War Room and Tent of Meeting

This was a weekend filled with an urgent message.  Friday night we attended our church's monthly prayer and praise meeting, where the Lord spoke a challenge to us out of Exodus 33.  It's been stewing in my heart ever since.

This part of Scripture speaks of Moses and the place outside the camp where people could go to inquire of the Lord.  It was called a "Tent of Meeting."  It was here that Moses spent time with the Lord and heard from Him as a friend speaks to a friend.  It was here that Moses pleaded with the Lord on behalf of Israel.

But in the description of this Tent of Meeting is something interesting -- and disturbing.

"Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents.  They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside.  As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses.  When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents."

-- Exodus 33:8-10

Moses was in the habit of going to the Tent of Meeting.  The people were in the habit of watching.  Though they seem reverent by standing and bowing, they're nowhere near the actual presence of the Lord because the Tent was located outside the camp.  The people recognized the Lord because of the cloud, but they reverenced the Lord from afar.

The challenge set before us was this:  It's time to quit worshiping at the entrance of our own tents -- our tents of self-reliance, our tents of busy schedules, our tents of ___________ (fill in the blank).  If we want to see the presence of the Lord in our lives, we've got to leave our tents, take steps away and enter the Tent of Meeting.  

The next day, my husband and I went to see "War Room", a story of an older woman who teaches a younger woman how to pray, thus changing the course of the young woman's family.  The absolute high point of this movie for me was the prayer at the very end.  I'll get to that prayer in a minute.  But first it must be pointed out that the War Room spoken of in the movie is a dedicated place of prayer, worship, and spiritual battle.  It is a modern example of the "prayer closet;" it's a Tent of Meeting.

We need to establish a War Room, a Tent of Meeting, a prayer closet -- I don't care what you call it -- but we need to get one!  And we need to get inside it.  And seek the Lord with all our heart.  In that room we can bare our hearts and souls before a loving God who longs to change us and change the world around us.  In that room we can lift up our concerns for loved ones, for the people that frustrate us, for the situations that stymie us.  In that room we can war against the enemy of our souls and finally fight "right" instead of fighting against false obstacles.  "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph. 6:12)

It was a great weekend!  Humbling, but great.  As I start this new week, I'm reminded that I need to get into that Tent of Meeting, that War Room.  I need to worship the Lord and pray as Clara prayed at the end of the movie:

You are good and You are mighty and You are merciful.  Praise You Jesus!  

Guide me to who You want me to help.  Raise up more that will call upon Your name.  

Lord, we need an army of believers that will stand on your Word above all else.  Raise up warriors, Lord, who will fight on their knees, who will worship You with their whole hearts, Lord.

Lord, call us to battle that we may proclaim You King of kings and Lord of lords.  I pray these things with all my heart.

Raise 'em up Lord, raise 'em up! 

"Raise up more that will call upon Your name."  This phrase is stuck in my brain.  Our world is a mess.  If ever there's a time for us to call upon His name, it's now.  We need an army of believers who will daily enter the War Room -- the Tent of Meeting -- and meet with the Lord, be transformed by Him, and minister Him to others.

RAISE UP MORE THAT WILL CALL UPON YOUR NAME.
Are you one of them?

Changing Community

To quote Bob Dylan, "The times, they are a-changin'."  As a missionary, I see the reports each year of ever increasing minority populations in America.  I am aware of the more than 700,000 international students that come to this country each year to study.  I know that America can hardly be considered a "white" nation anymore, which frankly makes me happy.

Just that last statement alone will make some people upset, but I believe that we Christians have been given a great opportunity in America.  Like no other time before, the nations are coming to our doors, of their own volition and for a variety of reasons.  Some come as refugees from hostile nations, others marry into American families, still others cross the borders illegally.  I'm not even going to get into a debate about that last one!  That's not the purpose of this post.  No, I believe it is time to focus on the great gift we've been given.

But today I think I realized for the first time that even the face of my community is changing.  While taking a brief frozen yogurt break, I noticed that out of 10 people in the establishment, only 3 of us fit the caucasian American description.  Three years ago the percentage would've been much higher.  I'm happy to see diversity coming to my community, because quite honestly I missed seeing the faces of different ethnicities when I first moved here.  My previous community was like a little world, people from many nations all living in a small area.  It was great walking down the street and smelling the various spices used to cook different families' dinners.  I loved the conversations we had, some brief because of language barriers, others in-depth and heartfelt.

As one who travels to different nations, my life has been enriched by getting to personally know people of other cultures.  I see things differently.  I view differences differently.  I appreciate who I am and the upbringing I had, but I also appreciate who they are and the upbringing that makes them, well....them.  I even feel weird saying "them," as if it's me and the rest of the world -- them.

That's not how Christ sees us -- me and them!  He sees us as individuals with pasts, presents and futures.  He sees our sins, knows our need for His mercy and grace, and the potential we have through Him.  I believe He does see the hues of skin color and the multiple languages and delights in them, for He created them!  While it's true that "we are all the same at the foot of the cross," we are also "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14), which includes our physical differences.

But in talking to other people about the migration of nations to America, it's not the physical differences that cause people heartburn.  It's the cultural and religious differences that scare them.  I'll admit, there are elements of other religions that I'd rather not see come to these shores.  However, in looking only at what we're fearful of, we miss the great opportunity the Lord has presented us.  In a way only the Lord could orchestrate, the nations are coming to us.  Yes, there is still a great need to send missionaries out around the world, but do we recognize the great blessing before us?  The nations are here!  We work with them, reside next to them, shop where they shop, etc.  We have the option to get to know these individuals, build friendships and demonstrate Christ's love for them....or we can turn our backs and pretend we've not seen another human being.  Personally, I choose to get to know them!  I've found that some of them are already Christians and are looking for fellowship, but because of their skin color or rough English, they are ignored.  I've found that some are not yet Christians, but are still wanting friendship.

I'm deeply burdened by some of the reactions of Americans, even Christian Americans, toward different ethnicities and religious backgrounds.  Lest we forget that our own nation was made up of foreigners and religious folk, it is more important to remember what our King has to say about how His people should treat foreigners.  "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.  The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.  Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.  I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:33-34)

Oh, that's just an Old Testament verse, you say?  Well, in true form, the Lord ups the ante in the New Testament by speaking through Paul to the Philippians, "But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3:20)

Guess what?  We who call ourselves Christians are foreigners in this world.  Even if we are not immigrants to America, we are still foreigners in this land.  Perhaps it's time for us to reconsider how we treat those who step foot in this nation, for we too don't belong.  Yes, we have voting rights and responsibilities as physical residents -- and we should be good stewards of those rights and responsibilities -- but we must never forget our affinity with the foreigner.

Before you send me comments and emails, know that I firmly believe in legal immigration and standing up for religious beliefs.  My point here is that instead of hiding behind our fears or assumptions of others, the Lord has given us great opportunity to help fulfill the global Great Commission in our own communities.  We have the chance to rub shoulders with both the lost and fellow brothers and sisters from other nations, all because the Lord brought them to our shores.  Let us radiate Christ, and perhaps we will have influence like we've never known.  Maybe you'll help lead a family to Christ half a world away, simply because you took time to care for a foreigner among you.

 

Everybody's Doin' It

"Everybody's doin' it!" and "It's so easy!"  Things I've heard about blogging.  I've been fairly resistant to the idea of my own blog.  I mean, really, I have enough to keep me busy!  

Yet for some reason, several people have consistently approached me about writing a book, sharing what I'm learning in the Bible, describing what I see around the world both from the aspect of a traveler and a missionary.  Truthfully, I don't know what all will come out here, but it is my hope and desire that what IS shared will encourage and challenge us all, and that together we can grow in the things of God.

I ask now for your patience as I get this whole blogging thing figured out!  I probably won't blog often enough or there will be items you find boring -- though I hope that's not the case.

So....welcome to my world!