A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place

Here we are, once again, at the beginning of a new study . . . I am SO excited!!!!

In this introductory session, Beth laid the groundwork for the next 10 weeks of study by asking us to open our spiritiual eyes to:

• "the wonder of God's pursuit of man" - reminding us that God pursued Adam after his disobedience
• "the beauty of God's consistency" - showing us, from Exodus 25 and Hebrews 8, that God "caused" Moses to see "a copy and shadow of a heavenly reality" of which the Old Testament tabernacle was to be patterned after
• "the glory of God's Son" - the cross was not Plan B . . . the Lamb "was slain from the creation of the world" (Revelation 13:8) . . . Jesus fulfilled everything that was spoken of about Him in the Scriptures (Luke 24:44)

In keeping with being open to what God is going to show us through this study, Beth encouraged us to pray that the Lord would open our minds that we might have understanding. I really liked the word picture she gave for ""suniemi", Greek for "understanding" . . .

"collecting the pieces of a puzzle and putting them together."

Ladies . . . the picture of this particular puzzle is the title of our study, "A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place."  The pieces of this particular puzzle is from the Word - Genesis through Revelation - and will reveal God's determination in finding a way to dwell among us.  But I'm giving away some of Session 1 . . .

Come with your thinking hats on - we are going to cover a lot of ground . . . see you Saturday! 

Jan : )

Session Nine - Esther 9:29-10:3

Once again, we are down to the final session of another Beth Moore study.  Are we the same as we were when we began this Esther journey?  I think not!  The words of Psalm 103 come to mind –

"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise His holy name . . . forget not all His benefits – who forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases, who redeems our lives from the pit and crowns us with love and compassion, who satisfies our desires with good things to that our youth is renewed like the eagle's . . . He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear him . . . "

He is FOR us . . .  He will not leave us unchanged!

In this final session, we learned that "we got some along-withs" . . . we are not autonomous, we need each other - God used both Esther and Mordecai to accomplish His purposes, the saving of the Jewish race.

Beth then reminded us of Scenario #2 - "It's tough being a woman in a world where beauty is a treatment." How did she turn that around?  She reminded us that while "in man's realm, time diminishes beauty, in God's realm where we will spend forever, time perfects beauty."  She reminded us that beauty is not a treatment, it's a destiny -

"He has made everything beautiful in it's time". (Eccl. 3:11)
"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."  (Psalm 40:2, 3)

In wrapping up the final turn around, we were reminded that even when "it's tough being a woman in another woman's shadow" (Scenario #1), we don't dwell there -

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust.  (Psalm 91:1, 2)

So, if you are feeling overshadowed, under-rated, overwrought, under-qualified, under attack, overanxious or over-responsible, turn it around!  Know that God is there, even when you can't see Him . . . trust Him and take Him at His Word, and let that trust reverse your detour of adversity into a highway of destiny!

Much love to you, women of valour . . . Jan : )

Session Eight - Esther 9:1-4

I loved this session because we learned how to turn-around Scenario #5 - "It's tough being a woman in the tight fist of fear."  I viewed that "fear" session at least five times . . . I am sure it was because God needed to drum into my heart - "If  ___________, then Me, GOD!!!!!!  I don't know about any of you but this is where the heat turned up in my own life . . . and God had prepared me (Deut. 31:8 - "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you . . .").  He is AMAZING!

Back to the session . . . Beth set the premise for the morning - "God can't turn a table that was never set against you" and tweaked that thought with another one - "Seeing purpose in tough scenarios increases the trust required for a turnaround".  How many times in our lives, as we look back on an event, do we think that if we could only have known the purpose we wouldn't have worried so much . . . struggled so much . . . we'd have been stronger . . . trusted more?  That's where we need the Word and each other - to remind us that there is a point.  There is a battle going on and it's about more than our own personal freedom.  How else wil we know victory unless there is something for which we need the tables turned?  I love what Beth said - "God wants to make the unseen forces afraid of us."  Sounds like if we want to be women of valor we have some tough scenarios to trust God with!

So, how do we turn around Scenario #5 - Beth reminded us that we are in something much tighter . . . Isaiah 49:16 says, "See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands."

"Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places."  (Deuteronomy 33:29)

"After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." (Nehemiah 4:14)

And, when "it's tough being a woman thrown a giant-size weight" (Scenario #4), know that God has the upper hand . . .

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

"However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but (He) turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you." (Deuteronomy 23:5)

Finally, when "it's tough being a woman in a mean world (and not get mean with it)" (Scenario #3), know that we are "not left to be victims of a mean world" but that we are called to "fight the good fight holding on to faith and a good conscience.  Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith." (1 Timothy 1:18, 19)
 
"For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)

Bless you . . . Jan : )

Session Seven - Esther 7-8:2

I'll bet you wondered what on earth the point was as Beth taught us about chiastric structures and peripeties in the last session . . . so did I!!!!!  We should have known better.  I don't think she does anything without an explicit purpose, and this session we learned what that purpose was.  We learned that each and every "It's tough being a woman . . . " statement has a turn around.

I love it!

But we didn't get to the turn around's right away.  We first learned that every turn-around starts with a step, and took a look at the steps that each of our players took:

• Esther stepped through her fear . . . she told the King how Mordecai was related to her . . . what he was to her
• Haman stepped off the scene, or rather was pushed . . .
• Xerxes stepped in as he acknowledged Mordecai and allowed Esther to take her role as Queen
• Mordecai stepped up, acknlowledged by the King, into the space left absent by Haman

And then we began to turn things around . . .

When "it's tough being a woman who feels responsible for the how" (Scenario #7) we learned that we will NEVER fret our way to victory because faith IS the victory.  And we don't need to be responsible for the "how" because -

 "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment." (2 peter 2:9)

 "For He Knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust."  (Ps. 103:14)

And when "it's tough being a woman who can balance passion with patience" (Scenario #6) we learned that God's patience always involves His passion . . . He is passionate, too . . . that it's not a wait without the longing -

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;  He rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him.  (Isa. 30:18)

"The Lord waits . . . blessed are all those who wait for Him."

We were left with the words from Esther 8:1 - "That same day . . . ".  Know that the wait will end, suddenly, before you know it . . .

Isaiah 65:24 - "Before they call I will answer, while they are still speaking I will hear."

See you next session . . . Jan : )

Session Six – Esther 6:6-11

How many of you remember what "chiastic structure" means . . . "peripety"?

Ahh, I don't feel so bad!

This session we were shown that even the structure of a book can be used to give depth to a story. Beth introduced two literary devices that were used in the Book of Esther, and I am not even going to pretend that I can properly sum up what she said. I will, however, give you the Merriam Webster dictionary's definition of peripety - "a sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances or situation especially in a literary work." This, Beth said, is what the sixth chaper of Esther is . . . the place where the story of Esther pivots and there is a reversal of destiny.

The second literary device – chiastic structure – takes it's meaning from the Greek letter, "chi", which is the first letter of the word "chiastic". The letter itself is written like an "X" and means, in Greek, a crossing. The device is used to illustrate a theme that occurs several times throughout a story. We learned that "feasts or banquets" are a recurring theme in Esther and it is at a banquet in the sixth book of Esther that the reversal of the destiny of the Jewish people begins to take shape.

While I was watching this session, I began to think about some of the significant "hinge" moments in my life and it brought me to a new understanding of the goodness of God toward me. Was anyone else impacted? Beth pointed out that the King's "hinge moment" didn't happen where we might have thought it would happen – it was during his sleep . . . more to the point, when he was unable to sleep. Have any of you been surprised at the place God has chosen to reverse your destiny? If you'd like to share, you're welcome to leave a comment, or go to the "Study group members only . . . " link in the upper right hand corner.

Beth finished the session with "Scenario #7 – it's tough being a woman who feels responsible for the 'how'." Her antidote – God is responsible for the how . . . we, like Esther, are called to be obedient. (Hmmm, maybe there should be a Scenario #7(b) – it's tough being a woman who has to let go of the 'how' and be obedient!)

I am so looking forward to our first study of 2010 . . .

. . . see you on Saturday! Jan : )

Session Five – Esther 5:1 – 8

Timing is everything!

I have heard it said, and have had it said to me . . . and sometimes it really irks me. I try not to think of myself as impatient but if I'm honest, I know I am. I have been mulling over Beth's comment that we are "being trained in impatience". How many of us walk into Winner's or Costco and buy what we think we might want because we know if we don't, it will be gone when we go back. Am I the only one that has succumbed???

That's a shallow example, I know, but I was reminded yesterday at Missionsfest that we so often live out our faith that way. Several missionaries spoke about the years of sowing before seeing any results and that the expectation in reality is that they may never reap what they have sown. What keeps them going? It's not about them, it's about being faithful to what God called them to do, because He knows the plan.

In this session, we learned a lot about the timing that goes on behind the plan. We learned that:

• all may seem right but it may not be the right time - Esther took the time to fast and pray, to prepare herself . . . then she waited. I love what Beth shared with us from the Midrash that, based on several OT passages, on the 3rd day of a fast there could be an expectation of relief from dire distress (Gen 22:4, Jonah 1:17, Hosea 6:2)
• we need to step aside from requiring that our honor be upheld , , , there is often a much bigger picture - Esther needed the deliverance of a people, not just Haman's head
• there is a power that comes with wisdom and waiting - the timing wasn't right for Haman . . . sometimes God says "let's just see how far this goes."

I don't know how Esther KNEW what she needed to do . . . when to wait and when to move forward . . . but God was with her and, as we will see, the BIG plan played out. But let's not think that it was a cake walk for her. Can I take licence and think that she would agree with "Scenario #6 – It's tough being a woman who can balance passion with patience!"

Finally, the gold nugget for me was at the end and it answered my often asked question – how does a person wait???? Beth shared with us her answer . . . and the answer from the Word – our strength will be depleted when we wait on the THING . . . the EVENT . . . we need to wait on HIM . . .

But those who wait ON THE LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

- Isaiah 40:31 -

Bless you, ladies : )

Session Four - Esther 4:11-17

Can you imagine living without fear?

I am a few weeks behind in summarizing Session 4 but that statement reminds me how powerful the session was.  If you recall, we were at the point in the story where Esther had a choice to make - would she default to self preservation or would she step up to the plate of brave determination.  It was easier hearing the words from Esther's life - "if I perish, I perish" - than sitting down and filling in the blank from our listening guide - "And if __________ then __________." But I love how Beth led us up to it.

She talked about the proverbial "wife of noble/virtuous character" (Prov. 31:10).  I will never roll my eyes again when I hear that passage because of what we learned about the word "noble".  The Hebrew word, chayil, translates as "valour" . . . it's an army term . . . it means to be BRAVE (Judges 6:12 - http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2428&t=NIV).

The single, most profound characteristic of the Proverbs 31 woman - BRAVE?  Yes, BRAVE!!!!

Beth talked about how Esther overcame herself, rose to the the challenge of where God had placed her and faced her fear - " . . . and if I perish, I perish." . . . and ;then shared with us a story from her life. Actually, she modeled how she faced the greatest fear in her life - what is the worst thing that can happen? . . . and if this, then what?

I love how:

• she spoke out loud the words of conditional faith that many of us have heard in our own heads - "I will trust God to never let ______ happen to me."
• she spoke out loud what is so hard to offer - "Will I trust God, period?" (Job 13:15)
• incredibly clear it became to fill in the blanks . . . "And if this, then GOD!!!!"

Our scenario for the coming week's homework came halfway through the session, Scenario #5 - it's tough being a woman in the tight fist of fear.   From that, Beth talked about facing one of life's biggest fears - the fear of death -  and then took us to God's Word to see what He did about it:

     "By embracing death, taking it into Himself, He destroyed the Devil's hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death."

(Hebrews 2:14-15, The Message)

She showed us what He said about it:

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ."

And finally, she showed us we have our own "for such a time as this".  Like Esther, we have the choice to take the courage we are offered because there is something more important than fear:

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

(Galatians 2:20, John 17:3, Colossians 2:13, Ephesians 2:6)

Ah, I am roused to live my life courageously!  Thank you NOBLE women, for taking this journey of the heart with me.  Jan : )