God says, You are the apple of My eye!
Zechariah 2 (NIV)
The Vision of a Man With a Measuring Line
1 Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”
This is almost funny. Jerusalem is a wreck now, with a handful of returnees trying to put life back together. And the vision is of an angel measuring the city to see if it is large enough! David Guzik says, “It is as if the man with a measuring line went into a huge old cathedral where only a few attended church and started to make sure it was large enough for the crowds God was sure to bring.”
3 While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him 4 and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it.
Of course, Jerusalem is a city without walls now, modern armaments making walls useless. But when Christ comes to rule, He will be the city’s protection.
5 And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will be its glory within.’
Psalm 125:2 (ESV)
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
from Whispers of His Power,
by Amy Carmichael(Amy Carmichael was a British missionary who arrived in India in 1895 and stayed there till her death in 1951. At first she worked in the villages of South India. Then in 1901 she began to make a home for children in need of protection and care. Others came to help her, and the Dohnavur Fellowship was born. For fifty years she was Mother to an ever-increasing family — over a thousand children! — and saw many of her children grow up to serve the Lord by serving others.
An accident in 1931 led to illness which confined her almost entirely to her room for the remaining years of her life. During that time she continued to counsel and encourage all who came to see her and to write many books, devotionals, and letters.)
THE WALL OF FIRE
One night I was greatly discouraged because I felt so helpless. There was nothing I could do to protect you, and the burden was heavy. Suddenly it was as if a voice said, “Leave it to Me, child, leave it to Me.”
Near me were two pure white lilies, which had opened after the last thunderstorm. Perhaps it was they which gave the last line in this song:
Leave it to Me, child, leave it to Me,
Dearer thy garden to Me than to thee.
Lift up thy heart, child, lift up thine eyes,
Nought can defeat Me, and nought can surprise.Leave it to Me, child, leave it to Me,
Trust in the wall of fire, look up and see
Stars in their courses shine through the night.
Both are alike to Me — darkness and light.Leave it to Me, child, leave it to Me.
Let slip the burden too heavy for thee.
That which I will, My Hand shall perform,
Fair are the lilies that weather the storm.
6 “Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD.
7 “Come, Zion! Escape, you who live in Daughter Babylon!” 8 For this is what the LORD Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye—
Deuteronomy 32:10 (NKJV)
He found him in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed him,
He kept him as the apple of His eye.
9 I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me.
God says all he has to do is raise his hand — and the balance of power will turn upside down; those who enslaved others will become slaves themselves.
10 “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the LORD. 11 “Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. 12 The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.
This is the only place in the Bible where the phrase “holy land” is used.
13 Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”
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Music:
Sister Marie Célestin Mikhail, who lived in Jerusalem, made hundreds of cards over the years decorated with dried and pressed flowers of the Holy Land. These she sent to friends and relatives all over the world. Ramzi Mikhail has photographed a small collection of them and has added his music to it HERE for others to enjoy.
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New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica
DWELLING in the Word 
Loving These but so missed you at reunion at Lori’s. So hope you can make next at mine in 2 years in Jax. Got some surprises up my sleeve just sayin:) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love Nancy
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