A riverbed

I woke up this morning with an impression. I saw a riverbed that looked much like the one on the image. I stood in the middle of the riverbed and looked at its curve without knowing what was behind it. All of a sudden a great amount of water came rushing through the curve, as if floodgates had been opened.

A few hours later during prayer time the impression came back to me and I started to ask God if it mend something. I felt like God was saying that, although we can’t see it yet, he opened the floodgates and a great amount of living water, the answer to our prayers and blessing was released and is just around the corner. But we have to keep our eyes on the corner and expect the waters to come, because if we stand without expectation, we wont see the waters coming and the flood can overwhelm us, missing its purpose.

The Calf-Path

By Sam Walter Foss
 (1858-1911) 

One day, through the primeval wood,

A calf walked home, as good calves should;

But made a trail all bent askew,

A crooked trail as all calves do.

Since then three hundred years have fled,

And, I infer, the calf is dead.

But still he left behind his trail,

And thereby hangs my moral tale.

The trail was taken up next day,

By a lone dog that passed that way.

And then a wise bell-wether sheep,

Pursued the trail o'er vale and steep;

And drew the flock behind him too,

As good bell-wethers always do.

And from that day, o'er hill and glade.

Through those old woods a path was made.

And many men wound in and out,

And dodged, and turned, and bent about;

And uttered words of righteous wrath,

Because 'twas such a crooked path.

But still they followed - do not laugh -

The first migrations of that calf.

And through this winding wood-way stalked,

Because he wobbled when he walked.

This forest path became a lane,

that bent, and turned, and turned again.

This crooked lane became a road,

Where many a poor horse with his load,

Toiled on beneath the burning sun,

And traveled some three miles in one.

And thus a century and a half,

They trod the footsteps of that calf.

The years passed on in swiftness fleet,

The road became a village street;

And this, before men were aware,

A city's crowded thoroughfare;

And soon the central street was this,

Of a renowned metropolis;

And men two centuries and a half,

Trod in the footsteps of that calf.

Each day a hundred thousand rout,

Followed the zigzag calf about;

And o'er his crooked journey went,

The traffic of a continent.

A Hundred thousand men were led,

By one calf near three centuries dead.

They followed still his crooked way,

And lost one hundred years a day;

For thus such reverence is lent,

To well established precedent.

A moral lesson this might teach,

Were I ordained and called to preach;

For men are prone to go it blind,

Along the calf-paths of the mind;

And work away from sun to sun,

To do what other men have done.

They follow in the beaten track,

And out and in, and forth and back,

And still their devious course pursue,

To keep the path that others do.

They keep the path a sacred groove,

Along which all their lives they move.

But how the wise old wood gods laugh,

Who saw the first primeval calf!

Ah! many things this tale might teach -

But I am not ordained to preach.

Lifting Frustration

After what seems to be a long time I finally finished my internship. For 15 weeks I worked full –time as a teacher on a school in Vlissingen. Coming to the end of this period it kind of took me how glad I was. I just couldn’t wait to stop! I mean, isn’t this what I want to do for a living? Shouldn’t I be sadder that it comes to an end I wont teach like this again for at least half a year? So I started to examine this feeling and found out that it wasn’t because of the long days, all the energy it took, the school or the class. So what was it?

I think to be the best teacher you must be able to stay a student. Now for me that was a easy thing, because I am both. And looking back at the four years of being a student and a teacher one word just really catches the feeling: Frustration. Frustration within the children I taught and frustration within myself as a student and teacher. I think every generation grows up in a certain frustration that is cost by the stagnation of the former one. This is true for church just as it is for education and other sectors. When a generation grows up in created man made systems and routines that block the flow of “A new sound” that generation will experience the frustration of it. The problem really comes when the former generation tries to uphold the system and routines. Not only do they keep the younger in it, they will also be frustrated themselves because they have to do all kinds of unnatural things to keep the younger busy, interested and concerned. And this is exactly the frustration I felt as a student, but also in the children of my class. 

Now all of this came to me as Anne send me a video with the new Apple creation cold iBook’s Author. Watching it the images connected to me as if I was watching a revival video of a church. As a new sound within the educational system was revealed the frustration was lifted. And immediately my thoughts went crazy with ideas and possibilities and love for teaching.

So apple made it very clear for what the power is of a new sound. And I just know that my generation is called to stop the stagnation of the old, and release a new sound. And the new sounds will open up the ways for ideas, possibilities and love to those who grab hold of it, and that will lead to the flow of people to their true desire, Jesus Christ. 

Luke 5.37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; 

or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, 

and the wineskins will be ruined. 

38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

Best Wishes

 May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble;
         May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
 ² May He send you help from the sanctuary,
         And strengthen you out of Zion;
 ³ May He remember all your offerings,
         And accept your burnt sacrifice.  Selah  
         
 ⁴ May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
         And fulfill all your purpose.
 ⁵ We will rejoice in your salvation,
         And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! 
         May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. 
         
 ⁶ Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed;
         He will answer him from His holy heaven 
         With the saving strength of His right hand. 
         
 ⁷ Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
         But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
 ⁸ They have bowed down and fallen;
         But we have risen and stand upright. 
         
 ⁹ Save, LORD!
         May the King answer us when we call.

Inspired thoughts

Yesterday as we joined together to pray for the coming year I had some thought that felt really inspired. Normally I would not give it a lot of thoughts and say it were my own, but because I heard about the experiences and the way God can speak, I listened and tried to honour them. 

First I saw a white pion overthrowing a larger black king (as in chess figures). After that I saw a hand directing the steps of the pion across the chessboard. At the end I saw a hand appearing above the chessboard, trying to grab the pion, but it was not there. Instead it reached for an empty spot were it was supposed to be. 


I started to think this over and felt as if God showed me the end goal, then the way and promise to get there and at last what I had to do. I just wanted to write down these thoughts because they speak to me personally about the upcoming year. A year of great significance, with a lot of changes and a lot of wisdom needed. 

The pion overthrowing the black king: This year there will be a lot of things I need to focus on, graduation, marriage, and moving to Sweden to name the biggest. And of course I will give these a lot of attention, but this image reminded me not to lose my focus on the end goal, to overthrow the devil and his works. We are called to reveal the work and victory that Jesus gained for us: ‘For this purpose the son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil’ (1 John 3:8). And I love I saw it in the form of a pion, the least of the chess figures. It reminds me of the importance of staying humble and fearing God. 

The hand guiding the pion over the chessboard: This was a great encouragement as Gods promise is that He will guide the path witch he has already planned. He has an idea over the future and the way he wants to use us for the end goal. And as we will give us to Him and lean into His guidance, His hand will lead us. And I felt that the different places were the hand guided the pion on the chessboard stood for everything that I need, my school, my house, my job etc. When I keep leaning into His will and presence, keeping my focus on the end goal, He will take care of the things I need. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you Matthew 6:33.

The pion not being under the hand: I felt as if God wanted to highlight the importance of me positioning my life under His guidance, and to make sure I am not taking my one path on the chessboard. And it challenges me to review all my life for this coming year to see if everything is yield unto Him. 

The Memorial Stones

Do you know the feeling when a certain verse keeps coming back to you? Reading the word, it doesn’t matter where you turn, this thing just lingers in your minds? I know this feeling and I love it! The excitement that God is maybe highlighting something and want’s to enlarge your understanding. I think the only way to find out is to go there and take time with God to ask Him.Reading the book of Joshua it felt like I had a lot of these moments. The book is so filled with great stories and insights. And it builds up my faith just to read the stories of God in the old days! How He worked through people and situations to form and keep a people for Himself is amazing! And this is so tight in with the verse that keeps coming back to me in Joshua 4, in my bible having the title: “The Memorial Stones.”

The context of this chapter is that God starts to lead His people into their promised land by the hand of His servant Joshua. The first step of their journey is to cross the river Jordan, and to show His power and commitment to them hey cut of the springs of the river so that it dried out before them! After the crossing of the people God gives a commentmend that might be just as important as the miracle itself:

And commending them, saying: ‘now take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and commend them saying: “take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, were the priest feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.

That this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come saying: ‘what do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. And these stones shall be a memorial to the children of Israel forever. (Joshua 4:6-7)

So often I read something in the word, and I just know that what I read is a mine worth digging in forever! It is just full with precious treasures. For me this is one of those.

And one of the treasures it builds in my heart is that I have a burning passion to place these kinds of memorial stones for my children! To live my life in such a way that through it God can create witnesses for the coming generation that will show that God is for them and with them. It is said a few verses later that: “These stones are there to this day” (Joshua 4:9). No, I don’t know or these stones are still standing there, but I do know that the spiritual memorial they stand for will remain forever! So no matter how you place your stones, make sure you do it, for they will remain as a witness of the only true God.

And the coming generation will need these stones more than we can imagine. Because as the one generation died, the other arose. And it is said that: “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the lord nor the work which he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10)

Just like that! In one generation!

So I hope this blog encourages you to do all you can to live your life for God, that you might leave memorial stones for our children. 

Prophetic Word

Thanks Anne, for your devotional prayer over my life that builds me, encourages me, forms me and helps me!  

For who is God, except the LORD?
      And who is a rock, except our God?

God is my strength and power,

      And He makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
      And sets me on my high places.

He teaches my hands to make war,
      So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,

      Your gentleness has made me great.

You enlarged my path under me,

      So my feet did not slip.

2 Samuel 22:32

- Anne van 't Wout