My Dear Friends:

My desire, as I sit and write to you, is that Peace will envelop you. Striving, fuss and worry no longer can hinder; let fear crouch away. Live life in the Son of Man.

“Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening…”1 Samuel 3:9-10

The Hebrew equivalent is just one word: “Henayni, here am I.”

Moses and David responded to the call with the same word. 

I find “henayni” a perfect immediate response to the LORD. No come back, no excuses, not too busy, just, “I’m here, I’m available.” Beautiful! Join me now as we invite the living Presence to be realised, as you read this. The Saviour longs to be an integral part of life, all that we are. Full Stop! Little children have few preconceived ideas of their own, and trust allows them the priceless gift of humility. 

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

The details of the child Samuel’s early experience speak to me. His mother, wanting to prove her gratefulness for the gift of a son, gave that very child into the care of the priest Eli. He would be raised to serve in the Tabernacle located in Shiloh. In her fervour, she was oblivious to her child’s sense of abandonment. I choose to believe that she was totally unaware of the moral mess there. Eli’s sons were renegades, sexually abusing the women who came to worship. Need I say more? Into this mix of religious ritual, hypocrisy, greed and lust came a darling little boy. His work was to keep the Menorah lights from going out. The significance is lofty indeed, and he would grow up in an atmosphere charged with compromise. Through it all, Samuel became the conscience of the nation. But what a beginning, one we would never choose!

Yet, I realise that the majority of children grow up with great lack. So…here’s my question… You may think it strange. What place did darkness have in preparing and opening you or me to the love of Christ? Broken hearts are His speciality. But never forget, how darkness infested our lives, is often the key to our Salvation. For God’s ways are not our ways.

I share a few succinct words with mathematician John Lennox. A friend begins by telling him,  “They silenced me, my colleagues have silenced me…”

 Professor Lennox responded, “Who, who silenced you?”

He said, “ My colleagues have silenced me, and I dare not mention the name of Jesus or the name of Christ.”

In response, Professor Lennox said: “People are now being taught to play the victim role; we’ve developed this awful victim culture. I’m offended, I’m hurt, you’ve offended me, you’ve upset me. There is a real job here to try and shift that. Because it is a very unhealthy thing. Not only from a philosophical or psychological perspective but from a Christian perspective. If anything, the Gospel should lift us right out of that. Christ has been the victim to save us from this culture. There needs to be a forum in churches where hurting people can talk about their experiences of everyday life.”  John Lennox”

If we are unable to push back, enforced silence can grip our thoughts, blood pressure, stomachs, bowels, breathing, or any other bodily function due to the imposed STRESS. Pressure builds within. BUT we have the gift of choice, built into our DNA, and we can choose the LIFE that flows from our relationship with Jesus.

It is never too late to grow stronger internally. I have made repentance a part of my early morning devotions. I am working not to hide myself from myself. Enough with grey shadows. They will melt away as we lift our heads, take a deep breath and work to outwardly express who we truly are on the inside! The blessed Holy Spirit, as described in the Amplified Bible, Jesus is speaking: “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away the Helper (Advocate, Comforter, Intercessor, Counsellor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you].”  John 16:7

Stop fighting Him. As they said, “Let go and let God!” Stop dictating, directing, managing. We are told repeatedly, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Is it not time to know what that means on the inside of our lives? I’m talking to me.

Enjoy your November! 

Ask for a full measure of the Holy Spirit to fill your motives and actions with His incredible creative thoughts and powerful JOY that becomes physical strength. Don’t over-concern yourself with the apostasy overtaking your children, your church, or the world. Hide yourself in the shadow of the Almighty and enjoy His leadings. Be obedient to that Still Small Voice. Then, where you were once intimidated and feeling hindered in speaking out (with wisdom, of course) the Name of Jesus, you will find a new inner calm and confidence. Owe no man anything except the truth in love. I love to pray for the children of the world, and I love to ask Heaven to find them supernaturally as He found me. 

The other day, I asked my husband Jay who his heroine was. Without a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Your mother.” 

At the age of 14, when she was in high school, she heard a very expressive Jewish woman speak. My mother decided in that auditorium that she would name her first daughter Meridel, and like this woman, she would serve the LORD. As Samuel’s mother,  so also my mother wanted to “give back”. That is a peek into my humble beginnings. Meridel means “Revolutionary for God”. I give thanks for both of my parents; I give thanks for the home I was born into. I grew up in a charged atmosphere where the Light and the Dark intermingle along with the good and the bad, the just and the unjust, the renegade and the saint. The contrast was stark, but it taught me to discern between good and evil from a very young age. This month, 85 years ago, my mother gave birth to her first daughter, Meridel.

 The Bible tells us 11,754 times: “His mercy endures forever!” 

Let us learn how to float, buoyed up by the ocean of His love!

Meridel Rawlings.

Thank you for your notes and responses. You can find me on WhatsApp or by email: meridelrawlings@gmail.com

Thank you to each and everyone who responds. It’s lovely to hear from you, and you help me out with groceries and the expenses of living. I bless you each one. Thank you. 

You can buy me a coffee on my new donations page:
https://buymeacoffee.com/stillsmallvoice

For bank donations, please send them here:
Greece: Piraeus Bank
Name: Meridel Rawlings
IBAN: GR70 0172 5280 0055 2811 1846 351
BIC: PIRBGRAAXXX

Photo references:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_(biblical_figure)
https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiedosto:Menorah_0307.jpg