All posts filed under: Newsletters

Still Small Voice – June 13th, 2022

Dear Friends: I begin with this encouraging quote: “The presence of the LORD comes when reading the Still Small Voice and with it a mixture of joy and tears. I love to support your work, you are good ground, and I pray for you and your family daily.” J. M., USA “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great …” Genesis 6:5 To quote Jesus: “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.” Matthew 15:18 What does My Future Hold? Today, citizens in every nation are grappling with this question. Will slavery continue? I can hear the Spirit of the LORD calling ‘listen’! Those who desire to hear the invisible voice will obey. “Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek and inquire of the LORD: Look to the rock you were cut from and to the quarry from which you were dug.” Isaiah 51:1 Sometimes we need to backtrack to see how far we have gotten off the beaten track. No matter the challenges; …

Still Small Voice – June 5th, 2022

Published by Meridel Rawlings

My dear Friends, Shalom! Shavuot – Pentecost This weekend in Israel we are celebrating The Feast of Shavuot which in English is Pentecost. God chose a family of people, the Jews, for Himself. He led them into slavery, so they would cry out to Him. Then, He delivered them through Moses at Passover. Then while in the desert of Sinai He chose to SPEAK. Darkness, earthquakes and fire descended upon Mount Sinai. Sadly, fear sent the people running in the opposite direction of The Terrifying, Commanding, yet Blessed Presence. They fled. Left all alone, Moses communed with the Almighty and wrote and spoke the words of instruction he heard. This Law of God, known as the Ten Commandments forever changed the world, FIRST becoming the foundation of Israel as a Nation. Until today the Biblical laws given to Moses are the basis of constitutions in democracies and Supreme Courts. But, sadly, in this day, ALL democracies are under threat of being diminished. Jesus Brings the Fulfillment Two thousand years later, Jews came up to the …

Still Small Voice – May 29th 2022

Published by Meridel Rawlings

Dear Friends who pray! Today is JERUSALEM Day! Jerusalem in Hebrew is Yerushalayim – which is plural meaning Jerusalems. Jerusalem on earth is twinned to the Jerusalem above. Jerusalem points to the one that is to come. This is Jerusalem the earthly and speaks of Jerusalem the heavenly. This is Jerusalem of time and space, pointing to the Eternal. This city is flawed and imperfect and points to the perfect and glorious. If you belong to God you belong to both Jerusalems. We are celebrating 55 years since Jerusalem was united under Israeli sovereignty in 1967, for the first time since her destruction in 70 CE / AD. Marchers will carry flags of Israel throughout the city. Hamas is threatening rocket attacks. They are insulted that Israel’s flag flies over all of the ancient city. Yes, hatred is a kind of madness. It’s very simple. Hamas wants Jerusalem. The world wants Jerusalem. Do you want Jerusalem? See Psalm 122. “Jerusalem has been fought over 16 times. It has been destroyed twice. Besieged 23 times. Attacked …

Still Small Voice – May 23, 2022

Published by Meridel Rawlings

Shalom Dear Friends: “…And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:5b “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb …” Allow us to share our family’s joy over the recent Hebrew wedding in the family. The Bride and Groom: Shelly Bandel and Daniel Rawlings. The Location: out on the Hills of Benjamin in Yad ha Shmoneh at sunset. The Setting: an ancient synagogue relocated from Galilee; reconstructed of its original 2,000-year-old basalt hand-chiselled stones. This unique setting took us to another world. Perhaps this was one of the many synagogues where Rabbi Yeshua taught. The Rabbi: Rabbi Ehud Bandel, Shelly’s uncle, performed the ceremony with all the love of the LORD God of Israel and his family. Yes, Daniel and Shelly were married in Canada in 2020, but as Jews living in Israel, they wanted their families to have the privilege of attending their Hebrew nuptials. A Hebrew wedding is very much a family affair. The parents of the groom …

Still Small Voice – May 16th, 2022

Published by Meridel Rawlings

Dear Friends Shalom: “Comfort, O comfort My people:” says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, And call out to her, that her time of compulsory service in warfare is finished, That her wickedness has been taken away, That she has received from the LORD’s hand Double [punishment] for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1-2 If you are a prayer warrior, and I am assuming that the majority of my readers are: one of your calls will be to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” You in return are promised prosperity. It is a bond with the Almighty worth cashing in on. Psalm 122:6 We must always remember that nothing can be done without the permission of a man or woman giving ascent spiritually. Father God gave the earth to the children of men, not angels. Just as Adam was called to keep and tend the Garden of Eden, so we are called to do the same in our spheres of inference. But Jerusalem stands out as the City of God for all peoples. Let me quote Jesus: …

Still Small Voice – May 8th, 2022

Published by Meridel Rawlings

Shalom Dear Friends: “You will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not frightened …” Matthew 24:6 But the good news: “But for you who fear My name, [with awe-filled reverence] the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go forward and leap [joyfully] like calves [released] from the stall.” Malachi 4:2 Israel Celebrates 74 Years: Independence Day The Arabs refer to this day as Nack-bah – Disaster! It seems the whole country spent the day picnicking in our many parks. Our son David and his best friend kept 3 barbecues going the entire time. Forty young Israelis came and Jay and I were the ‘older’ generation. We spoke into several needly young lives. On the way, we drove by Jerusalem’s major parks and saw many tens of thousands of families out ‘barbecuing’! The Jews were the original barbecuers; it all began 4,000 years ago in the desert of Arabia. Jay said, “The blue smoke can be seen from outer space on Israel’s birthday! At …

Still Small Voice – May 1, 2022

Published by Meridel Rawlings

Dear friends; “ … what we will be is not yet known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2 Jay and I are of the WW2 generation. Jay remembers the windows of his home being blacked out in Victoria. He was terrified of the sound of air-raid sirens; because his mother held him close and cried in fear. He does not remember the curfews. I remember sugar, coffee and meat were rationed. Jay’s Daddy Vic never came home. He died at 28, as a Canadian soldier liberating Deventer Holland from the Nazis. My Dad Don, was gone from 1941 to 1945, serving in the Air Force. I remember the anticipation of his coming standing on the station platform. The old steam engine pulled the train filled with soldiers to a screeching halt. The jubilation was wild. Dad came walking toward us with gifts for us all. I especially remember the music of that era. Our home was filled with …

Still Small Voice – April 26th, 2022

Published by Meridel Rawlings

Shalom, dear friends; “When the LORD returned Zion from captivity, we were all visionaries. Our mouth was filled with laughter, our tongues with joy, then the nations said: ‘The LORD has done wonders for those people.’ The LORD did wonders to us, we were overjoyed. Return us from captivity as the streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. Though he walks along weeping, carrying his store of seeds, He shall return carrying bundles of sheaves.” Psalm 126 In ancient times these Songs of Ascent were sung by the Israelites as they approached Jerusalem for any one of the three great ‘travelling’ Feasts. It is also sung often today during feasts. Jay and I certainly have experienced the ‘visionary’ part, along with the sowing and reaping. I love the ‘Grace after meal prayers’ and a portion here for you to savour. “Have mercy LORD, on Israel Your people and on Jerusalem, Your city, and on Zion where Your glory dwells, and on the kingdom of David, Your Messiah, and on …

Still Small Voice – Passover 5782/April 2022

Published by Meridel Rawlings

Shalom Hag Samach: This salutation is how we greet everyone in our local supermarkets, on the streets, on local trains, buses, in the markets and shops. The atmosphere is hectic but joyful. It’s the season of miracles, and anything could happen, even Elijah could turn up at our door. It’s that annual time of frantic cleaning, buying, cooking and preparing for the great ‘seder’ or Passover Feast. It begins on Friday evening, April 15th. Fifty-one years ago I gave birth to our second son James Christian in Hong Kong at this time. His was a glorious entry. I was ‘singing in the Spirit’ during and upon his arrival to the amazement of 8 doctors who came to watch. It was faith in action: no drugs, no pain and a perfect birth! Passover and Pain: Just as it was at the beginning of this holiday of deliverance; so it is today. “Why is tonight different from all other nights?” For millennia, this ancient question has been asked by the youngest child at the Passover table. “How …

Still Small Voice – April 10th, 2022

Published by Meridel Rawlings

Shalom dear friends: “So put aside every trace of malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and slander and hateful speech.” 1 Peter 2:1 I am sorry to begin in sadness, but Israel is where I live. Thank you for sharing my thoughts, dear caring friends. Thursday night on Dizengoff street in Tel Aviv two childhood friends Tomar Morad and Eytam Magini were shot in cold blood, 16 bystanders were wounded and hours later Barak Lufan, 35, succumbed to his wounds from the shooting. The country is sobered by all of these attacks, including the 13 deaths last week. Israel is a family, nothing is impersonal here, nothing! When under attack that sense of brotherhood is undeniable. All grieve and pray. Tomar and Eytam had arrived only moments earlier to celebrate Eytam’s recent engagement. Barak, the third victim, was an Olympian athlete in the 2009 Olympics. The Palestinian from Jenin, Ra’ad Hazem, opened fire, spraying bullets far and wide. He escaped to a mosque in Jaffa and nine hours later was tracked down and …