“God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.  God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.”  Genesis 1:16-18
If you’ve ever rented a car then you know the rental car routine when you go to pick it up.
Check in at the rental car company, sign your contract, get a key for the car, walk around the car to make sure nothing is damaged, sign a form stating whether you found any damage to the car, then start your journey.
Simple enough, right? Well, not exactly. A lot depends on where you are picking your car up at.
Recently when I rented an economy car, they upgraded me to a red Ford convertible Mustang. I looked at the guy and said “you realize I’m an old person right?” Â (laughing)
He said it would be okay so I walked around the car, checked for damage, gave him the form and started to drive off. But the car felt “too fast” for me. I’m sure it was psychological but I had visions of getting in an accident and my insurance company having to pay an arm and a leg.
So, I did what any paranoid person would do — I drove it back the few feet I had driven it.
There was a woman at the counter now and I explained my hesitancy to her and said “I wish they wouldn’t have upgraded me to something I didn’t ask for.” She then pointed to another car and said “How about that one?” Well, this one was better but it was also large — a compact instead of an economy.
Not wanting to cause more disturbance in the rental company’s force, I agreed to rent the Chevy Impala. This one had recently been washed. It was then that I noticed that the lighting was not great in this indoor garage. I considered noting on the inspection form “lighting too dim and car wet so unable to determine damage” but I thought “you’re getting paranoid again.”
It’s amazing how many times we don’t listen to what our gut tells us, isn’t it?
So, I drove off into the rainy city of Seattle and arrived at my destination 45 minutes later.
All was going well on this trip until … the sun came out. Now, normally in Seattle, the sun coming out would be a good thing and I certainly felt glad when it did. I visited the people I’d come to see and at the end of the day drove back to my friends house for the evening.
For some reason, I had parked the car closer to the garage than I had earlier so I walked around the back of the car to get to the house. Then I saw “it.” Â Can you see it?
Rental Car
Let’s take a closer look … see it now?
Rental Car
Now, I absolutely, positively, knew that I had not been in a car accident and that no one had hit me since I was going from garage driveway to garage driveway most of the time. There was one exception — a mall that I went to but that was after I discovered the problem.
I know what some of you might be thinking — oh, you probably parked it somewhere and someone side swiped you and you just didn’t notice. Well, that is possible but not probable.
Take a look at this …
Rental Car
That is what the other side of the car looked like in the rain and it’s very similar to when I picked it up and it was wet from the car wash they had given it.
In addition, If you look very closely, the damage to the side shows that a small bit of the paint is chipped and a little bit of rust can be seen so this was not a recent occurrence.
Rental Car
Did I miss this damage when I took possession of the car? Yes, absolutely.
I should have followed my gut and written on the form they gave me “unable to determine if there is any damage due to lighting and wetness.” But I didn’t.
So, what happened? I was anxious for the next few days and when I took the car back, I knew exactly what was going to happen. I pulled into the car rental drive, got out and waited while they inspected the car for damage.
Then the most interesting thing happened. Side note: If you ever watched Star Wars, you probably remember when Yoda would put his hand out and the person he was trying to distract away from him would suddenly turn the other way. (This was because the “force” was with him). Anyone remember that scene?
Anyway, as I stood there watching this guy walk around the car to inspect it, he suddenly stopped at the very spot where the damage was. Then he leaned in to take a closer look. He touched the spot and spent a few moments looking at it. Then he straightened up, walked over to me and had me sign that everything was okay.
What?!!! I couldn’t believe it. I was ready to fight for my dignity and — nothing. My inner fight was deflated.
I had prayed all the way to the car rental location reminding God that I was 99.9% sure I was not responsible for this (as if He didn’t know). I asked Him to be my Judge and to please show me grace and mercy so that I wouldn’t have to fight this. Â And that’s exactly what He did.
So — all you car renters — make sure you check and double check the cars you rent. And if you can’t inspect the car very well because of lighting or the car is wet, note that on the form they give you to sign.
Oh — and don’t forget to pray if something should go wrong (you can pray when it goes right also). God cares about the little things that affect us in life whether we’re right or wrong.
I recently came across a video called Describing Colors To Blind People. It made me think about my childhood and how I used to pretend that I was blind by closing my eyes to “see” if I could find my way around. I never tried it for very long and always bumped into something.
Balloons (Courtesy of Microsoft Free Images)
But — how would you describe a color to a blind person? This video was made by a man whose blind. It’s an interesting video.
The video also reminded me of a story in the Bible …
“They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?â€
He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.â€
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying,“Don’t even go into the village.†Luke 8:22-26
I look forward to the day when both physical and spiritual blindness are lifted from our eyes.
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.†John 12:31
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”   Philippians 3:10-11
Today I came across this song/video called God And Man At Table Are Sat Down sung by Michelle Swift.
It’s a beautiful song with beautiful lyrics. One day we will sit down with our brother, Jesus, at the banquet table that He has prepared for us.
And here are the lyrics …
O, welcome, all ye noble saints of old
As now before your very eyes unfold
The wonders all so long ago foretold.
God and man at table are sat down.
Worship in the presence of the Lord
With joyful songs and hearts in one accord.
And let our Host at table be adored.
God and man at table are sat down.
Elders, martyrs, all are falling down;
Prophets, patriarchs are gath’ring round.
What angels longed to see now man has found:
God and man at table are sat down.
Beggars, lame, and harlots also here;
Repentant publicans are drawing near.
Wayward sons come home without a fear.
God and man at table are sat down.
Who is this who spreads the vic’try feast?
Who is this who makes our warring cease?
Jesus, Risen Savior, Prince of Peace.
God and man at table are sat down.
When at last this earth shall pass away,
When Jesus and his Bride are one to stay,
The feast of love is just begun that day.
God and man at table are sat down.
I recently read a blog post called Down and Outers and it really made me think about how I sometimes judge people by their looks and how God looks past our “outsides” to the inmost part of our beings and wants to have fellowship with us.
As I sit here, the sun is streaming in through the window and brightens my day. So too, the Son (Jesus) streams into my life and refreshes me every day in spite of how much of a mess I’ve made of it. I am so thankful for this.
The story is told of a “very old” couple, Elizabeth and Zechariah, who had been unable to have children. Both of them were godly in the eyes of God because they obeyed everything that God had asked of them.
Pregnant Woman
Zechariah was a priest and went to the temple to burn incense. While he was there, an “angel of the Lord” appeared to him and he was filled with fear. Wouldn’t you be afraid if an apparition suddenly appeared in front of you? But the angel told him “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.” Luke 1:13
I don’t understand why a “very old” couple would still be praying for a son. As we age, our strength tends to decline and running after little children is usually not our idea of “retiring gracefully,” eh?
But they wanted a baby and kept praying for one and God answered their prayer with a resounding YES.
The angel then expounded on what the child would be like: “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:14-17
It must have been quite a comfort to Zechariah and Elizabeth to know that this child would be a joy and that he would also be filled with the Holy Spirit — a prayer that many Christian parents pray for their children.
This story is a comfort to me also on many levels. One of them is because it assures me that even when we believe that things are impossible, we should not stop praying because God continues to listen.
Sometimes God answers no and sometimes He answers yes. Other times God answers “wait.” For Elizabeth and Zechariah, He answered yes and their lives, along with the rest of the world’s, was changed forever.
A couple years back, I attended a small church in Seattle. The nice thing about small churches is that everyone was able to use their talents to the fullest if they so desired.
For a few years, we had a gentleman attending who had a beautiful voice and sang for us during our “special music” time. One of the songs he sang that I really enjoyed was Word of God Speak by MercyMe.
I’m including a video of the song so you can hear it and enjoy the visual that goes with it.
The man defies any logic I know just by his very being. How can it be, I ask myself over and over again? And yet — it was and it is.
Prostitute
He married a prostitute. Yes, he knew she was a prostitute when he married her and he tells me that God told him to marry this particular prostitute and to have children with her. I’m not going to argue with him but God doesn’t normally go around telling God-fearing men to marry prostitutes.
But, He did. At least that’s what he said. I guess I’ll take him at his word but the more he tells me about his life the less believable it is to me.
It’s not easy being married to a prostitute, he told me. One time, she ran away and came back pregnant. “I don’t think the baby’s mine” he said matter-of-factly.
How’s that for in-your-face honesty?
I’ve never met the man who goes by the name Hosea. He wrote a book about his life and when I read it, it made me shake my head in disbelief. But I have no reason to doubt that his first hand account is true.
What’s interesting about Hosea’s marriage to Gomer (his wife) is that he tells me that God wanted him to understand His relationship to us by being in this marriage. Is he out of his mind, I wonder?
But the more I read, the more it becomes believable to me because in the Bible, our relationship with God is many times described as a bride with her Bridegroom.
“As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:5
“Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” Matthew 9:15
And yet, if we believe what Hosea says about his relationship with Gomer being similar to our relationship with God then I have a serious problem because if I follow the logic then Hosea would represent God and Gomer would represent me.
Oh dear, that would be quite scandalous wouldn’t it? So here I am representing a prostitute and God represents my husband. The Bible puts it this way:
“Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”  Hosea 1:2
And that’s where the rubber meets the road — unfaithfulness in my relationship to God.
If I think about it, it happens all the time. I treat God differently than I do my spouse and my loved ones. Is it because God is not physically present that I so easily become unfaithful to him?
And what does unfaithfulness look like to God anyway? Well, I’ll let the Bible speak for itself …
Unintentional sin – “When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things … ” Leviticus 5:15
Cheating or deceiving – “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor … ” Leviticus 6:2
Having other gods (which is the same as placing importance or priority on other things besides God) – “But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land …” 1 Chronicles 5:25
Boasting of what “I” have instead of giving God the credit – “Why do you boast of your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful? Unfaithful Daughter Ammon, you trust in your riches and say, ‘Who will attack me?’ Jeremiah 49:4
Adultery (both physical and mental) – “Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.” Hosea 2:2
Dabbling in spiritualism – “My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner’s rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.” Hosea 4:12
Unfaithfulness with our money (and time) - “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.” Malachi 3:8
There’s so many ways we can be unfaithful to God, and for Him, it is painful enough that He considers it prostituting.
The word prostitute has more than one meaning. The normal definition we think of is of a man or woman selling their bodies for money, but it also means “to put to any base or unworthy use.”
The original Hebrew word is zanuwn which is translated whoredom, adultery, fornication and prostitution. (from Strong’s Concordance)
Am I guilty of unfaithfulness to God? Absolutely. How would my husband feel if I spent all my time in front of the TV and none with him? Or what if I took the money my husband worked for and spent it on frivolous things?
So, how can I expect the Creator of the universe — the one who gave me life — to not feel like I am unfaithful when I don’t spend time with Him or waste what He has given me on frivolous things?
Yet, it happens all the time because I am human. The story of Hosea and Gomer is so beautiful because it portrays God as still wanting me (us) in spite of what I (we) have done. He sees our “prostitution” and says “I still want to marry her.” He pursues us and tries to bring us to our senses and He will fight for us as long as there’s any chance of a relationship. Only after we continue to say no to Him does he leave us alone.
I can hear Him say “I love you Norma — even with all your imperfections I still want you.”
This is love. Can I love this way?  Can you love this way? How different the world would be if we could love like He loves us.
Man is very creative — especially when he’s very poor (I speak from experience on this.)
I watched this video recently about people who make musical instruments from the trash that’s around them. It was uplifting to me and, of course, reminded me of how God uses human instruments and transforms our stony hearts into hearts of flesh that can feel and share love, mercy and kindness.
Check out the video below. I think you’ll be as inspired as I was.
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”  Ezekiel 11:19
![Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519zeaE0I5L._SL75_.jpg)
[/amazon_link]
