Thankful for Freedom (different than the cliche...)

It really seems "Thankful Season" more than I've ever noticed... For a while there, I was picking a different letter of the alphabet each day (in chronological order to make it easy)...one day I posted "H words".

"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." Psalm 50:23

I've really taken a look at each component of this verse over the years, and keep coming back to it.

Sacrifice= Whether in the Hebrew culture of killing the perfect animal and cutting out the fat and kidneys to place and burn just so... Or using the word as we do contemporarily: Sacrificing isn't the easiest thing to do. It takes determination. It honors the Lord and ministers to him. I LOVE this! Ministering to Jesus, loving on him.

It prepares the way for God to show us salvation from HIM!
Salvation. Yes, in Greek, it's /sozo/ which means "saved, healed, delivered", but this is an OT verse, so it's Hebrew. #3468 Yesha from #3467 Yasha (notice any root?...)
Liberty, deliverance, help, salvation, freedom; welfare, prosperity...to be open, wide, free. When one has plenty of room in which to move, feeling safe and secure. To be delivered, saved, to get help/; to deliver, give victory, to help; to take vengeance, to preserve. Rescue, to defend cause. At first, the word pointed to a physical deliverance from very real enemies or catastrophies. Later, "save" developed a theological meaning. God is concerned about our physical well-being, our emotional status, and the salvation of our souls. He has the ability to save us from anything which would harm us.--Zodhiates

This reminds me of Betsie Ten Boom. You probably know the story... When she and her sister Corrie were in a Nazi death camp for housing and protecting Jews, they were in an area of the camp that was infested with fleas. The fleas were multiplying in their hair, on their skin, in their sparse bedding and clothes. They met with a growing group of believers to pray and remind each other of the truth of Scripture and the goodness of God. One day while remembering the verses in Thessalonians: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus...." Betsie began to thank God for the fleas.
Corrie didn't think this right (had a hard time coming into agreement, if you know what I mean).
Yet, later they overheard the guards arguing about who was going to go check on their area. "I'm not going in there! It's flea-infested! You go..." The fleas were actually keeping the guards away so they could freely have Bible Study and pray together.

With this in mind, I'm thinking about being thankful for the not-so-obvious this year. Instead of my usual "favorite things" lists which includes things that are outright delightful to me (Misty Edwards, candles, agave nectar, perennial flowers that come back effortlessly, dreams, sunshine, acrylic painting...), I'm going to thank God for the harder things...a sacrifice.

The dark season in North Idaho, that we're in the midst of currently. (Would the Christmas lights be so special if it stayed light until 8:30 and the sun was shining all day? Would the term "Father of Lights" be so meaningful if there were nothing with which to contrast it?)

The financial shaking... (true priorities, true place to put our trust, freedom to generously give as He directs, freedom from fear...)

The relational shaking... (true, solid friendships, getting free from fear of man, pressing in toward "hearing" and understanding)

The religious shaking... (Getting free from religion and what will inhibit my future even if the circumstances are painful and I never would have chosen them myself; depending on love and getting free from depending on rules or what others say in order to press in to the interactive, accessible(!) voice of God for myself. *)
*No, this doesn't mean I don't want or have people to "speak into my life", I'm just learning to be careful about who I allow to and why.

Awareness of my darkness (so full freedom can be pursued, celebrated and sweetly enjoyed) Not thankful for the darkness, but rather for the awareness. The light shining on it. The Master did say "The truth will set you free." Therefore, the courage to see the truth, rather than "You can't handle the truth!"-- Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men.

Experiential knowing (yada) revelation of the HUGE LOVE of God. Without which, none of the former would be bearable. Yada, Yada, Yada!

In other words, right now, I really am thankful that God is shining His light on areas that are actually dark. Things that he wants me to see because He loves me and wants me free. He's letting me see things that aren't easy to see, because He's giving me the strength to handle it even when it hurts and upsets the apple cart. To be able to say: That system isn't God's system. Two things I've been praying lately: 1) Shine Your light on what You want me to see (not what I want to see or anyone thinks I should see). 2) Change me, transform me, help me cooperate with You on this (renew mind, etc.)

The thing that really struck me about Zodhiates definition of "salvation" is the repetitive idea of FREEDOM.

Disclaimer: I'm not saying to be thankful for the enemy's work in our lives, nor am I a fatalist (Whatever's going to happen is going to happen...) The enemy asked permission to test Job and he DID steal, kill and destroy. Anything that happens is allowed by God, though not necessarily authored by him. BUT! What I'm trying to say is that I'm thankful and trust that he can work ALL (that's what it says) for good. So, through the relational shaking (even if the enemy and our own unhealed natures had the biggest play in the beginning) we learn how beautiful forgiveness is and how to continue in it, be humble in Spirit, and pursue love. "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." -- Joseph to his brothers, Gen 50:20

I keep hearing the declaration of the three men as they were heading into the fiery furnace:
"Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this natter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from you hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." A few verses later, Nebuchadnezzar says: "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."

Isaiah 43:2 "When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." (Danny Steyne: You can't set fire on fire!)

Romans 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed."

James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

"Isn't it wonderful that our lives are in the best possible hands and we don't need to worry about a thing?"--Christi Carlson Hrbacek ("In fact, we are commanded not to."--me. Matt 6:25, Phil 4:6)

Shalom and Happy Thanksgiving!