Friday the Thirteenth

 

It's Friday the Thirteenth on the Gregorian calendar today - a day that some of our forebears saw as a bad day. But not so for us who believe.

    Thirteen is actually a very holy number. There were/are 13 Tribes of Israel, 13 entrances to the Holy Temple here on Earth, as well as in the heavenly Temple. These aren't the only good things about Thirteen, but it gives you the idea that the day isn't about thunder and lightning, dark skies and God's wrath.

    My morning started with the first words of the daily aliyah - Sh'mot 23 v 20 - "I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared for you."

    Years ago, when my father of blessed memory passed on, my mom sold the house, and my four small children and I were faced with the real possibility of having nowhere to live. I appealed to my Heavenly Father and did everything I possibly could to seek accommodation. It was a very heart-rending experience, but in the midst of it, HaShem gave me this very Scripture, from Sh'mot 23 v 20. At that time, I didn't know Him as YHWH, but fortunately, He doesn't have an identity crisis and knows exactly who He is and Who I was calling on from the depths of my heart!

    This is the beauty of serving a Living God Who has a Living Word - it literally speaks to us in every situation we could ever encounter in our lives. I am so grateful.

    And He did send His angel before us, and He did give us a lovely home - well, actually, several over the years - but I have not yet, to this very day, had to live on the pavement, Baruch HaShem.

    Speaking of Baruch HaShem, it is actually in the Torah. Yitro, father-in-law of Moshe, was first person to use the expression. After Moshe had recounted to him all that the LORD had done for the Israelites, Yitro said: "Baruch HaShem!" We miss this in the English, but it is definitely there in the Hebrew!

    My body is still achy from the fall, but it is better already. I am so grateful to HaShem for saving me and I am also thankful for His pharmaceuticals that He so freely gives us - though we often have to purchase them from others! - Castor Oil is a wonderful healer and soother of sore bones and muscles. I have used up a large amount of my big bottle since Wednesday. It is a bit greasy, and so I am even more thankful for having been given a gift of a bottle of liquid soap, which is made of heavenly-smelling essential oils and other good stuff!

    As I embark on this new day, I am deeply encouraged by God Himself that He will never leave me nor forsake me. His Word (Yeshua, the Living Word) is good for all time, for long ago in my life and for today and every day to come. Hallelujah!

Sing praises to the Living King!