A Well Watered Garden

Reading Luke 8 this morning, from verses 19 to 21:   Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20  And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” 21  But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” This was Jesus' earthly family. Why were they not with Him? Did they get complacent? Too exhausting to keep up with Him? Jesus did walk a lot and seems like He covered much ground very fast. It was also very rough terrain sometimes. Did they not like what He was saying? Too convicting? Uncomfortable? Too close to home? A sense of deja vu? Jaded? Bored? Or maybe they thought the rest of the world needed to hear from Him more than they did. They did live with Him for 30 years after all.   Of course these are all my own thoughts. But the words "...they could not reach him because of the crowd." really stuck...

Hanging out with Jesus as I promised, I came face to face with His heart of compassion today. In Luke 7, Jesus had just healed the slave of a Roman Officer. "Soon after Jesus went with his disciples to the next village." Luke 7:11 Jesus did not waste time, He was purposeful and intentional. A funeral procession was coming out. He was at the right place at the right time. We are told that the young man who had died was a widow's only son. The widow had lost everything. "When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said." Luke 7:13(NLT) I was so struck with Jesus' heart of compassion for the widow. Possibly the woman was so deep in her grief that she had not even noticed that Jesus was at the village gate. The Word does not mention that she appealed to Him. Jesus' "heart broke" (The Message) to see her grief. He was so moved that He raised her son to life and presented him to her.  He alone has power and ...

“ Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband - the Lord Almighty is his name -   the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;..Is 54:5 In this passage the prophet Isaiah is referring to the nation of Israel and to quote Matthew Henry: "Jerusalem had been in the condition of a wife written childless, or a desolate solitary widow; but now it is promised that the city should be replenished..." This was God's promise to them - that He would again be their husband and restore and redeem them. I love the Old Testament and how beautifully the story of the Jews, reflects the journey of our lives and God's unfailing love for us, for me. Your Maker is your husband! To be honest I have quoted this verse to a couple of my friends who have had marriages that did not turn out the way they were ...