God Morning Family,
God truly is moving...in me. Surely His thoughts are not my thoughts yet He calls me friend and shares them with me. His thoughts are amazing. When I make the time to really connect with Him in prayer, to seek Him just for Him, He speaks.
What's been on my heart is stones.
Stones are God made, not man made. They don't do much or look like much. They are what they are and nothing more. Stones are rarely impressive. Mind you I'm not talking about precious stones like diamonds or emeralds, but I will say in the middle of a desert water is more precious than a ruby. Your average, grey stone, is a stone and nothing more, yet even God can use one.
So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. Ex 17: 10-12
Whenever this story is preached the focus is always on Moses as a leader, Aaron and Hur who lifted his hands, or Joshua who fought the battle. The stone is never the focus. Yet the stone was just as important to the winning of the battle against Amalek as Joshua. The stone was just as necessary to Moses as Aaron and Hur. But how ridiculous it would seem to give praise to the stone, or preach on the stone as a source of inspiration to those who would desire to be something great in God's kingdom. God doesn't think the way we do.
In my flesh I want to be known as a great person, an armor bearer like Aaron and Hur, a warrior like Joshua. I want to declare boldly like Caleb that I am just as strong in my 80's as I was in my 4o's. I want to creep in like Jael and put a stake through the temple of the enemy. I want to be as zealous as Phinehas who executed the couple who defiled the tabernacle of God, or Jehu who trampled Jezebel's body beneath the hooves of his horse. But in my spirit I want to be content to be a stone.
Through the course of time and nature that stone was in just the right place to be used by God. It had no purpose before the battle with Amalek and no purpose after. Still, at that particular moment, God said, "Now is your time." Just being what God made the stone to be, it gave glory to it's Maker. It didn't insist on being something more grand. It didn't fume in offense because Moses didn't say, "Thank you for allowing me to rest on you." It was what it was and did what it was called to do.
Can I do that? Just be a stone? To bask in the blessedness of obscurity, receiving no thanks, nor accolades for what God chooses to do with me? To be a slave to God's plan?
Stones never seek thanks or praise from people. They understand that what God thinks of them is all there is. They are simply His and He can do whatever He wants with them. They understand that miracles, healing, or tongues are not the greatest expressions of faith but serving in God's kingdom without thanks or some token of appreciation is. The stone can sincerely say I am an unprofitable servant who deserves no reward. I'm just doing what I was created to do. (Luke 17:10)
Being a stone simply means you know your purpose. Some stones are quiet and behind the scenes others are loud and seen by thousands. One is not being a stone when one is called to be a preacher and instead cowers behind emotional baggage like Saul (1st Sam 10:21-23). One is not being a stone when one is called to wash the hands of the man of God but insists on starting a church. Some stones are for sitting on, others are for splitting Goliath's skull in two.
Stones are obedience driven not results driven, understanding God brings the increase. When one is given a task one must do it excellently, with all their might as unto the Lord. Yet there may be no increase. Yes, I understand that fruit is a sign of walking in the will of God, but what about Jeremiah who preached his heart out and Israel still went into captivity? Our level of obedience is how God defines success, not the results. Results comes from God. Obedience is our responsibility.
Stones understand that though they are only a small part of what God is doing, they are still vital to the mission. The word stone comes from the Hebrew word 'eben which means to build. By just being in its proper place on the wall of God's house is a supreme work. How beautiful the building will be on that day! In the end one may not be able to tell one stone from another, just the same, each one will be rewarded for doing just what it was made to do.
And do you know who will get the praise for building that great house?
The Master Builder, Jesus!
...you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5
Stay in Prayer and in the Word!
Love in our Lord,
Lauren
P.S. Please pray for me that all I write would be inscribed in my heart. There is no reward for the hearer. It is the doer that proves the perfect will of God.
