“I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”~ I Timothy 1:3-5
I had been thinking at some point starting to write letters to my grandbabies, but had not yet picked up the pen…
Then, last week, a friend of mine who didn’t know I had already been contemplating this suggested that I start writing letters to my grandchildren. I had hoped to start the practice last Sunday, but was not able to bring myself to step up to the proverbial plate.
Today on this Lord’s day, I had clear intention to come home from church and do just that: write a birthday letter to Arlo and Zola who will be turning two tomorrow. I was even talking with a friend after service about my intention. After service, this friend was looking for me to gift me two little painted rocks. She said she was somewhere recently where a woman was showing little painted rocks and saw the chick and thought of me, and then requested she paint a little lamb, too.
How terribly sweet that was of her to think of me, and I am going to send the little rocks as a gift to my grandbabies.
However, my day took a 180 turn on my drive home from church, when I broke down with a battery issue or (hopefully not the alternator, again) and waited over an hour for a tow truck. I only wish to say that considering the nature and timing of my continued, thwarting adversities and obstacles to that which I believe God wants me to do and the continued obstacles to my peaceful thriving, that I knew what was the very first thing I needed to do was when I finally got back home.
I got some food, and went right up to my computer.
And I started a file folder on my C Drive that is named:
“Letters to Arlo and Zola“
And then, I composed an 840 word letter to Arlo and Zola. And I plan to copy it in my own handwriting, put it in a sealed envelope with the date and number it with a “1.”
I will also scan it, and am going to send it by email to a small handful of prayerful, caring, Christian friends as a backup copy. None of us know the future, and I want several pathways in place to ensure my grandbabies will indeed receive copies of these letters, somehow, should I not be able to give them myself.
I will put the physical copy in a box in my office, and intend (by God’s grace) to add to these letters every Sunday going forward, even if some may be very short messages.
Letters are powerful things.
In fact, most of our New Testament is a collection of letters. These biblical letters contain statements of truths, encouragements, teachings, exhortations, commentaries, and most importantly, personal greetings and blessings. I can only hope and believe in faith that one day this collection of Letters From Nammi will make it into the hands of my twin grandchildren at just the right time.
When God leads us to do something by His Holy Spirit, we can never know how far reaching into the future our actions will be, or what they will accomplish in the kingdom of God and in His plan and workings. We simply trust, and we obey.
It is increasingly difficult for me to trust, and to obey, and to continue to wait on God in a situation that would appear to have no real hope and no real end. That’s because, when I look downward upon details, I am utterly dismayed.
But amidst the continued battle and onslaughts, when my strength is wearying and my encouragements seem few or hard-pressed, I aim to be faithful and to keep looking upward for help.
I am like those who pour their heart out to God in the Psalms, who are tempted (and do) ask so many very hard questions and express so many very hard thoughts and emotions and cries of their souls. Indeed, as I composed part of this letter to Arlo and Zola and paused to get my words, I found myself overcome for a few moments with a “groaning weeping.”
What is a groaning weeping, you may ask?
Most of us know the sound of weeping, and some know the groaning sounds of a woman giving birth. Some of us know the groaning sounds made in deep, spiritual intercessory prayers–the various forms of “groaning of the Holy Spirit” rising up within us.
So, I really can’t describe much better, only to say, I sometimes experience a deeply spiritual groaning-spontaneous weeping in various moments in response to a thought or a prayer, as I continue to navigate a heartbreaking situation.
I’m in a deep spiritual battle. And because I give my full allegiance to Jesus in some difficult matters and refuse to bow my knee to the will of demonic forces, thus here I stand.
I seem to be in a recent series/season of what I would name as demonic oppression (I feel deflated and like a wet blanket weighing upon me), difficult impediments and demonic assaults of many sorts. Some might just name these otherwise, or as a naturally occurring streak of bad luck and unfortunate events.
We who follow Jesus know what the scriptures inform us about the works of the devil: he comes to lie, to kill and to steal and to destroy that which God wants for us–abundant life.
Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.~ John 10:7-10
Satan wants to steal our joy and to lie to us, telling us that our God will not deliver. Lying to us in all sorts of ways and somehow scheming and influencing events themselves. Just how the demons operate we do not fully know, but the book of Job (as well as other biblical stories) give us glimpses.
Indeed, though the beginning of this season of spiritual onslaught seemed to suddenly spring up in early May, when I broke out in the worst case of poison ivy I could imagine around July 15, I could not help of contemplating Job who according to the scriptures, found himself scraping his boils with a potsherd. (Job 2:8)
Unlike Job, I made the mistake of accidentally pulling directly on a small poison ivy vine in one of my flower beds while finishing something up after dark. And unlike Job, I was not fully covered from head to toe in festering boils. Yet, as this poison ivy intensely spread, and itched and oozed, I thought things like although this looks really bad and is bad, my heart and soul have festering, painful sores that I carry daily which are not so visible.
In fact, I thought about how we all have infected, oozing hearts…
As a companion title to this piece,
I had also thought about writing a 2nd piece called:
A Posture That Will Make the Demons Tremble– “CARRY ON”
However, I’m just incorporating it all into here. Covering both letters and postures which make demons tremble: continuing to trust God and to give ourselves to doing His will and that which He puts before us.
Thinking of the series of obstacles, discouragements and defeats that seemed to have culminated in today’s events, I can only conclude that God really really wants me to write letters to my grandbabies! And, I am still holding out a small amount of hope that I can get up to Maine later this August and if nothing else, meet up with the other grandmother and attend her church and visit/pray together for our shared, precious grandbabies!
Surely the devil would not want THAT!
Surely, if the devil is capable of schemes to thwart God’s will, he might think of doing things like giving me painful poison ivy (through my own stupidity!) at just the right time to wear me down physically during the middle of a tremendous heat wave, impede my sleep, and impact my work. The devil might think of somehow sending me a horribly low-profit month in July by blocking me from receiving the full fruits of my diligent, hard-working hands and efforts, as well as sending me other forms of discouragement. The devil might want to further send discouraging, fearful assaults by way of my already-worrisome vehicle.
Of course!
I mean, how would I get up to Maine if I am behind in July’s bills AND even though there are prospects of catching up (I was on my way after church to stop at a woman’s house to discuss a mural she inquired about) wouldn’t it be logical that whatever profits are coming in from things I’m doing this weekend and currently need to NOT pay the regular bills but to deal with a potentially significant vehicle issue? (Even a new battery is significant, but will be better than needing an alternator).
I mean, wouldn’t the devil want me to cease consideration of taking that vehicle up to Maine, yet, this August? To simply cease thoughts of driving up for a few days with the main purpose of prayer and agreeing in the Holy Spirit for blessings! To simply cease thoughts that I might even get to see the grandbabies in person, once again.
I mean, I never quite got through CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, but this seems to be along those lines. Only add in other forms of discernment of spiritual forces, set upon the backdrop of increasingly pagan-driven ideologies and spiritual forces of wickedness taking straight aim at deconstructing and destroying the family.
I mean, wouldn’t the devil want me to be so discouraged that I give up on a number of things? Already, I have found several blog pieces I felt inspired to write several weeks ago at a standstill. They are 90% written and need final edits. They are in regard to speaking out on weighty, demonic and destructive spiritual matters currently infiltrating the Church and contain various researched components and anaylses.
A couple years ago during the summer of 2022 a good friend discerned that the devil wanted to “silence my voice.” I remember that!
What better to silence a Christ-follower’s voice than to further destabilize their needed provision and assail them with wave upon wave of weighty discouragements and increased requirements. You know, like Pharoah taking away the straw from the Hebrew slaves and then requiring they produce the same quota of bricks.
That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’” So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”
Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”~ Exodus 5:6-18
This should be quite interesting in the next days and weeks! Waiting to see what King Jesus does about all of THIS!
I think of a famous WWII story that came during in the Battle of the Bulge. After the Allies had fought and gained much territory back from the Germans beginning June 6, 1944, by mid December of that year, they found themselves suddenly on the end of a surprise attack by German panzers plowing at them through the Ardennes.
This counter-assault had been secretly planned for months by the Germans, who caught the Allied forces off guard.
I understand going from a time of seeming forward movement and celebration, to coming under a strong, powerful attack of the enemy to take back territory.
There’s a famous story one can read here about the one-word reply of Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe to a German letter calling for Allied surrender:
Nuts!
I often draw strength during personal battles from my knowledge of WWII history passed down to me from my father and my uncle. I imagine that the Germans, on some level, trembled when McAuliffe’s response was not to surrender but to stand and fight back.
And with that, I imagine the demons also tremble not just at my letter which will one day find itself in the hands of grown grandchildren, but at the very name of King Jesus who is leading the charge and routing of the gates of hell, of whom I give testimony: Mighty in battle is our God.
A Mighty Fortress is Our God (Martin Luther)
1 A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
2 Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.
3 And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
4 That Word above all earthly powers
no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours
through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever!
Thank You For Reading
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