Prayer-Soldier Newbie
Joined: Apr 18, 2009 Posts: 1001
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 9:03 am Post subject: Working as the Hands of God |
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Working as the Hands of God
Scripture:
And it came to pass when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, He said to Nathan the prophet: Do you see that I dwell in a house of cedar, and the ark of God is lodged within skins? And Nathan said to the king: Go, do all that is in your heart: because the Lord is with you. But it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: Go, and say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Shall you build me a house to dwell in?
And now thus shall you speak to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you out of the pastures from following the sheep to be ruler over my people Israel: And I have been with you wheresoever you have walked, and have slain all your enemies from before your face: and I have made you a great man, like unto the name of the great ones that are on the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell therein, and shall be disturbed no more: neither shall the children of iniquity afflict them any more as they did before, from the day that I appointed judges over my people Israel: and I will give you rest from all your enemies.
And the Lord foretells to you, that the Lord will make you a house. And when your days shall be fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, which shall proceed out of thy loins, and I will establish his kingdom. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: And your house shall be faithful, and your kingdom forever before your face, and your throne shall be firm forever. (2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14a, 16)
Now to him that is able to establish you, according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret from eternity, (Which now is made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the precept of the eternal God, for the obedience of faith,) known among all nations; To God the only wise, through Jesus Christ, to whom be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Romans 16:25-27)
And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.
Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for you have found grace with God. Behold you shall conceive in your womb, and shall bring forth a son; and you shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.
And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the most High shall overshadow you. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. And behold your cousin Elizabeth, she also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. ( Luke 1:21-38 )
Reflection:
Blessed are they who respond to the call to do the work of the Lord for their hands are His hands. He waits in patience to see if we will respond to His call to love Him and the children of His creation. His love is not conditional upon what we do, but what He offers is lost when it is refused. If nothing is done in the glory of His name, how is it then we express our belief? If nothing is done in the glory of His name, how is it then we express our faith? He waits in patience for our answer. He waits in patience to witness our works.
Through the generations, the faithful have faced persecution and are challenged by the evil which surrounds them, but it is their faith which sustains them. Those who do not seek Him will be consumed by the darkness, but those who walk in His ways will find the blessings of the light. What the faithful offer to one another and in loving glory of His name will be known in the heavens and will generate rewards which cannot be delivered through the fruits of the darkness.
Blessed are the generations which seek Him, for He will remain by their side. Through them He will build families of love and great nations of strength. Blessed are they who do His work, for the happiness shared will spread from one child of God to another. Woe to the generations which turn from Him, for they will fall to the temptations of selfishness, the temptations of evil and they will be consumed by the darkness, the misery of the abyss and the pain of the eternal fire which exists without the blessings of the light. May the generations take heed then, lest they fail to reach out to Him and the great blessings of His love.
Through the scriptures, we are given the blessing of His message. He offers His grace and mercy to us in many forms, but asks a simple covenant in return, a covenant of love and faith in Him. Through His only begotten Son, He came down from heaven to walk with us and teach us that the way to salvation is not through selfishness, but through selfless belief in Him. He gave us the ultimate example so that we might know, that we might understand, that we too might conquer death and rise to everlasting life.
Through the faith of a woman, our Savior was brought to us. What fear might have been in her to see an angel before her, telling her that she, among women, had found such grace with God that she would conceive and give birth to One who would be called the Son of the most High, the Son of God.
What is conceived in the womb of a woman is the miracle of life joined with a soul known by God before it enters the womb. It is the creation of our Lord that life in this world would have such beginnings; the joining of the flesh of man and woman; but for the child which Mary was to give birth, it was to be formed not by the joining of man and woman, but through the Holy Spirit and the power of the most High.
That which is impossible is within the power of the Lord. The barren and the virgin were called to set in motion the coming of the Savior of all who will believe in Him. Through the womb of a woman would come the one who would herald the way, the lone voice in the desert who would cry to make straight the way of the Lord. Through the womb of a woman would come the One who calls sinners to His table and renders forgiveness to those who believe in Him.
The life which is conceived in the womb is part of the creation of God. The blessings for each soul awaits them as they mature from the moment of conception. As it was the choice of Mary to accept the calling of the Lord, each soul is called to a measure of His work. Blessed are they who respond to Him; be it done to me according to Your word; for they will be called to share in the blessings He offers and the work He seeks us to do for one another. It is the works of love which create the greatest rewards for such works are pleasing to God and shall live in the souls of all who receive and all who share the blessings found only through working as the hands of God.
May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier
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