This .09 second video clip (thanks Casey) was our experience for two hours. An experience that speaks...
Descending the Rift Valley escarpment, Mark
worked his
way though the winding road as rain began to fall in
earnest. Along the flat bottom, cars had stopped…
Wildlife? An accident? Then, we saw it
move – earth
heaving toward us, throbbing with water from the
mountains. Dirt,
silt, small trees and large rocks churned along the side of the car, some rolling
violently across
our path.It seemed
surreal, like someone had planted
an invisible movie screen outside the
window.
We were in the flood zone with
no way out.
We
waited. We prayed. We watched, amazed and a
little concerned as
the muddy water flushed out onto
the Serengeti savannah stretched before us. Masai
observed from the hills, leaning on their spears, murmuring
to one another. Mutatus, trucks and automobiles shifted
back and forth, trying to avoid high waters that
broke over
the road. Fretful faces stared at the strong currents slipping
under
their vehicles. Uneasy tension rose with the water.
That’s when I heard the still small
Voice of scripture
bubbling in my mind.
“When
the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit
of the Lord shall lift up a
standard against him.”
Isaiah 59:19 KJV
Yes,
we all know those times when we feel the enemy’s
presence on every side. Pressed down by torrents of tests,
trials and
temptations. Crises overwhelm us like a
deluge;
we struggle to keep our heads above, gasping for the breath
of God. Those times inundated with trouble,
remember
the promise – He rises up a standard of protection and
provision. Truly a lesson to meditate upon considering our situation. These
words comforted me, yet something
unexpected seeped in…
“Move
the comma.”
“Huh?”
“What
if the comma came after the word enemy
instead
of flood?”
(For
all of you who think I just blasphemed by “changing
scripture” I certainly did
not. Consider the word flood in
this verse means nahar – prosperity,
sparkle, cheerful.)
“When
the enemy comes in,
like a flood
the Spirit of the Lord
shall lift up a standard against him.”
I
saw God in the flood. He agitates cleansing currents
against evil influences, whipping
the weights that so
easily beset us. His
rolling presence penetrates the drought
of our neglect, breaking up hard ground
so new life can
grow. He is in the flood
- powerful, surging, bring a standard
of obedience and blessing (Isaiah 28:2).
I
gazed at the rising filth with new eyes.
I saw sin being
swept away. I saw
God’s covering hand holding us as
His strength removed the debris that pollutes
our souls
(Psalm 90:5). His intensity
to rush in like a flood to save
made sure a way out. His waters overwhelm with
grace.
In
the midst of a storm in central Kenya, that delayed our
best-laid plans for
hours, God spoke. When life experiences
feel like drowning waves, the Lord’s
standard comes in like
a flood of freedom
(Ezekiel 47:1-9).
Asante sana for your prayer, support and encouragement.
hugs from the haugers oooo
