Welcome to Teshuvah Day 37 – The Days of Awe

Welcome to Teshuvah Day 37 The Days of Awe

The Leaves will be Falling

 

Soon the leaves will be falling

Summoning change is ahead

Today I no longer fear

Root season doesn’t fill me with dread

I’ve come to understand

In growth and maturity

We must learn to let go

If we are going to have a surety

 

So as the seasons change

I kneel and softly pray

I know it’s time to look inward

To listen to what You will say

 

Seasons come and seasons go

But one thing is determined

He that has began this work

Will openly confirm it

 

God with us who can stop

The winter from turning to spring

So winter and root season

Are lessons to see a new thing

 

 The change may seem solemn

A little dreary now and then

But just snuggle down

This is where real work begins

 

A fire and a cup of coffee

Maybe hot chocolate with some toast

A fire pit and blankets

Snuggle with His book as a guidepost

 

Never allow a change in the weather

Cause you to become sad

Because whatever change He is making

When embraced will make you glad

 

© laurette last

 

Drawing near to Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, do you feel the excitement? This is the closing of the books, an end to The Days of Awe, an end to the time to plant. This is a “Set Time” an appointment (mo’ed) where we have tuned our hearts to hear from God and return, or Teshuvah to Him.

John the Baptist tells us we are to bear fruits worthy of repentance, Matthew 3:8. We know biblically fruit is a type and a shadow for character traits and inherent actions. Galatians 5:22 tells us; but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It speaks of what we do daily, when we are with others or when we alone, we understand that God knows all about us so we cannot fool Him.

We began this season of our repentance plowing under any ungodly weeds, cleansing our field which is our heart. We have been busy preparing our field aka our heart, for new seed to be sown. If you have ever physically prepared any ground you know it is hard work.
Though the work is extremely difficult it is equally as rewarding at the finish. Knowing we have peace with God is refreshing. This refreshing makes the work ahead fun and exciting. As Christians we understand that becoming more fruitful means more responsibility. More responsibility requires the help of others.

Change is in the air and our spirits sense the newness of seasons. We can finally feel the change in North Texas. However fall arrived several days ago. Fall didn’t come with a specific feeling or any noticeable or tangible changes, but it did come according to the calendar and set appointment. Fall arrived right on time.

There was so much excitement surrounding the season. I saw many beautiful posts welcoming Fall with baited anticipation of the changes before we had evidence.

And it is with God and His appointments. His appointments have purpose beyond what we can see and apart from our five senses and our feelings. We understand the excitement of His appointments by faith. Our Faith is, He who promised is faithful. If He said it, will He not do it?

Wouldn’t it be sad to plan an anniversary and not have your partner want to come? The season of our repentance isn’t a season to dread, no this is a season of hard work followed by harvest. Like a woman travailing in labor when the birth comes all the labor is forgotten because of the joy of life.

I enjoy the cooler temperatures. This weather often makes us think of snuggling or grabbing a soft blanket for warmth and covering, or making reading a good book by the fire. God wants us to join with Him and is inviting us into a new warmth and covering, His Holy presence. We can grab the best book with have, the bible and snuggle down under His perfect comfort and feel the warmth of His promises as they are planted in our heart.

Scripture tells us, to him who knows to do what is good and does not do it, it is sin. When we know the right thing to do, yet do not follow through with the action of doing good, it creates turmoil in our souls. A soul in turmoil is anxious and unstable. Teshuvah is called a time for the soul. Repentance is a time of ridding our soul of matters offensive or futile to God.
The choices we make affect our soul in a deep way. If our soul feels off course it becomes anxious and troubled. It is an internal condition with external results.  Anger is often the first reaction to an unsettled soul and is the forerunner to guilt. If we are unhappy and troubled because of choices we have made, God Almighty has made a way of escape for us. He beckons us back, He Woo’s and calls us to repent and return, as we talked about yesterday, our Lord knows the dangers awaiting us if we get off course. He knows every ploy the enemy plans to keep us away from our appointed times and our appointment. He has set reminders in the calendar of our soul to return and refresh.
Teshuvah is a time for us to set our hearts toward the affairs of God and ‘Return to the course He has called us to. Turning away from anything we know to be sin.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

11) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

12) Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

13) You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.

It is the grace of God the leads us to repentance. He Woo’s and draws us, and we must answer. Our answer is determined and defined by our actions. Saying we are seeking God when we do not change will not give us the good fruit that we are born to produce. God is looking for those who are seeking with their whole heart.
If we find ourselves at this point begging God, it will not work. We return, we turn away from sin and return to God. As He leads, we continue to follow believing He has plans for our lives. We make plans to build according to God’s patterns and His desires.

I read a Charles Spurgeon quote yesterday; You must willfully divorce sin before you can come into covenant with and marry Christ.

Revelation 3:19 amplified
‘Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self–your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior–seek God’s will].”

Feeling the tug on our heart according to Revelation 3:19, well that is good news, we are dearly loved. Think about that as we continue this Season of Repentance and Teshuvah leading up to Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. A sacred appointed time for introspection and readjustment.

Don’t miss your appointment, Teshuvah; it is my favorite time of the year.

God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord life His countenance upon you and give you Shalom.

Until next time, thank you for listening with me. Laurette