Are You a Newbie?…

Lamentations 3:22-23 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 

It has been MANY years since I was born and MANY years since I was born again. I don’t remember the first birth experience (I’ve been told it was a near death experience for my mother) and with age the memory of my re-birth is somewhat cloudy also. Lately I have been pondering this birthing thing. I am praying for someone who seems to be close to his “due date” and I’m trying to OBSERVE and REMEMBER so that I might have some wise words to say after the labor pains.

I know from experience that there is pain for the mother but by the mercy of God we tend to forget the pain as we begin the walk of love with this miracle before us. I don’t know for sure, but I suppose that the birth is indeed somewhat painful for the baby also… coming from a wonderful world of complete care, through a passage that is so small it squeezes all the juice out and being pushed forward with the speed of a snail, to deliver it into a world of bright lights and hands that are the opposite of gentle.

I wonder… is/was the re-birth similar?

Is it painful for God (our Birth Parent and Womb)? I believe so… the time spent in cocooning the baby in His womb, providing the nutrients and environment for him/her to grow to birth. Then, the labor pains of squeezing His beloved so that none of the world’s juice can damage the baby or the event of its birth.

His ultimate pain in providing the opportunity to be reborn… the sending of His only Son, Yeshua/Jesus… the pain of watching Him pay the price required by the free will He created in us… the complete emptiness as He turned His back on the final payment, the crucifixion. You know He had to turn His back… it must have taken all that He IS that to allow it to continue for such a day as this… another newborn for His own possession.

Yes, I do believe there is pain for the newborn even if I don’t remember much of my own. But my pain, the baby’s pain, is nothing in comparison to the life that is breathed into us at the moment of this extraordinary event. The event where we (decide… each of us must decide… Joshua 24:15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve:) say no, to the world and its many idols of faux gods, and say YES, to becoming the child of the One True God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The triune God of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

What wise words, or gentle song may I sing to the new baby whose eyes have been opened and He looks upon his/her ABBA… DADDY for the first time.

The song… my song that began the new life in me… a song written by Helen H. Lemmel… who by the way was blind so this is definitely not about using our earthy eyes, but the eyes of our heart!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

As I imagine this moment for the subject of my “standing in the gap prayers” for the young man the Holy Spirit has put before me, I see the newborn in the arms of God… in the most perfect position of his entire little life.

As our Loving Father puts him into my arms for this appointed “gap moment”, I want so badly to whisper the RIGHT thing into his ears…

1 Peter 2:2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation 

I want to tell him, “I know you don’t think you are just a baby. I know you think you are all grown up and there is nothing new under the sun. But you have never known a love such as this… the love of God. Seek Him first and all the rest will be added (Matthew 6:33)

Long to know Him as you have never known anyone else!

And then… Give yourself over to Him to do with you as He pleases. RUN to and into His arms!

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 

KNOW beyond  shadow of doubt that “God is good all the time… and… all the time God is good! (from my favorite movie – “God’s Not Dead”)

Mmmmmm… Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Yep, yep… Long for His pure milk of His word

Oh my… Run… RUN into His arms.

I just got it!!!!!

The reason I cannot remember my re-birth… wait for it… it is new every morning!

I’m a Newbie… a baby in my Abba’s arms… everyday! I don’t have to look back at the event…

What song do I sing to this precious child of God? Turn your eyes upon Jesus!

What wise words do I say to baby Mary? Long for His pure milk of His word!

What should this little one do every moment of every day? RUN into His arms!

Are you a newbie? I hope so… but if not… I pray the Holy Spirit will put you before one of His children to stand in the gap with you until you are born again. Maybe even me…

Just a side note…

To God’s other children… stand in the gap! Love the one the Holy Spirit puts in front of you! (Words of wisdom from Heidi Baker of IRIS Ministries)

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible