Category: Patty’s Blog

By Patty Juster

Oh, gentle breath caressing my soul
In coolness, my ache you do soothe
Touching me with whispering softness
The Ruach speaking, love’s note endearing,
“It is I, drink this heaven’s nectar,
From luscious fruit like honey dripping.”

Blessed assurance, your presence felt
Your strength filling my weakening frame
Daily I live by your sweet arm’s embrace,
Your voice encouraging always does say,
“Peace, my daughter, I am with you today.”

Eternity coursing through my veins,
Your life in my life, how can this be
Behind the veil, secretly you lead me
In a crystal sea you let me play.
Glory afresh now covering my shame
At last my feet dancing, for freedom singing.
“Holy, Holy,” your heart does beat my name.
O’er me, in me, I am yours,
Hallelujah,
I’m sealed in your fame.

By Patty Juster

Never a whisper can be heard
My inmost thoughts alone they walk
No stranger or friend, the road is bare
My heart does fail and down I fall
Alone, in cool darkness I wait
For one who knows, their strength impart

Help, have mercy, come rescue me
Off the cliffs, the echo does bound
A swarm of bees, does sting and kill
No place to run, ‘cept o’er the edge
Will arms to be there to catch me up
In Death’s cruel grip, bees fairer seem

Farther into the forest I run
Deeper, others will never find
Lost and lonely, no food or drink
Is this my end, n’er words to hear,
No embrace of arms that speak love,
To say “I care, I’m with you still.”

The sun ‘most down, darkness enfolds
My last breaths, great effort they come
When in the night, a song is heard
Ever closer, ever louder it grows
A white dove in bright light descends
Overwhelming me, now in me
New strength filling my dying soul
No longer alone, a new song sings
“I love you, you are my beloved.
From you my love will n’er depart.
Come my princess, now run with me.

Why is there longing for and enjoyment of beauty in me that moves my soul so deeply? Why do I crave it to the point where I cannot live without it?  I think it is because of all the trauma I have been through and also because of the lifestyle my husband and I live.  In trauma one faces situations he or she cannot control, fix or change.  The outcome of trauma often opens heart’s door to a fog of fear that the world really is chaotic and that there are no internal walls thick enough to protect oneself from that chaos which threatens to wreck havoc.  In other words, one comes face to face with his or her own powerlessness.

My husband and I travel extensively and our job in ministry is “putting things in order.”  After all, isn’t this the function of government?  As parents, as pastors or as governmental officials our job involves changing conflict into peace, error into truth, pain into comfort, or injustice into justice.  And these change efforts are often resisted and much suffering is involved.  Again I am faced with my own great weakness or inability to affect change.

Beauty represents those things which do not need to be fixed or changed.  The perfection of beauty pierces my heart and brings healing to my anxious soul.  Finally, my eyes behold that which is “good” just the way it is and I do not have to do a thing.  It is safe, orderly and at peace with itself and I can breathe it in without fear.  It does not make me feel powerless but strengthens me and renews my faith in life.  Thank you, Lord, for the gift of beauty that dwells in unsuspecting places and in things seen and unseen.  You have created us in hope that one day we will declare, “You have made all things beautiful!”

The world is abuzz with the breathtaking phenomena of Michael Phelps.  Many claim that his accomplishments as an athlete surpasses even the greatest athletes from history for he has achieved the seeming impossible.  Eight gold medals and seven broken world records in one Olympic event has never before been realized.  What is the composition of this young man? He seems like a swimming machine that keeps on producing.

A few facts about his preparation struck a chord in me.  The coach highlighted an important principle about Michael’s training that changed him from being a good athlete into becoming a great athlete.   He related how he purposely drove Michael to the point of exhaustion where he felt like he had nothing left to give….and then asked him for more.  It is only when we are in that place of depletion that we really discover what we are made of.  What do we do when we are at that place in life?

Our spiritual walk with God can sometimes be compared to Michael’s training for the Olympics.  Can you imagine him just showing up at the swim meets without the intensive training beforehand?  What happened if he just rested on his accomplishments at the last Olympics and then tried to deliver this year?  One does not have to be a rocket scientist to answer these questions.  Of course…Michael would barely be able to make it off the starting platform.  In our daily life we are being trained for the day when we have to deliver in some great event.  For some it is just one event that we are being trained for all our life and for others there may be several.  What happens when we find our self in midst of a major crisis when we haven’t been trained in spiritual disciplines before hand?  I think we can all guess the outcome.

Now is the time to dig our wells and stop depending on “foreign oil.”  We need to have a history of knowing how to draw upon the grace of God to sustain us in the midst of hard times.  Sometimes we are called upon to keep believing in a good God when circumstances shout against this truth.  Abraham was given a promise of a son and waited for years before it was fulfilled.  His body was as good as dead and Sarah’s womb was way past the age of fruit bearing.  But, against all hope in hope he believed and became the father of many.  What separates the good from the great in the sphere of saints?  I believe it is what one does at this point of hope or faith-energy depletion.  In Lamentations the writer laments how his heart has been pierced and how he has become the laughing stock of all his friends.  He moans over his many afflictions, his wonderings, his loss of prosperity and splendor and his soul becomes downcast.  Surely he can say that God has forgotten him and that there is no hope.  But, he digs deep within his self and recalls to mind the Lord’s great love and therefore has hope.  He declares that because of God’s great love he is not consumed and that his love is new every morning.  The Lord is his portion; therefore he will wait in hope for his deliverance. He is fully convinced that God is good to those who put their hope in him.  At the point of hope depletion, against all hope in the natural, he hopes in God’s love and turns his cheek in loving trust to the one who would strike him.  He is confident that God is the one that brings both calamities and good things so why should he complain.  Only God can speak and have it come about.

The swimmers competing against Michael Phelps still swam as if they could win.  They did not stop believing and gave it all they got.  In these last days let us lay hold of this hope that believes in the love and goodness of God and our ultimate victory over sin, suffering and death in Yeshua.  Many of us will be at that point of hope depletion and will be called on to keep “swimming,” to press on to take hold of prize that awaits us.  We cannot look to the right or the left in comparing our “lot” with others.  Therefore, we hope in the glory of God.  Not only so, we rejoice in our suffering for we know and are confident that our suffering strengthens us in faith, enlarges our heart and expands our ability to give and receive love.  We can win this race if we do not give up but persevere, being fully persuaded that God is able to bring us and keep us to the end.  Against all hope, we continue in hope.

One of the principles of physics that school children learn is called the second law of thermodynamics.  Simply stated or applied, any object that is moving will eventually stop moving if no new energy is applied to it.  In other words, the whole universe is running down like a wind up watch that eventually stops running if no one comes along to rewind it.  An automobile needs a constant supply of energy source to keep on running.  One of the main issues in today’s political scene is the controversy of whether or not America should do off shore drilling.  Because of the depletion of world oil and the increase of the costs of oil, America has found herself in the midst of a major energy crisis.  She has allowed herself to become too dependent on foreign oil and now when she needs this energy source the most she has come up short.  She is painted into a corner.  Yes, we do need alternative energy sources but this may years off before these new discoveries are able to alleviate some of this present crisis.  Even the oil coming from drilling will take years before American’s will be able to be relieved from using foreign oil.  Having said this, most agree that we still need to drill and do it now.  Also, other sources for energy should be pursued.

These same principles apply to our spiritual life as well.  If we are not renewing our heart in the energy that comes from intimacy with God, than we will eventually be depleted in strength.  We will not have what it takes to endure the trials and hardships in the days ahead.  We will not be able to withstand temptations, survive victoriously during times of depression or war, sickness and loss.  Many believers have fallen asleep and are not prepared for the coming crisis.  In Florida during hurricane season, Floridians are continually warned to get prepared for impending disaster in the face of a new hurricane.  They are told to put oil in their autos, store up water and food, put up their shelters, purchase batteries, etc.  However, after many false alarms many have become complacent and have become dull.  Many are unprepared for this hurricane season.  How do we get ready for the impending crisis in the U.S.?  First we need to obtain a renewable energy source.  This means that we have to be trained before the crisis in the knowledge and ability to obtain what we need.  Here are some very successful ways we can get ready.

We must learn how to drill by drilling.  The most powerful diamond drill bit in the spiritual world is praying in the Spirit (or pressing through to know God more deeply).   When we pray in the Spirit we are digging beyond our understanding, the seen, into the unseen.  It opens us up to receive revelation so that we will know right from wrong, and be able to move on a supernatural plane so we can release life to those whom God brings into our life (empowered with words of encouragement, gifts of healing, etc). Praying in the Spirit also strengthens the inner man.  We come into a greater understanding of the love of God as drilling releases the oil of the Spirit so we can feel the presence of God.  We become convinced that God loves us as we enjoy the fellowship that comes through the Spirit.

Worship and praise and thanksgiving opens the wells of the oil of God’s presence as well.  You come to know and rely upon the love of God that passes our understanding.  As times get harder and it feels like death is closing in on us…we feel like we are getting crushed through our circumstances…this is the time to have worship music playing continually in our homes.  The Lord inhabits the praises of his people and where his spirit is there is freedom!  This canopy of worship provides a secure fortress against even the fiercest of storms.

Let us lay hold of the all the ways God has for us to obtain supernatural energy to endure to the end!