mind, and soul and bring stability to him through Your Powerful Name, for you are God our Provider. You and no other.

Leslie

Flood her life’s walkway with your Holy Spirit. Cover her with your wisdom and discernment as she maneuvers the legalities of child custody and a divorce. Please, Adonai, keep all facets of this process from causing anguish to their six-year-old daughter. May your NAME and ways REIGN through all of this.

God is unwavering. He is with us through the wastelands, the wilderness, the lofty places, the murky waters. Teach us and gather us near to you, Lord.

Adonai is the one who saves the righteous.

He is their stronghold in times of trouble.

He saves them because they take refuge in him.

—Psalm 37:39,40b

PHOTO CREDIT: Wrecking ball photo only was purchased from iStock.com (my text was inserted onto the photo afterward).

We’re servants of the Living God—watchmen on the wall—committed to standing in the gap for others. Whether across the globe or next door, our prayer team is a group of fellow believers united as one in our Messiah Jesus.

© Desireofmysoul.faith. (.com and .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

Join us before our King . . .

Recent prayer needs listed below by date.

Email your prayer requests: prayer@desireofmysoul.faith

Let the battle commence. Intercessory prayer is strategic warring in the spiritual. Seeking God’s face. Seeking His will, direction. Waiting to hear His voice so we know how and what words to pray.

I waited expectantly, patiently for the Lord;

until He turned toward me and heard my cry. —Psalm 40:1

DECEMBER 8, 2023

9-1-1 Prayer Requests: Michael, M.A.J., Charlotte, Carmella, Kellie

Plus: Special Updates on Prior Requests

1. Michael. Spiritual, physical, and emotional healing for this 25-year-old who is in deep waters. He’s had health issues (autoimmune) since he was a child and then cardiac issues from his late teens. As a child, Michael was flowing in the joy of the Lord. But since his teens, the chronic illnesses have stirred up anger and depression—but those outbursts and emotional issues are believed to be driven by our enemy (satan) and his demonic cohorts.

Michael (mind, body, soul) needs to be freed from this stronghold and turned back to God and our Messiah Jesus, the Restorer, the Healer, the Lord of Shalom (completeness, wholeness, peace). And his mother—along with the family—needs God’s mercies, strength, comfort, and encouragement covering her with your restful, quieted Spirit and healing, repairing and closing the wound of her aching heart.

Mighty King, please annihilate the enemy’s strongholds—physically, mentally, and spiritually—on Michael. Pulverize the lies and let your TRUTH arise. Lead Michael into your peace and remove the bitter root and all its entanglements from the past. Great Restorer, remind his soul of his youth and joy with you. Help him rekindle that passion; fan the flames. Restore to his soul who you are and please do a deep work so he knows you are for him (not against him) and you are with him. Cause him to lie down in your green pastures (refreshed in your Word, Presence). And restore (repair, return to a better condition) his soul, in Jesus’s precious name.

2. M.A.J. Another young man shackled by the enemy, living in the realm of demons. M.A.J. is in his mid-30s and suffering from a drug-induced psychosis. He exhibits bizarre, reckless behavior, resulting from years of using psychedelic drugs to cope.

He’s bound. Spiritually, physically, mentally. And the family is crushed. They and M.A.J. need our prayer support—big time. The family’s prayer request is that M.A.J. will enter a 90-day rehabilitation program. Note: He’s Jewish and has renounced Judaism.

Abba, hear the cries of this family. See the heartache, the pain, the bewilderment, the near hopelessness. Look down on M.A.J., and please let your mercies flow bearing deliverance. Pierce the darkness, command the shackles and blinders to fall off and bring healing—lift his head toward you and breathe new life into him for your glory. Help him discern your good from the enemy’s evil. Realign his soul and mind with you. For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve his life, and in your righteousness bring his soul out of trouble (Psalms 143:110).

We pray and stand on Psalms 3 in Jesus’s name:

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,

my glory, and the lifter of my head.

I cried aloud to the Lord,

and he answered me from his holy hill.

3. Charlotte W. The biopsy results on her lower right jaw came in: 75% malignant and they found something on her lungs.

She started prep for her surgery: the surgery is December 22 for the lump on her lower right neck. Then they can determine what stage her cancer is and what treatment is needed post surgery.

Hopefully, they’ll also be able to tell her about the spot they found on her lungs.

Charlotte is Catholic and believes in Jesus as Messiah but is understandably worried and under much stress. She’s seeking His intervention, healing, and comfort.

Holy One of Israel, we bow before you, kneeling on your Word, your promises, in faith, in Jesus’s wondrous name:

When you (Charlotte) pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the LORD your God . . .

—Isaiah 43:2-3a

Lord, may your glory, holy Presence, and promises bring Charlotte guidance for treatments, healing on all levels, encouragement through the valley, and blessed assurance of You, casting out all fear. Envelope her with your garments of love, a love not of this world, but gloriously, faithfully true.

4. Carmella. A dear friend to me over the many years who has had a series of health setbacks. More recently, back in September/October, Carm had a stroke and then recently had a bad fall. The doctor says it’ll take time to heal. Praying that the Lord will help her rest in Him . . . so her body, mind, and soul can be restored, revived, by His hand.

Majestic in power and glory is our Lord God. Our Shepherd whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. Shelter your daughter Carmella under your wings, drawing her closer, quieting her soul to truly rest (spiritually and physically) in your Presence and promises. Light up her way and carry healing from your throne to her. And, as in Hebrews 4:16, help her to confidently draw near to the throne of grace, that she may receive mercy and find grace to help her in time of need. In Jesus’s sweet name.

5. Kellie, Pastor JD Farag’s wife. (JD is the gifted teacher/pastor of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe, Hawaii.) A strong woman of faith in Christ Jesus, Kellie has overcome many trials in her walk with our King. And now she faces yet another. Kellie recently learned that her breast cancer (diagnosed this past summer) has spread to her lymph nodes. Yet, she and her husband press onward, carrying on in ministry, faithful to their calling before our King. We’re praying for mercy, favor, healing, strength, and a testimony of your love, Father, so that then all shall know that you are the GREAT I AM, the LORD GOD, and there is NO OTHER but you.

Psalms 84:5-7, 11-12

Blessed are those (Blessed is Kellie) whose strength is in you,

in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go (As Kellie goes)through the Valley of Baca (trouble)

they make it a place of springs;

the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go (Kellie goes)from strength to strength;

each one appears before God in Zion . . .

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

the LORD bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold

from those who walk (from Kellie who walks) uprightly.

O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one (Kellie) who trusts in you!

UPDATES ON PRIOR PRAYER REQUESTS

UPDATE! Cathy. We prayed for her (November 26 prayer request) because she had received a malignant breast biopsy report. Thank you, Lord, that Cathy is negative for the BRCA gene which means no double mastectomy needed! She’ll have a lumpectomy and radiation instead. Cathy thanks everyone for their prayer support. Please continue to pray for her during this treatment. Thank you, warriors.

UPDATE! Jamie. We’ve been praying for Jamie who has stage 4 lung and liver cancer. But on November 30 and December 1, we had 9-1-1 prayer intercession because he was in the hospital with pneumonia and awaiting diagnostics and treatment. God moved! Jamie is home with oxygen and antibiotics—and feeling stronger every day. He thanks everyone and was so encouraged by your prayers—and continues to ask for them as he battles the stage 4 cancers.

NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 1, 2023

Immediate Prayer!

Jamie. Oh precious prayer circle family … please take a few moments to pray for this dire, immediate issue–and pray as often for it as the Lord brings it to remembrance.

Jamie is my sweet cousin with stage 4 lung and liver cancer who many of you have been graciously praying for. (Thank you for that.)

He is in the hospital (in Ohio) with pneumonia–it’s near the site of his lung cancer. He has an exploratory diagnostic tomorrow to assess the situation.

NOVEMBER 26, 2023

Many Important Requests!

1. Cathy. Received a malignant breast biopsy report.
May God’s grace, comfort, and healing garments envelope her and draw her closer to Him. May He lead her to the best treatments/protocol as He, the Majestic Giver of Life, sustains her every step of the way.

2. Evelyn. Wearing a monitor to determine heart issues.
Please, Lord, you are the great revealer and healer. Cover her with your mercies, keeping your healing hand on her and give the doctors wisdom/understanding.

3. K.M. May her walk with God be strengthened, girded by His character, sweet Presence, and deep love for her as she seeks His comfort and leading through a difficult life passage.
Pray Psalms 18:28-30.

4. Robbie. He’s on dialysis but got covid then sepsis.
Please pray for his healing and God’s intervention so Robbie and his Jewish family will come to know and believe in the promised Messiah, Jesus, our redeemer.

5. Donny D. May the Lord step into his life in new ways, ushering in physical healing and insurance/financial resources–and performing a deep work to bring Donny to salvation in Christ Jesus.

6. S.S. May the Lord pave the way for her book–which honors His Name–to be completed per His leading and excellence and in His timeline so many will read her testimony and trust in Him.

7. Philomena. Her 98th Birthday in mid-December! Lord God, thank you. Your mercies are all too wonderful. Please, may your favor, joy, and protection bathe her during this celebratory season.

8. Abigail, a six-year-old, and her mom (L). Gracious Father, please embrace Abigail in your arms and bring your little lamb to complete healing from her recent fall and stitches.
And for L, may you release your rest, spiritual clarity, and physical healing from your throne to bless and love on her in special ways.

9. Toby. Andrea’s 10-year-old Australian Shepherd. A sweet companion who’s healing from a neck injury and now has a spine issue.
Abba, all creation is yours and dear to your heart. Please touch your Toby with healing and breathe through him a longer, joyful, safe life.

10. J.W. May the gifts and calling that you have placed on this young man continue to mature and be enriched in this season. For the things that he desires and seeks your leading on, heightened his spiritual hearing and spiritual understanding so his heart will always be locked in step with you, so he showers those around him with your love.

11. Four health needs

* Michelle (healing process for allergies/sense of smell)

* Jamie (ongoing cancer treatments)

* Toni

* Kylee (ongoing pregnancy wellness)

Thank you, Father, for your hand on these four health situations. Only you have the power and the glory to uplift, sustain, heal, and encourage them.

We lay them at your throne of grace, trusting that you will expand your wings and draw them into your loving shelter, opening your hand to provide everything needed. Pray Psalms 91 over them.

 
 
***
 
 
 

PHOTO CREDIT: Wrecking ball photo only was purchased from iStock.com (my text was inserted onto the graphic afterward.

The world may be swirling in every direction, but God’s plan, purpose, mercies, and faithfulness will prevail. ALWAYS. Here are the words and scriptures that unfolded before and within me at the stroke of 2023’s entrance and shortly thereafter.

“I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what He will say to me.” —Habakkuk 2:1

© desireofmysoul.faith & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

READING TIME: 5 MINUTES.

WATCHWORD GIVEN: January 1, 2023, 12:01 am through God’s appointed third watch (midnight to 3 am).

As midnight released 2023, my soul began to grieve for the state of the world.

The coldness, self-centeredness, vanity, violence, ethnic divisions, deepened darkness, escalation of Christian persecutions and persecutions of all kinds.

The false religions and lies about God’s Word and our Messiah Jesus, and the twisted mindset and reversals in global culture that have wormed their way into the souls of humanity on every level—calling good evil and evil good.

And the sins stirring within each of us. Sins that we gloss over, accept, and daily commit before Him, our holy, powerful God.

I thought: Lord, if you hadn’t written yourself into our human story . . . where would we be? You alone are our hope, our salvation, the very life breath of our soul.

An image flashed, leading me upward. Over the next three hours, I would experience a message with moving parts:

(1) various scriptures

(2) interwoven teachings

(3) a holy-fire vision (regarding our 2023 Call)

(4) a dream with 1 Samuel 3 prominent, a dream He’d first given me in mid-November and then brought forward during this special third-watch prayer time.

HIS NAME, HIS CHARACTER, HIS PROMISE

Random worship softly played in my room, then one word rose within me.

RESTORER

In Hebrew, Eli Shuv (אֶלְיָשִׁיב, My God Restores). This is who God is. This is what He will show Himself to be in 2023 as we humble ourselves before Him and call out, surrendered to His glorious, supreme being.

“Shuv” (שוב) is the Hebrew root found in teshuva (teh-shoo-vah), a critical word during the High Holy Days—the Judaic Days of Awe beginning with honey-kissed Rosh Hashanah (Head or First of the Year) and ending with the somber Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur—calling us to turn back from our offenses and return to God for restoration.

It’s also the beginning step to God’s ABC ROADMAP TO HEAVEN. His redemption plan from the beginning through Yeshua (Jesus), the Messiah.

That first word He’d impressed on me—RESTORER—and 1 Samuel 3 (from that dream I mentioned earlier) are hinged, forming the crux of this 2023 word. (And I couldn’t help but think how this “restorer” had already begun its unfolding with Bibi Netanyahu being restored as Israel’s Prime Minister.)

I’ll get to that I Samuel 3 scripture shortly, but keep reading because the following scriptures link everything together.

Psalm 23:1-3 (ESV). In the latter part of 2022, God had laid the groundwork for these moving parts and in the third watch of January 1, 2023, he brought those parts forward. This psalm was among them, confirming His words, confirming Himself on an even deeper level than before as the mighty, compassionate RESTORER.

The One we need as 2023 unfolds.

The LORD is my SHEPHERD (tending to me, pasturing me).

I shall not want (He’ll tend to my needs, my soul won’t be lacking).

He makes me (causes me to) lie down in green pastures (refreshed).

He LEADS ME (leads me to a watering-place or station that He’s ordained for me and causes me to rest there), beside STILL waters (rest, quietness, refreshment).

He RESTORES (refreshes, repairs, returns to a better condition) my soul.

CHOSEN, REDEEMED, RESTORED, SENT OUT:

YOU, ME, IN MESSIAH

I then was reminded of the spiritually moving scene at the end of The Chosen’s Season 3/Episode 2. The disciples were being sent out two by two to teach what Jesus had taught them and to heal the sick and cast out demons.

Gulp. The disciples were shocked, scared, baffled, and felt totally inept. Rightly so. And yet . . . although the mission—and its timing—made no sense to them, they chose to trust their Messiah and stand as one with Him and each other.

Locking arms, they prayed Psalm 3, the psalm of David when he was fleeing his son Absalom . . .

O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah

—Psalm 3 (ESV)
 
 

THE RESTORER’S PROMISE: EZEKIEL 34:16 (ESV)

Ezekiel 34 targets Israel and is a Messianic promise as well (verses 23-24)

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.

I will seek the lost, and I will bring back [אָשִׁ֔יב, restore, return] the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak . . .

and the fat (stout, robust, rich) and the strong I will destroy; I will pasture it with justice.

THE DREAM, THE HINGE, THE CALL

Sometime during the night of November 17/early morning November 18, 2022, the Lord gave me a dream. There were different elements to the dream, but here’s the critical part to share with you—a scripture that was on a board in front of a congregation: 1 Samuel 3.

As God brought the scripture and dream again to mind in those wee hours of January 1, 2023, I had to ask: Is there a link between RESTORER and this 1 Samuel 3 dream? Plenty, as it turns out.

For the foundation, I was led to an older teaching from East Hill Baptist in the UK that highlighted 1 Samuel 3. (I’d never heard of that church prior.)

Then God stirred my inner waters from that point, knitting all the moving parts (RESTORER, scriptures, dream, vision, etc.) together. It went something like this . . .

LAMP OF GOD. As the light was physically waning in the temple of the LORD, where the ark was, the WORD of GOD was also waning among the people and the priests—i.e. Eli’s sons. As you might recall, even Eli hadn’t taken a hard line with them.

There was no word or vision from our Lord. No ear open to hear, no heart willing to receive, no one surrendered.

Until God called Samuel.
 

THE CALL OF GOD. In 1 Samuel 3:1, Samuel was ministering to the Lord under the tutelage of Eli. Per the Hebrew text, at that point, Samuel was a na’ar, a young man or lad, defined by age (teen through twenties) or of marriageable age, and sometimes, rabbinically defined as not yet ready to fulfill his duties/position.

Side note: You can read about another na’ar in my Soul Remodeling Series: A Wilderness Call [Jeremiah] Actually, Isaac, Joseph, Samuel, and Jeremiah were all called na’ar, not yeled (boy, child).

Still growing in things of the Lord, Samuel at first (or even the second or third time) didn’t recognize the Lord’s voice. But then he got it, saying “Here I am” (ready to serve), and from there obeyed the Lord regardless of the cost, speaking what God said to speak, doing what He said to do.

I like East Hill’s application of this chapter (my paraphrase about that in the paragraph below):

God calls us again and again until He gets our attention. He’ll call when we least expect it—any year, in any circumstance, at anytime, at any age. Remember that Caleb [who “wholly followed the LORD” per Joshua 14:14] had a new call at 85 years old to take up the high mountains of Israel. God will stir something within us, allowing situations to call us into something more.

My precious fellow believers in Messiah, this is where we are. A New Year, a new calling, regardless of circumstance or age.

There’s work to do and a way for us to be and walk before the LORD. Wholly surrendered, carriers of His Presence. That begins and ends with . . .

WORD OF GOD. Verse 19 tells us that Samuel “grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.” The LORD revealed Himself to Samuel by the “word of the LORD.”

THE VISION. Fire flashed before me at this point in my third-watch prayer time. It started at the center, then spread out in every direction like a huge circle. That fire is God’s holy fire of Truth, His Word, in us. It’s not meant to be contained. It must be released.

No matter the cultural mindset, oppositions, persecutions, or the enemy’s divisive tactics . . . we must carry the LORD’s words to others: His truth, His redemption plan, His love for the lost, His love for Israel, His love for fellow believers in Jesus, and our testimonies of what He’s done for us: His faithfulness, mercies, goodness, holiness, and might.

It’s our souls breathing Him in and exhaling Him out onto an increasingly dark, troubled, stubborn, dying world.

In this late hour, like never before, we are to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:10-14)—standing against the tide of secular lies and mindsets countering God’s way. Standing unafraid, boldly calling sin for what it is . . . rebellion against our most holy God.

Silence is no longer an option. Not to worry. We can do this together in Him. Psalm 3 reminds us: The LORD is a shield about us, our glory, the lifter of our heads, our Sustainer. We will not fear.

So let’s turn from (shuv) the world noise/distractions and from any self-focused, lethargic living to walking how Jesus walked: spending time alone with the Father, saying/doing as led to glorify our LORD, continually lifting the Lamp of God high for all to see and know.

A holy fire that cannot and will not go out.

Then we will stand and watch as our king, the great RESTORER, the loving Shepherd, refreshes, repairs, restores, and heals our souls, bringing us to pastures of spiritual rest—as well as restoring the souls of those we’ve lifted His lamp to.

May the whole world know of His glory and truth and bow before the majesty of our King.

Behold—hinnêh, הִנֵּה—He is doing something new. May you and I lock arms and humbly answer the call like Samuel: Hineni . . . Here I am.

CREDITS

Lighthouse by Michael Krahn on Unsplash.com

Person kicking back with boombox by Eric Nopanen on Unsplash.com

Man looking up at starry sky by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash.com

Watch The Chosen on the official The Chosen’s Come and See app

Mac App Store for Chosen’s Come and See app
Google App Store for Chosen’s Come and See app

Come up to the mountain and stay there. God said that to Moses. But what does that mean for you and me? A lot, as it happens. Like listening, obeying, waiting . . . and possibly some spiritual tightrope-walking to boot.

© desireofmysoul.faith & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

READING TIME: 4 MINUTES.

Sswimming in God’s murmuring deep . . . that’s the real desire. Speaking with Him soul to soul. Listening for our Redeemer’s stilled, small voice.

But I’ll be honest—there’s a cost. A wrestling within. An off-the-grid trek. Taking you beyond your version of things to a place guaranteed to ruffle your comfy feathers.

When His voice calls you to go higher so you can go deeper, it’s not about pitching your tent in the lower mountain places. Because a change in the physical moves the spiritual . . . and a shift in the spiritual births breakthrough in the physical.
 

Soaking in His presence is the launching pad: separating time (marking it as holy, set apart for Him) , moving away from the world’s noisy, pushy, self-focused gravitational pull, so you can drink in God’s ways, and then drink in, drink in, and drink in even more.

Here’s a quick story of what my friends and I experienced via a surprising God-move that caused us to wrestle through the process as it took us individually to new territory in Him.

STEPPING ONTO THE FAITH HIGH WIRE:
THE MOSES MOUNTAIN

The Lord had led three of my friends and me on a joint spiritual journey a ways back—in a year filled with steeped-in-His-presence lessons that, personally speaking, catapulted my walk into new directions on many levels.

It all started with our hanging out at His well (in prayer, seeking His face, desiring to go deeper). Although we had different backgrounds and approaches, we were one in Messiah, Jesus, honoring God and His Word.

We had agreed to meet weekly via phone for prayer and subsequent God-called fasts. The actual parameters of each fast differed and intensified per the individual intercessor—but the leading of the “when” and the “how long” always fell in absolute unison.

The Lord had impressed on me that parts of my fast would last more than an appointed number of days—they would become integral to my way of life going forward.

Throughout that first year, we had ascended from group prayer time to a higher level of God-led intercession and onto prophetic intercession, visions or words given, hearing His voice of what to say or do (or not) as we spiritually swam in His murmuring deep.

Adonai said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain

and wait there . . . Then Moses went up the mountain,

and the cloud covered the mountain. —Exodus 24:12-15

Key point: Trust God to steady your walk on those faith-led high wire paths. Listen to Him—obedience is birthed out of love for Him . . . and forges a closer relationship with Him.

THE SHIFT

On a God-appointed day in May, we’d entered our regular time for intercession via phone. But there was nothing typical about this special God encounter.

We started with worship and praise as individually led.

But then . . . without any of us discussing it or sharing what we were experiencing at that moment, we simultaneously entered a stillness.

Not a word voiced.

His Spirit had fallen over us, silenced us, and impressed on us individually not to speak.

My soul, wait in silence for God alone,

because my hope comes from him.—Psalm 62:5(6).

We’d learned from prior group experiences to hear and heed. And now we were taking a mini test.

Would we obey even if we felt the need in the natural to speak or explain? I have to tell you, despite prior learning to follow His lead, my mind still had moments of wondering . . .

Am I the only one hearing this? (Nope, as it turned out.)

Did my phone drop the call? (Not in the least.)

Should I explain what He’s directing me to do? (Nope again . . . this was a faith test for each of us. I was told to remain silent before Him.)

Despite each question I wrestled with in the natural, my soul was at peace with the stillness, marveling at it and sensing things from Him through it. And He assured me, impressing on me to not be concerned about explaining things to the others but to remain silent, still, and wait.

At one point, the Lord highlighted my dog, a sweet-but-feisty English Cocker (Avigail) who was lying calmly at my feet through it all. God was affirming His lesson . . . just relax, trustfully wait, rest in Him, something like the restful devotion my dog was giving me.

So I waited (and then waited even more), awed and humbled by His divine royalty, powerful presence, authority, and love.

Habakkuk 2:20

But the Lord is in His holy temple,

let all the earth KEEP SILENT before Him.

Three to three-and-a half hours later . . . He lifted the silence.

Amazing.

We all had remained on the phone in obedient stillness, not knowing what our intercessory partners were thinking, doing, or if they had hung up or given up.

All we had was our personal command for silence before Him. The wrestling through it all was similar, but the lessons may have been different.

Why three plus hours? Don’t know. But what I can share is two things.

We had transitioned into a whole new level.

No longer pitching our tent in the low places.

We were learning (by His grace) to go farther up the mountain.

Closer to Him, deeper in Him, trusting the climb.

Trusting the silence, the unexplainable, the waiting . . .

Obediently resting in His Presence,

in His holy bridal chamber.

HE alone is KING . . . the GREAT I AM.

HE always WAS and always WILL BE.

AND THAT SECOND TAKEAWAY?

After the Lord had broken the silence, my intercessory partners immediately asked, “What was that?” and started sharing the experiences and wrestlings they’d had during the wait.

Here’s what God had imparted to me during those hours and what I basically had shared with them:

He is King. K-I-N-G. Yes, we have access to His Holy throne room through our Messiah—but He wanted to take us to another level of His Lordship, majestic royalty . . . not move in presumption.

Similar to ancient days of earthly kingships, He wanted us to bow to His Lordship and obey . . . speaking only when He, the King, directed. And in that time of silently waiting for His nod to speak, we were to rest attentively to hear His voice within our souls.

How does that roll? Well, if you’re willing to surrender to His lead to get your spiritual ears recalibrated, there will be times when He’ll direct you to sit before Him and learn by just being in His Presence.

Other times, He’ll direct you to only worship Him—no prayer lists, not even a deeper-level intercession. But what songs would He like to hear—something honest and spontaneous from your soul, a melody from His heart to yours, or a worship song you often sing?

Or He may not want songs or soulful melodies but instead desire praise and thanksgiving. Or He could lead you into intercession where you’ll speak His Words, often praying from scripture, doing battle on behalf of others, world events, things to come according to what He is showing you.

There will be times for prayer lists/requests/concerns, but He just might want you to set all that aside, trusting that He knows the list, and instead go higher on the mountain, spending that time solely loving on Him.

PHOTO CREDITS

Woman with backpack facing wilderness mountains by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash.com

Feet on a tightrope photo by Barguti on iStock (Stock photo ID:158772733)

Whisper photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash.com

[Expanded from a 2009 post about Feasting within the Fast; re-published 2022.]

The permissions below are for certain scriptures used in a blog post—noted by their Bible translation acronym. This list is a work in progress.

 
CJB
Taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net
 
ESV
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.esv.org
 
NASB
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
 
 

PHOTO CREDIT:

Stacked Bibles by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash.com

Stay tuned for upcoming post: Betrayal. It’s not just what’s done to us. It’s what we do on cloaked and not-so-cloaked levels to others. To ourselves. To God. The betrayal swimming within and without—whenever an action, word, or soul-thought crushes trust and taints spiritual and moral standards.

© desireofmysoul.faith & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

Betrayal starts small and then grows invasively. In the heart. In the thoughts and intents of our mind. In the soul. Our moldy soul.

The Betrayal Within series starts by mirroring my earlier Moldy Soul posts (2008-2009, later expanded)—exploring the makings of a moldy soul with some rabbinic thought woven in and searching how that rose to the surface and dismantled certain biblical relationships. Situations and their aftermath mirrored in our lives today.

This revised series turns up the volume a bit on the moldy-soul narrative and digs into full-on betrayal. Its seeds. Its growth. Its cunning. Its nemesis.

Within us, our families/friends—and our relationship with God.

COMING SOON!

Photo Credit:

Mirrored girl photo by Bekah-Russom (bekah-russom-Y8QTiWuzYSs) on Unsplash.com

What happens when two trees, humanity, and a serpent meet up in God’s Garden of Desire (a.k.a. Garden of Eden)? Relationships explode.

[This series is related to a spiritual call (started in the early 90s) for me to walk a bridge—from the Judaic camp reaching out to the Messianic/Christian camp and then vice versa—crisscrossing it, realizing and later sharing who and what the real bridge is. Walk with me to discover God’s revelations and passionate plan for our souls.]

© desireofmysoul.faith & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

PRIOR THREE-PART SEGMENT ON GENESIS 1:1—GOD’S STORY THREADS SERIES: Beginnings within Beginnings [Part 1]

READING TIME: 3 MINUTES.

KEY STORY ELEMENTS

Some say there’s only one reliable way to find out about any relationship: test it to destruction.

There just might be a bit of that in play with this next segment from God’s epic true story (the Bible)—so much so that it seeps down into many levels. Even to you and me today.

Join me on an excavation of sorts—via my story editor’s lens—to examine a few gnawing questions and consider insights from the Hebrew as we dig through various layers of Genesis 2 and 3.

EXCAVATION GAME PLAN

First, the basics. Review key story elements (further down on this page)

Part 1. Survey the lay of the land: Gad Eden, Garden of Eden

Part 2a & Part 2b. Venture onward with some Hebrew stops and reflections regarding Eden’s two highly analyzed trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

Part 3. Dig behind the characters for what’s naked, cloaked, or revealed

Part 4. Sift through the storyline, conflict, and symbolism

Part 5. Connect the dots toward the unfolding prophetic impact—for you and me
 

SOME BASIC STORY ELEMENTS

SETTING: Garden of Eden. In the exposition (introduction) of any story and also in its critical scenes, the setting often reflects a character’s condition or the polar opposite to underscore the struggle: emotional, spiritual, psychological, physical, circumstantial.

That’s true in God’s narrative where the setting mirrors the co-protagonists’ spiritual predicament. God created humanity for His glory, in His image, to worship Him, honor Him, and enjoy relationship with Him. [Isaiah 43:7 (ESV), Isaiah 43:21 (ESV), Psalm 29:2 (ESV), Revelation 5:13 (ESV), among many other scriptures.]

Here’s the however part: Adam and Eve are surrounded by a gift—the sensory delights of the Garden of Eden—but are about to confront three elements in that garden: the Tree of Life, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and a serpent. All will expose a whole other level of sensory delight hidden within their souls.

CO-PROTAGONISTS: Adam and Eve. Not the heroes we’d expect. They fail and set off a tidal wave of repercussions. But then, not all protagonists win, succeed, overcome.

A well-told story is built on unmet desire and what a protagonist goes through to attain it (or not). Every choice moves the story in one direction or another. This story is propelled by Adam/Eve satisfying the self-desire within.

SUPPORTING CAST: God, the deuteragonist in this story segment—and the antagonist (serpent/satan).

A story’s cast of characters and their individual story threads can add depth when revealing the good, the bad, the indifferent, along with quirks, strengths, weaknesses, etc. A straightforward telling, warts and all.

These real-life beings—deuteragonist and antagonist—couldn’t be more diametrically opposed: our holy, righteous, omnipotent, majestic-in-splendor God and a beguiling, perhaps enticing-to-the eyes serpent whose body is host for the real antagonist, satan, the created-angelic-being-turned-betrayer, the insidious enemy of God who aids and abets the co-protagonists into committing a significant crime of willful rebellion and disobedience.

TENSION: The co-protagonists’ self-desire had been there, subterraneously. Perhaps stirring quietly, subtly, in their souls, undetected, unacknowledged. But at this point of humanity’s fledgling beginning, it’s on the rise.

And it’s fueled by the conflict-agitator serpent/satan who is well acquainted with revolt against the Most High God. The physical and sensual delights of the Garden of Desire and the inner me-focus of the animalistic drive within converge.

CLIMATIC SHIFT: That first bite of a forbidden fruit. It changes everything and everyone going forward.
 

Things go south fast . . . but there’s an interesting character decision (God’s) that lays the prophetic groundwork for yet another plot twist—one that (surprisingly?) lands us on the others side of God’s bridge into New Testament territory.

UP NEXT: TOUR THE SETTING:

Trees, Serpent, Lies [Part 1]

RESOURCES

https;//hebrewuniversity.com/deeper-hebrew-meaning-garden-eden/
 

PHOTO CREDIT

Tree near water by Nitish Kadam on Unsplash.com

God sets the stage . . . a Garden of Desire. That’s before two trees, humanity, and a serpent meet up.

[This series is related to a spiritual call (started in the early 90s) for me to walk a bridge—from the Judaic camp reaching out to the Messianic/Christian camp and then vice versa—crisscrossing it, realizing and later sharing who and what the real bridge is. Walk with me to discover God’s revelations and passionate plan for our souls.]

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

SUGGEST READING FIRST: GOD’S STORY LENS SERIES: TREES, SERPENT, LIES [INTRO]

READING TIME: 3 MINUTES.

THE SETTING

The beguiling action begins somewhere in the garden, located within Eden—whose name is associated with the Hebrew root for delight, pleasure (עדנה).

The root is found in Psalm 36:8 “rivers of delight” and also in Genesis 18:12 when Sarah laughed about the notion she’d become pregnant in her old age, “Am I to have pleasure?”.

You may very well recall the gist of the biblical account and that Eden lives up to its name—a place appeasing the senses—sight, taste, smell, hearing, feeling—and, consequently, a place brimming with desire.

First, it’s God’s desire for His creation—a Father-child relationship with Adam and Eve. And then, Adam and Eve’s desire for . . . well, that’s the crux of their soul story, isn’t it?

But for now, let’s consider another interesting aspect of the setting. God, who honors work, appoints Adam (a man made from the earth and God’s holy breath) to be His co-laborer, tending the Garden of Delight and Desire. Not by the sweat of his brow. Not battling pest infestation or finagling with irrigation equipment. There’s no Dust Bowl potential or tornadoes to outrun.

Instead, the mist rising from the earth waters the entire surface as four rivers (Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, Euphrates) sprawl and converge, submerge and appear elsewhere . . . where the land glistens with gems (gold, crystal, and onyx).

Perfection. Easy-peasy. Unless you’re human.

The tree of life was in the midst of the garden,

and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

—Genesis 2:8-10

TIME OF DAY

We presume from the story’s opening that it’s still daytime. But the time right after Adam’s disobedience is said to be nearing the tenth hour. That’s when they heard the sound (קוֹל, qol) of God walking in the garden to the wind of the day (לְר֣וּחַ הַיּ֑וֹם, l’ruach hay yom)—the literal Hebrew phrase that some scholars tie to a particular time of day.

Among them is Rashi, a noted 11th century French rabbi and Talmudic commentator who suggests it means “toward the way, the direction of the sun.” As in “later in the day as the sun sets.” Hence, the tenth hour.

[Side note: Others link the Hebrew for sound/voice to God’s thunderous-like presence amid a violent/stormy wind, explaining why Adam and Eve ran for cover, fearing His might and judgment against their rebellious debacle. But we’ll delve into that more in Part 4.]

The tenth hour is intriguing from a setting/character perspective—and a soul perspective. The timing is within the last two hours before sunset. Let’s dig a bit . . .
 

First consider that the Hebrew word for morning—boker—has this Hebraic shoresh (root meaning): order, able to be discerned.
 

Now factor in the Hebrew word for evening—erev—whose root meaning is chaos, disorder, when things aren’t so clear, not so discernible.

How does that play into the setting-story line?

Our co-protagonists’ souls are about to transition from one state to the other, from daylight to evening. From a place of order and harmony to a state of disruption, confusion, disorder.

They’re edging away from a level of knowing and walking in good desire for a place of self-desire and naked truth . . . a truth that is anything but completely naked, clear, or discernible.

UM, WHERE’S ADAM?

Adam and his woman from his side (rib), Eve—Chavah in Hebrew, from chayah meaning living one—are blessed in the garden (Genesis 2). They’re joined spiritually as one flesh, created to walk side by side, honoring the Lord.

Jewish thought (via 15th century Rabbi Abarbanel) says Eve/Chavah wasn’t created from Adam’s feet to be beneath him or from his head to be over him. And as the Word says, both are “naked” but not ashamed. We’ll round back to that last bit (naked) in Part 3 of this series.

But as the curtain rises on Genesis 3’s setting, Adam isn’t there—at least, not right off. (Keep in mind that in God’s storytelling, a lot can happen—not overtly revealed—between paragraphs, sentences, words.) It can appear purposeful on many counts as we’ll see.

Later, when Adam is mentioned, the Hebrew indicates (per rabbinic thought) that time has passed between his wife’s encounter with the serpent and her handing him the fruit (hence it’s then noted that he’s “with her”).

Seems to me, if he’d been there from the beginning of the whole serpent/Eve chitchat, he’d have added his two cents or stepped in one way or another. And that would mean he, too, had been beguiled by the serpent.

But that doesn’t fit the biblical narrative, God’s Word.

In fact, a First Century Temple period pharisee (Saul Paulus) wrote this about the duo: Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor (1 Timothy 2:14).

However . . . Adam followed his wife’s lead (handing him the fruit to eat like she did) vs following the Lord’s command.

So it’s plausible—and seemingly does fit—that Adam is nearby, tending his work while his helpmate, Eve, is elsewhere.

And it’s that elsewhere garden location that stirs the pot in this setting. She’s presumably alone, possibly in the midst of the garden, hanging out near the forbidden tree, primed for seduction as the story begins.

SO WHAT’S UP WITH THOSE TWO TREES?

READ THIS NEXT. God’s Story Threads: Trees, Serpent, Lies [Part 2]

RESOURCES
https://www.hebrewversity.com (post: The Deeper Hebrew Meaning of the ‘Garden of Eden’)
 
 

PHOTO CREDIT:

Garden tree photo by nitish-kadam on Unsplash.com

It’s go-time. God’s creation is in testing mode. But how do two trees impact the human soul’s condition?

[This series is related to a spiritual call (started in the early 90s) for me to walk a bridge—from the Judaic camp reaching out to the Messianic/Christian camp and then vice versa—crisscrossing it, realizing and later sharing who and what the real bridge is. Walk with me to discover God’s revelations and passionate plan for our souls.]

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com. & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

HIGHLY SUGGEST READING FIRST: God’s Story Threads: Trees, Serpent, Lies [Intro]

READING TIME: 4 MINUTES.

THE TWO-TREE BASICS

Two trees in the midst of the garden. Meticulously placed‚ set apart from the others, yet growing among them. Resounding in their stillness, their purpose, both trees are about to take centerstage in humanity’s impending soul battle.

That’s the soul battle of our earthly story back at the beginning with co-protagonists Adam and Eve . . . and the one going on right now. In you. In me. Around us. The connection is undeniable. It’s embedded in the fiber of every decision, every word, every action we make.

It’s either self-desire or God-driven desire. Surrendering at His altar or bowing to the altar of self.

You can feel it, right? The convergence of the two? The struggle of choice between the holy (God’s thoughts, ways, commands) and the profane/mundane, the world’s mindset.

There are reasons why these two garden trees demand our attention. First, trees apparently mean something to God. He poetically carries the tree-image throughout His storytelling. He uses it in the Garden of Eden (spiritual global impact) but later likens people (Deuteronomy 20:19), Israel, and our soul condition to trees—good and not so good.

QUICK EXAMPLES . . .

1. fig tree, referring to Israel’s spiritual condition (Hosea 9:10 ESV)

2. green olive tree or well-planted tree that bears fruit/never withers, regarding a wise/righteous person who trusts in the Lord (Psalm 52:8 and Psalm 1:1-3 and Jeremiah 17:7-8, all ESV).

3. oak tree of righteousness, strong, enduring, withstanding life’s struggles, and a planting of the Lord for His glory. (Isaiah 61:3 ESV).

4. towering tree, warning Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in a dream about a massive tree (world ruler) who would be cut down, leaves stripped, fruit scattered. Sadly, it was Nebby himself. (Daniel 4 ESV)).

An orthodox Judaic teaching puts it something like this: we’re like trees, rooted in our past/our ancestral history, canopied (like foliage) by our life choices/life story, bearing fruit (children, good works to help others, community) with more seeds going forth to bear new trees.
 

Nicely put, but . . .

There’s another application. Another tree God used.

One returning us to the Garden when the Lord’s promised Millennial Kingdom reigns.

We’ll get to that eternity-shifting tree and how it fits into this Genesis 3 story in the last post of this Trees, Serpent, Lies series.

For now . . .

GARDEN TREES: THE BIGGER PICTURE

Both trees “control the state of the world,” according to Gershom Scholem, who is often regarded as the “most important Jewish historian of the 20th century.” He was a Zionist, a preeminent scholar of Jewish mysticism (i.e., Kabbalism), and a prolific author on Judaic/Israeli political, social, and cultural issues.

Although I’m not a Kabbalist, I have a particular interest in parts of Scholem’s commentary (as noted below with my bold typeface inserted for emphasis)—because they tangentially strike at the core and intent of this post . . . regarding what lies beneath and within the two-trees story and beneath and within our souls.

Scholem made these four observations:
 

(1) “Standing in the center of Paradise and representing higher order of things, the trees control a great deal more than just existence in the Garden of Eden.”

(2) “The Tree of Life represents the pure, unbroken power of the holy.”

(3) “Since the Fall of Adam, the world is no longer ruled by the Tree of Life as it had been in the beginning, but the Tree of Knowledge.”

(4) “Since the Fall of Adam, since the time when the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was eaten, the world is ruled by the mystery of this second tree in which both good and evil have their place. Hence, under the rule of this Tree, the world contains differentiated spheres: the holy and the profane, the pure and the impure, the permitted and the forbidden, the living and the dead, the divine and the demonic.”

Agreed.

Because whatever generation, whatever scenario, whatever temptation, whatever point on God’s prophetic time clock, it always comes down to the same struggle, wrestling with the repercussions of the Tree of Knowledge debacle, causing us to individually face the question, Which tree—the Promise (Tree of Life) and God’s Love Test (Tree of Knowledge) are we eating from, and what “fruit” are we bearing/spreading?

And what does da’at (knowledge) really mean? Let’s explore . . .

READ THIS NEXT. God’s Story Threads: Trees, Serpent, Lies [Part 2b].

RESOURCES

Targum Onkelos commentary (Genesis 2:9) on Sefaria.org
Gershom Scholem commentary from his book, The Messianic Idea in Judaism: And Other Essays on Jewish Spirituality, as listed on Sefaria.org.
Gershom Scholem biography: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and Oxford Bibliographies.
Tree as man: Chabad articles
 

PHOTO CREDITS

Tree near river by Nitish Kadam on Unsplash.com

Robbing innocence and da’at knowledge. Two trees and a serpent. What’s the soul connection to it all?

[This series is related to a spiritual call (started in the early 90s) for me to walk a bridge—from the Judaic camp reaching out to the Messianic/Christian camp and then vice versa—crisscrossing it, realizing and later sharing who and what the real bridge is. Walk with me to discover God’s revelations and passionate plan for our souls.]

© desireofmysoul.faith (.com & .org) & SoulBreaths.com. All rights reserved.

HIGHLY SUGGEST FIRST READING THE PRIOR POSTS IN THE SERIES. START HERE: God’s Story Threads: Trees, Serpent, Lies [Intro]
 

READING TIME: 5 MINUTES.

Blog Post Outline:

— Tree of Life

— Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

— Da’at (Knowledge): Mulling It Over

— A Visual Of Sorts

FIRST, THE PROMISE:

TREE OF LIFE

Admittedly, it’s usually that other tree that gets much of the press. That’s because our co-protagonists’ fruit-eating episode birthed a chasmic rift in the God-creation continuum, ripping through physical and spiritual realms.

So in our Garden-of-Eden plot line, the Tree of Life may seem to have a minor role. And yet, it is an enduring, indelible, and powerful thread—symbolically and otherwise—throughout God’s story line.
 

It’s unclear what the tree was like and, even more curious, why Adam and Eve didn’t eat from the Tree of Life—there wasn’t a hands-off command for it. But as it turns out, that was a good thing.

Whatever spiritual condition you’re in when you eat from the Tree of Life—you’re eternally locked into that condition. You could say that our co-protagonists dodged a bullet.

It also explains why God kicked humanity out and, from the east of Gan Eden, stationed powerful Cherubim (Keruvim) and the blade of a revolving fiery sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life from any future attempts.

For now, that is.

(1). Tree of Life and the rabbinic correlation. The Torah (first five books of the Bible) is like the Tree of Life because it lays the ground rules of how to grow your roots deep in His stream, how to interact, manage, lead, bless, build, grow, sustain, step back, spiritually walk and be with others (in our own tribes and outside them) and with our holy God.

(2). Tree of Life and spiritual fruit. Both Proverbs 3:18 and Proverbs 11:30 say that the fruit of the righteous is a Tree of Life, bringing happiness to the soul. The Hebrew in Proverbs 3:18 says it like this: עֵץ־חַיִּ֣ים הִ֖יא לַמַּחֲזִיקִ֣ים בָּ֑הּ, Etz chaim he l’machazikim bah—she is a tree of life to those who grasp her.

(3). Tree of Life and God’s desires. Proverbs 13:12 says that when we hope in God again, His righteous desires will spring up within us and become a Tree of Life.

(4). Tree of Life and the future blessed hope. For those on the Judaic side of the bridge, you might not know these scripture references that help tie it all together: Revelation 2:7 and Revelation 22:2.

They’re from the last book of the Bible and focus on the end of days (aḥarit ha-yamim, אחרית הימים) and speak of the Messiah (God’s Redemptive Plan, His Salvation, Jesus/Yeshua).

“Those walking with God and His Salvation

will eat from the Tree of Life,

which is in the midst of His garden Paradise . . .

and it will bear twelve fruits,

each tree yielding its fruit every month—its leaves, the healing of the nations.

Those obeying the LORD will have the right to the Tree of Life

and may enter the gates of His holy city.”

—Revelation 2:7 and Revelation 22:2

THE LOVE TEST: TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL

It’s the same story then as now. The stuff we can’t (or shouldn’t) have is the stuff that catches the eye, captures the soul, and drives the soul to hunger, fixating on the wrong choice.

The Tree of Knowledge. A test, indeed. Nothing capricious or superficial about it. It’s God striking deep—way down to the truth-core of His free-will creation. Even the angels had to decide: follow the one, true God or hop on the rebellion train and follow the instigator/leader, Lucifer/satan.

God already knew their decisions—the angelic realm’s and humanity’s. He knew, as always, even before He created them what was in their hearts, their souls. The test is so the truth of their inner condition is exposed and the reality from God’s righteous perspective is brought forth, revealing the dichotomy so they would know as well.

Remember, when it came to creating the world, God did it out of His immense love and for the sake of redemption. Redemption to show His mercy and grace. Redemption to show His holiness. Redemption that involves humanity repenting, seeking His face, surrendering to His kingship, appreciating the giver and sustainer of life, God. The LORD MOST HIGH.

The word “knowledge” in the Hebrew is da’at. But what is this knowledge, anyway? Rabbinic thought varies. Some say it’s . . .

— an academic or intellectual understanding

— an experiential understanding of good/evil [per Aleph Beta’s insightful Rabbi David Fohrman]

— a transformational awareness [per Maimonides, the Rambam, famed medieval philosopher/Torah scholar]

— a Tree of Desire [per translations by the Ramban, citing other biblical references—the Ramban (Nachmanides) was a medieval rabbi/scholar]

DA’AT (KNOWLEDGE): MULLING IT OVER

Years ago I heard a Torah teaching on this—possibly Rabbi Schweiger from Pardes Institute in Jerusalem—about how humanity wasn’t ready for the knowledge from that tree. They lacked the maturity to understand what that da’at/knowledge would present to us.

In my mind, that could mean being introduced to a world where the veil was removed. Making the Tree of Knowledge an unmasking, a ripping away of childlike innocence and awakening what’s hidden in the crevices of the human soul or what’s been simmering just under the surface.

In other words, a step into the abyss of self-desire—culminating in millennia of collateral damage to boot. Self-fixation, outright rebellion, desire of every kind and on every level, a betrayal of God’s love and gift of life.

Because that level of desire only produces one thing: death, spiritually and otherwise.

The soul had been moving about on a different level prior. Innocent, seemingly clean, set apart. Neither the tree nor the fruit had mysterious properties. The test—eating/disobeying or withholding/obeying—unlocked what was already within.

Adam and Eve’s unmasking caused them to see and enter another dimension of da’at (knowledge).

A dimension that stripped them from the idyllic, realizing their physical nakedness but not yet comprehending their spiritual nakedness which will hunger for self-desire at the cost of a relationship with the living God—and with anyone and everything else.

A VISUAL OF SORTS

Here’s an admittedly troubling example, but it demonstrates what may have been happening soul-wise to Adam and Eve.

Being robbed of innocence is disquieting on many levels. The serpent—a.k.a. satan—didn’t (doesn’t) care. He had (has) his own agenda. Robbing, stealing, destroying are his everyday strategy tools.

Think for a moment of the chilling news stories you hear. Child abuse, rape, children’s drug use.

In each case, a soul was violated or seduced, the veil of some kind of innocence violently torn away, forcing a new da’at (knowledge) of another, seamier dimension of life that they didn’t ever need to know or experience.

And it was something their souls certainly weren’t capable of understanding—as if anyone could or should. The underbelly of someone else’s self-desire invading, disrupting another soul.

Adam and Eve’s began with grooming—satan’s.

In those prior scenarios, the harmed souls were victims, eclipsed by the profane. And, yes, Adam and Eve had a choice. But their inherent propensity for disobedience—evidenced by fractured humanity even now—had been masked until the test came to expose it.

The results of satan’s cunning seduction of Eve were no different soul-wise than those disturbing abuse examples mentioned above. What Adam and Eve used to see and walk in via their previous level of da’at (knowledge)—their innocent lens—vanished in an instant.

Satan’s suggestive voice resonated with their inner voice, the one that had been under the radar. The one that was subtly stirring deep within.

But as it stirred stronger, they surrendered to it. Self-will. Self-desire. Self-focus.

God and His desire and commands were in their soul’s rearview mirror. Rebellion had raised its ugly head. The bridge broken. The God-humanity relationship tested to near destruction.

You and I would have made the same choice. It’s as if our nature had to eat from that tree. We had to cross the line . . . so we could ultimately embrace with unending gratitude what God has waiting for us—His Redemption Plan, the gift prepared before the world was brought forth because He knew what our struggle would be.

Genesis 3 unfolds more of the story. Part 3 considers the characters and what’s seen, unseen, known, unknown: Naked, Cloaked, or Revealed.

UPCOMING POST: God’s Story Threads: Trees, Serpent, Lies [Part 3]

RESOURCES

 
Targum Onkelos commentary (Genesis 2:9) on Sefaria.org
Gershom Scholem commentary from his book, The Messianic Idea in Judaism: And Other Essays on Jewish Spirituality, as listed on Sefaria.org.
Gershom Scholem biography: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and Oxford Bibliographies.
Tree as man: Chabad articles
 

PHOTO CREDITS

Pomegranate tree by Tal Suraskon Unsplash.com