Prognosis, Prescription, Result - Gloria Guest

Into the year

The days left behind, a curtain of blackness

The landscape before, unchartered and strange

No footsteps to follow,

But one solitary Light…..

Each year I choose a bible verse for the upcoming year that I feel is something God is wanting to do in my life or express to me.  This year my verse is “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 (NIV)

This verse is divided into three parts:

 In the first part of the verse I am given the result of following the prescription; that as I move closer to God that He will draw near to me and help me. I like how He gives the result first; He is telling me that first I need to draw near to Him, just the way that I am.

In the second part “Wash your hands, you sinners,” I am given part of the prescription – to wash my hands – letting me know that action is required on my part and I am given my prognosis – I am a sinner.

Hands represent how we interact in the world around us, the things we do, how we deal with others – how we serve others. God is saying that I need to deal with the wrong ways that I have treated people and renew my commitment to helping others rather than taking care of my own selfish desires.

 Sin represents death so to have such a prognosis is serious. I have a choice; to continue on the way that I am which leads to death in relationships and death in living a victorious life or to wash my hands. Washing takes a concerted effort. We wash our hands not once but many times a day. Throughout my day I need to examine my heart and change my ways.

The third part of the verse is an even stronger prescription along with another prognosis, “purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Purify means to purge and is a process whereby impurities and things hindering my life are removed with God’s help. The prognosis is double-mindedness; a spiritual condition that affects the mind whereby in one moment I want to live a righteous life while in the next, I am going in the opposite direction. God is telling me that it is only by allowing Him to purify my heart that I can be free to follow Him with my whole heart, mind and soul.

This year I endeavour to draw near to God in my life, examining my heart and making changes where He asks me to.  My writing is just an outward expression of what is in my heart and so I can only improve my message as I listen to God’s message to me. There really is no one else to follow on this path, no footprints to guide me, as we all have different journeys; no one else – except Jesus – who lights my path.

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 (NIV)

An Odd Way to Give Thanks -- Pamela Mytroen

Sometimes God has a funny way of asking us to be thankful. Take, for instance, the Jewish Festival of Booths. It falls after their harvest, coinciding with our Canadian Thanksgiving.

After God cared for the Hebrews in the desert for 40 years, He asked them to set aside a week every fall to remember his provision. Jewish law expects every family, to this day, to build a ‘booth’ or a ‘tent’ and to live in it for a week. The law demands that it must be made from something that grows from the ground, such as wood or corn-stalks.

Even more unusual is that the twigs or wood on the roof must be spaced far enough apart to allow the rain to come through. I'm not sure about you but I don't like leaky tents. 

Also, those same openings are to allow the star-light to shine in.

At first glance, it's strange, but maybe that faint scent of rain while lying in a stifling tent wouldn't be so bad! And to feel the hint of a breeze and taste the first sweet raindrop that plops on your cheek? Hmmmm... And at night, what could be better than laying on your back with your arms behind your head, and gazing up at the twinkling Heavens? 

It may be an odd way to give thanks, but it may also carry a profound meaning. Jesus claimed to be Living Water. Living off the land where lack of rain meant starvation, the Jewish people would have blinked and raised their eyebrows when Jesus made such a bold statement. They could taste the wind-blown salt of the Dead Sea which was close by. Jesus declared to be the opposite – to save them from death with His own source of water.  And, in fact, it was on the final day of this Jewish Festival of Booths that Jesus made this assertion. He stood up in the Tabernacle and said, “If any one thirsts, let Him come to me and drink” (John 7, The Message).

Jesus also professed to be the Light of the World.

Maybe it's not so far out, then, that He asks us to crack open our wooden hearts, to push aside some of the busyness of our own brittle booths and take time to remember his care. To allow the fragrance of rain to awaken our stagnant souls, and to welcome his life-giving, soul-cleansing downpour!

And in our dark hours when our hearts are heavy, He wants us to know that, though He’s silent as starlight, He’s still there. He only asks us to lay down. Rest. Peel back our worry just a crack. Allow His peace to filter in and spill over us like sleep.

In the booth of a humble heart, let’s thank the Lord for providing Jesus. And along with the Jewish people, who recite Psalm 27 during this Festival, let us proclaim together, “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation” (Psalm 27:1a).

By Pamela Mytroen