Word Of Truth
We have looked at Naomi, as an example of a child of God, who is taking the discipline of God in negative light. We saw how she wanted her name changed from Naomi, which means pleasant, to the name of Mara, which means ugly and bitter.
What is the point of all of this to you and me? It is just this. Naomi is a child of God as you are and I am. Does she not reflect us in our times of deep poverty, emptiness and hopelessness? We need to be brought to truth about our Father, truth about His chastening and corrections, which will be of great good to many of us, despairing ones.
Is this not a warning for us also, who are children of God. He has given us His Name, a wonderful, beautiful, glorious Name of Love, and we are fine to wear His Name, when everything is all bright and sunshiny. Then, as soon as we see our Father’s frowns, as soon as we feel His arm of correction, as soon as we taste the bitterness of His cup of discipline, we immediately forget who we are and give ourselves a name change. We are tricked and seduced into thinking that we are no longer the children we used to be and we take upon ourselves power which only belongs to God. We, who did not name ourselves in the first place, now want to cancel our God-given name and take one we choose as appropriate. O how we must seek Divine help in order to successfully resist such a temptation.
Look at the rose, a beautiful sight in the garden, all vivid and brilliant in colour, as the sun covers it in the radiant splendour of its light. It is named, rose! Then, a fire rages nearby and the ash is thick, so thick that it covers the plants in that garden, as snow completely covers trees. The beautiful rose is totally covered in ash and its vivid colour can hardly be detected. Nevertheless, it is still a rose. Will the rose say, do not call me rose, because I am all dirty and covered with smoke and ash, call me, ash? No! It is still named, rose.
Let me reiterated that this is for all of us who are children of our Father in heaven. It is for all of us who think differently about ourselves, when we are going through our heavenly Father’s chastening. We, most unwisely, christen ourselves over with all kinds of enemy-inveigled names, casting aside our rightful name of Love. Our Father is Love. O yes! This is definitely for struggling, misguided, anxious and frightened children of God, who are being tempted and tormented by the unscrupulous deceiver, to believe pure, unadulterated lies. Though ash covers the rose, its name is still, rose. Though you are being chastised and disciplined severely by Father God, your name is still, Love.
Though we may be facing some really tough waters; though we may feel as though everything will cover us and drown us, and though we are being tormented and tortured by the deceiver to believe that our Father in heaven has left us, resist him. Resist every word of the evil one, regardless of what you are seeing and hearing around you and in within you. You are still a child of Father God, a sheep of His flock, and He will not let any sly, conniving, sneaky sheep-stealer, snatch you from Him.
Most assuredly, you still are the Lord’s sheep. He has not changed your name to goat, for example. Why then do you think that you are better than your God and want to give yourself, His child, a lesser name?
Comments