RAINBOWS, HEARTS & STARS . . . Oh MY!
July 27, 2020 1:04 AM
Averine Pennington
7-26-20
I hope you will find this short trilogy an encouragement to your heart as you await the arrival of our beloved Savior . . . the one who loves us MOST! This is just a vignette of a few thoughts the Lord has been tossing about in my head for several days. I would like to share how I received the inspiration for this story.
My prayer closet (secret place) is located in the window seat of an upstairs bedroom I have set aside for my granddaughters when they visit. It is still set up as a children’s room though they are now outgrowing its childish décor. It needs updating badly but I cannot seem to part with much of the memories I have on display. One such item is a large framed piece of chicken-wire which takes up nearly one entire wall. On this display, I used tiny clothes pins to hang artwork they produced during their younger years especially for Grammie. For some reason, my eyes were drawn to it the other day and it was as if the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart about what I was REALLY LOOKING AT! The pictures on display were drawn by both girls, mostly from preschool and kindergarten years. I did not count the total number but perhaps 75% of the artwork on display portrayed in some form the items used in this title. In the very center of the display, one picture that contains all 3 elements seemed to shout out to me. Not bragging here, but it is truly a PICASO-esque masterpiece! What I want to share is how God uses these three elements in a spiritual sense. We truly can see God everywhere, when we take the time to look for Him!
CHASING RAINBOWS
If you are like me, seeing a rainbow has always been a rare treat, what us old-timers refer to as a Kodak moment. The appearance of a rainbow was good cause to run find a camera to take a quick snapshot. That was before everyone owned smart phones to capture those beautiful scenes. When I was a little girl, we heard tall tales of how leprechauns were known to hide their treasures at the end of a rainbow. I recall one particular day when there had been a nice rain shower. Our sweet Mama had allowed all of us kids to play in the rain. Shortly afterwards, the ‘end of a rainbow’ magically appeared in the dirt driveway in front of our home. My brothers and I proceeded to dig a hole in the driveway, convinced we were going to find great treasure. The only treasure we found that day was the valuable lesson we were taught by our Daddy! Never make big holes in the driveway, ever again! We also learned that the legend about leprechauns and their treasure was total fantasy!
Rainbows are innately special! I believe the emotions they stir in our soul suggest something of far greater value than silver or gold . . . a sense in our innermost being that we are somehow connected to the ONE who made that rainbow. It is an inexplicable feeling, but nevertheless, it exists! Haven’t you experienced it? It’s an awesome feeling!
God first placed His rainbow in the sky as a token of His covenant between Him and every living creature, that He would never again flood the entire earth. That covenant is one of God’s promises. Because we have that assurance, the rainbow has through the ensuing generations become a symbol of ALL of God’s promises. We know that God cannot lie, His promises are TRUTH! We can hold fast to each and every one of them! I would venture to say that anyone, even a small child feels a special bond with rainbows. Want proof? Wish I could show you my wall of artwork! It would be impossible to list all of God’s promises in this short story but there is one I would like to share. It is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Jesus was speaking to His disciples: “Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3) That, my dear friends, is REAL TREASURE! Spending eternity with my Lord! He is the treasure that I seek. I am chasing that rainbow! How about you!
P.S. When God’s army receives its marching orders, we are going to reclaim all that the enemy has stolen. Be forewarned . . . we will be taking back God’s rainbow!
HEARTS
In this earthly vessel we reside in, God has given us the ability to experience deep emotion. One of those emotions is LOVE. When children include hearts in their artwork it is a very good thing. It is a pretty good indicator that the child feels happy and loved. They also may draw hearts to show their love for others. A heart is introduced at a very young age to symbolize love. Even as adults we all need love. Receiving ‘a heart’ from someone can speak volumes without using words. With that in mind, I would like to share a personal experience I had with the ‘Lover of My Soul.’
So much happens when you steal away with Jesus and spend time with Him in prayer. This occasion was early in my commitment to ‘come away with Him.’ I initially promised to try to spend at least one hour a day totally devoted to prayer. I had never prayed that long in my life and thought it would be very difficult. To my surprise I found when I truly entered into deep conversation with Jesus, the time passed swiftly. One hour never seems long enough. One day I was kneeling beside the bed in one of the upstairs bedrooms, just praying my heart out and I was interrupted. In my spirit I heard His still small voice, “Open your eyes.” I immediately opened my eyes and looked directly in front of me. I don’t know what I was expecting to see, but at first, I did not see anything unusual. You know what they say about God being in the little details? That day, I learned that truth. I knew He wanted me to see something, so I just kept looking, trying to find what it was. Suddenly, I burst into tears of joy! I don’t know why I had never, ever noticed this before. The solid-colored turquoise quilt I used as a bedspread, now only inches from my eyes, was covered with hundreds, maybe thousands of hearts. The entire quilt was stitched with hearts inside hearts, connected to more hearts inside hearts, covering the entire expanse of the queen-sized bed. So many times we cannot see what is right in front of us. That quilt had been on that bed for months. It was a guest room and was used infrequently, but I had changed the sheets and made that bed on numerous occasions. Why had I never noticed the hearts before? My answer to you would be, “Because Jesus saved that moment for Himself, so He could reveal His deep, deep love for me in a way I could never have imagined in a million millenniums.” Yes, Jesus loves me! He told me so!
The good news is, I am not His only love. He loves all of His creation. This truth is found in His holy Word, “For God so loved _____________ (insert your name in the blank), that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ), that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17). Sometimes you only need to open your eyes to see clearly what is in front of you!
STARS
I know you’re wondering how in the world is Averine going to fit ‘stars’ into this little vignette? The same thing crossed my mind. I knew what the Holy Spirit wanted me to convey to you, but wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to find appropriate scriptures. Wow, was I ever surprised, to find so many! This story is not about the stars that illuminate the night sky. It is about YOU! Those who shine for Jesus! Just as the stars that twinkle above us at night may be different, perhaps in size and intensity, so neither are any one of us exactly alike. Some may shine brighter than others, yet all are important to the function of the whole. All fit perfectly into God’s grand design. These uncertain times tend to take a toll on everyone living upon the face of the earth. It is especially difficult for those trying to live for the Lord in a world that gets spiritually darker by the day. God is looking for His STARS that will run to the darkness . . . those that will help to bring in His end-time harvest.
Some of us may feel like following Elijah’s example by finding us a nice cave to hide in. But what happened to Elijah? The Lord came looking for him and told him to get out of the cave and go stand upon the mountain before the Lord. Elijah obeyed. As the Lord passed by Elijah, there was a great and strong wind, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. Finally, Elijah heard the ‘still small voice’ of the Lord. You can read the story in 1 Kings 19 of how Elijah gave his ‘Woe is me, I alone am left’ complaint to the Lord. Unbeknownst to Elijah, God had reserved to himself a remnant of 7,000 men who had not bowed their knee to the image of Baal. In New Testament times when the epistle was written to the early church in Rome, Paul reminded those who were feeling like castaways of this very story of Elijah. He gave them a pep talk, letting them know with assurance they were not alone. “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” His address was to the Gentiles who had been grafted into the vine (Rom. 11). I know I am being redundant, but I would like to remind all of us in these last days that our God does not change! Do you not realize He always reserves for Himself a remnant? You are not alone today any more than Elijah was in his day! There are others fighting the good fight of faith alongside you. I by no means am suggesting that everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” is part of the remnant. That topic has been covered in previous posts. What I am doing is calling a huddle for those who are! Let’s have a pep talk!
I will share something special with you that the Lord shared with me. He gave me the lyrics of the song, “You Say,” by Lauren Daigle. When I was questioning my ability to shine for Him, He reminded me that my identity is in Him. I am who HE SAYS I AM! As long as I believe and put my faith and trust in Him completely, he can do great things in and through me. In my own eyes I may be a nobody, but in God’s eyes, I’m a somebody! In fact, I’m a STAR! Read it for yourselves in Matthew 5:14-16: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let you light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” That verse was not written for my edification alone. Claim it as your own! Let your light shine!
The time is soon coming when the words foretold by the prophet Isaiah will be our reality, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (Isaiah 60:1-3). There were so many scriptures that could be used to encourage you. I will give the references below and I hope you will take the opportunity to sharpen and polish your sword by looking each of them up. But I do want to share one more that I believe will bless your heart. For all those who will be laborers in God’s end-time harvest, I believe this one applies specifically to you. It is found in Daniel 12:3: “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Let’s go light up the world!
Yours for the harvest,
Averine
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES (KJV):
Chasing Rainbows:
Gen. 9:9-17
John 14:1-3
Hearts:
Matthew 26:40-41
John 3:16-17
Stars:
Phil. 2:15
2 Timothy 3:1
John 3:19; 8:12; 12:36a
Acts 26:18
2 Cor. 4:6; 3:18
Eph. 4:11-16; 5:8
Luke 10:2
Rom. 11:2-5
Prov. 3:5-6
Matt. 5:14-16
Isaiah 60:1-3
Daniel 12:3
1 Thess. 5:5
2 Thess. 2:14
[pdf-embedder url=”https://444prophecynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/RAINBOWS_HEARTS__STARS_._._1.pdf” title=”RAINBOWS,_HEARTS_&_STARS_._._(1)”]
