Dear Friends, Shalom, and a blessed Passover and Easter.
We send our loving prayers for your safety, health, and prosperity. Often, in our home, the 30 and 40-year olds join Jay and I in exclaiming, “Thank you Abba, we are so blessed.” We are grateful for our health and feel we are moving ahead. We proclaim and exclaim His blessings. Do we need a reason? Not really, but to begin with, our names are written in the Lambs Book of Life. Our history has been rewritten because:
He is Risen!
He is Risen indeed! Hallelujah!
Jay recently filmed an unforgettable encounter he had with the LORD back in 1969, in a tiny hot smokey, mosquito filled-room in the slums of the Philippines. The lesson was about how “God’s Measuring Rod” applied to his life. Ezekiel 40:3 and Revelation 11:1
The Apostle Paul, asks the very important question in Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” I believe his statement is totally relevant today. Sometimes we need to take stock. COVID has been such a time of soul searching.
Jay here: “Permit me to take you back 52 years to ’69 when we left our prosperous life in Canada. Israel was our first lengthy stop on a “round the world” scouting trip. The one thing we knew was that one day we would return here to live. We gave two years of our lives to helping a grassroots work in Manila. But, God made it very clear that we were to focus on Israel. We traveled for 7 years to 120 nations visiting Jewish communities. We pointed them to the words of their Prophets concerning returning home, making “aliyah”.
Beginning in “boot camp” in Quezon City, the capital of the Philippines, taught us invaluable life-lessons. We volunteered to assist the mission for “a season.” The founders had planted a Bible school and raised up 500 churches nationwide. They trusted us to pastor the “mother church”. We all experienced a national revival spring forth in the Roman Catholic convents, monasteries, prestigious schools, and universities. It was a thrilling time in history. We watched this movement of God spill into South East Asia.
But, before accepting this new challenge, I turned to the LORD for guidance. He gave me a vision that changed my life. I saw The Lord’s Measuring Rod, usedby Ezekiel and John to measure the heavenly Temple. In the vision, the pure golden instrument gleamed softly. It was used to measure the Temple in the Bible. Now I realized in vision that it was also measuring, all religious institutions and human lives. Delicate measurements etched along the side marked the yieldedness of each human life to the Will of Almighty God.
Foolishly, I assumed that I was worthy of praise. After all, I had left my profession of Hospital Administration in Canada’s largest hospital at the time. I gave up my financial security, all earthly possessions. I could not afford the $30. for my life insurance policy and cashed it in gaining nothing. It was to mature at a million dollars when I turned 75. I smile today just thinking about it. We had to learn to live by faith. I had $75.00 in my pocket at the time, and we were debt-free. Oh, yes, and I reminded the “Holy One” that I was serving my fellow man in a foreign land, in the slums. My times were in His hands.
Expectantly I looked at the goldenrod to find out how I scored. What? I found myself at the very first point etched on the rod. I cried out in despair and disbelief. “Abba, please show me where you are taking me?” Instantly I felt ashamed. There before me was a bloodied Jesus hanging crucified on the cross. I had nothing to say.
His, words, “It is finished.” pierced my ego, He bowed His head and died. John 19:30 I moaned, Abba, please don’t leave me here, help me to be willing to move on.
That vision made me realize that I must never become complacent. My life must be one of continual yielding to the Will of God. For some of you, this simple truth may sound self-evident. But it allowed me to see my life in relation to His. Over these many years, He never made me feel condemned. But He has a way of encouraging me to keep on pressing forward in the down-times. I do desire to stay safe in His will. His plans have proved so profound in comparison to my own. The Lesson? Never stop Yielding.
We returned to visit that very church 50 years later. Meridel and I were delighted to learn that over 100 congregations were birthed from that one. I was so encouraged. One day in Heaven will we joyfully discover the dear people blessed and strengthened because we dared to trust and obey.
We are reminding you our dear friends that Meridel, and I HOPE you sense the pleasure of the Holy Spirit when you stand with us in our life’s work out of Zion. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers and in your monthly donation plans for 2021. I am asking for help to purchase two laptops, our “tools of the writing trade”. Our current ones are literally worn out. Any help to get replacements will be greatly appreciated. Meridel gets electric shocks from hers and the ‘a’, ‘d’, ‘e’,’s’ keys and space bar are worn through. Thanks. Jay”
“Hi, everyone Meridel here. When I write I think of many of your individually. Some of us have corresponded for years now. We are encouraged here in Israel. The country is OPEN! There is light at the end of the tunnel, in spite of the tragic loss of 6,000 souls to COVID. We pray the country will remain open and safe.
Israel’s National elections are on March 23rd. We pray for change. The middle-class has been systemically decimated. The rich get rich and the poor get poorer. We need a leader for the common man. Please pray into the mind of the Father, even after the count is in.
My sons have me working toward greater visibility. I even made my first Facebook post myself. I have just filmed 4 short segments on “bitterness”, a very appropriate topic for Passover when we consider the “contradiction of sinners” that Jesus had to endure. The truth is may we never forget to pay attention to God’s “centerfold” in all of scripture. It is none other than His suffering Servant, Messiah, and our coming King! They are one and the same. Our prayer is that Israel will see the truth in this matter.
Israel’s breaking news is this: they have just successfully completed the first implant of a manmade cornea. The patient is a person named ‘Jamal’. I presume he is an Arab, blind from birth. Whereas he was blind, now he can see. This Israeli technology could bring sight to millions.
The Israel Antiquities Authorities have released the amazing news of their most recent discoveries in the Judean desert. Bible fragments were among the dazzling artifacts found including parts of the books of Nahum and Zechariah in Greek.
We hear God’s Spirit speaking to our nation out of the dust through the fragment of scripture. “These are the things that ye shall do; Speak every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.” Zechariah 8:16,17
Last, but not least, please stand with us to build a safe house in Nepal. No offering is too small, and neither is any too large. What a wonderful way to make a lasting difference in young lives without parents. Thank you.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:8
“Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7
Even so, come Yeshua Ha Messiah, Jesus the Messiah.
Love from Meridel Rawlings.
Dr. Meridel Rawlings, Box 84156, Mevasseret Zion, 9079097, Israel
The very picture at the very top: Photo by Phil Goodwin on Unsplash