“Hello Darkness My Old Friend…”

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Have you ever had a song stuck in your head and you find yourself humming it throughout the day, to the point where others around you get annoyed by it? The other day that was me. I kept singing the line “Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again…” I also have where I can’t remember all the words to the song so I just sing the same words over and make up new words as I go which really can get irritating to some, just ask my wife. 🙂

Before you think me to odd, let me tell you why I was singing that first line from the 1960’s song the “Sound of Silence.” Believe it or not I was reading Psalm 73 and it starts out rather dark. The Psalmist was troubled by what he saw in the world around him. To him it seemed that the wicked prospered in all they set out to accomplish while the godly suffered. In fact, these evil ones were so bold that they boast against God the creator of heaven and earth.

The writer of this Psalm admits his deep darkness was when he states: “I came so close to the edge of the cliff! My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone,” (vs. 2). Maybe some of you can identify with these honest verses. These days of the virus, protests, riots, and the constant bombardment of negative news can dampen and darken the soul to the point of despair.

But in the midst of the singer’s darkness a transformation happens. Instead of trying to figure it out he turns his focus to the face of God in His sanctuary, (vs.17). The closer he walked toward the light the more he realized he was becoming bitter and enraged like a wild beast trying to make sense of the evil and injustice in the world.

And here is why I started to sing “hello darkness my old friend,” The pain led him into the presence and the presence to the promises of the Father:

“Yet I still belong to You; You are holding my right hand. You will keep on guiding me with Your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.” (Psalm 73: 23-26).

These verses awakened my heart and reminded me how dark times in my past led me to times of desperation, and the only place to go for answers was to look up in the storm and cry out for help. And in His perfect time, healing rain fell down like the loving promises in Psalm 73, and if the Father did this before He will do it again.

The darkness becomes a great friend when it leads us to declare: “I desire You more than anything on earth.” The darkness can be used to exposes all the deceptive lies of our world offering us attractively packaged idols that deplete and destroy our souls. How we need to see this dark season our world is in as a friend calling us back to the promises found in the presence of Jesus who waits for us with open arms.

I believe the Holy Spirit is using the darkness to call us back to find Jesus as our all consuming desire. Instead of letting the darkness lead you to despair see it as a friend helping you rediscover the only relationship that will satisfy your longing soul. And as you do this you will sing out with the Psalmist these final verses:

“But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do! (vs.28).

What a wonderful gift I encountered as I walked outside this morning, darkness to LIGHT!

True Belonging Our Only Hope!

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You don’t need another opinion or editorial on the injustices, riots, or the global pandemic plaguing our world but how about some comfort? The other morning I was reading these words from Psalm 68:5-6 NLT:

“Father to the fatherless, defender of widows -this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.

As I pondered these verses I recalled the tapestry of ministering alongside so many: the lonely, hurting, fatherless, prisoners, homeless, those struggling with addiction, divorce and the broken hearted. Really all of us fall into one of these categories at one time or another. Over the years I’ve found that the greatest need in each of us is the need to belong. When we feel we don’t belong chaos reigns within our soul.

The words from King David reveal the Father’s heart to bring each of us into a place of True Belonging! Each of us on this planet fits into the “most vulnerable” category whether we realize it or not. What our bleeding world needs is to know the joy, hope, and comfort of truly belonging.

My pondering of the text reminded me of one of the greatest summaries of True Belonging from an almost 500 year old Bible study. As you read and reflect on these potent words, may they bring comfort to your soul:

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him. (The Heidelberg Catechism, LORD’S DAY 1)

I pray these words bring you comfort, hope, and the only way forward to heal the wounds of a weary world.

Why You Need These Two Trees!

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Hello everyone from South Africa. I wanted to share a video post with you about a powerful prophetic picture from Zechariah 4. Our world is hemorrhaging from all sides and yet this text gives us God’s plan for bringing His healing ointment to our hearts and a hurting world.

Click here to see the original post.

“Not for man to direct his Steps!”

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Written by Patty Spykstra

Tuesday, May 26 marks our 60th day of lockdown here in Cape Town, South Africa. To date we have 22,583 confirmed cases and 429 who have lost their lives to COVID-19. We have moved from Level 5 to 4 and perhaps Level 3 in June.

Jeremiah 10:23 says, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own, it is not for man to direct his steps.”

Although things have not exactly gone how we planned. We have SO MUCH to be thankful for. Tim and I had expected the first 5 months to be so busy we couldn’t’ even catch our breath, but as things around the world changed the plans we had set in place also changed.

10 Things I never considered when Tim asked me go to South Africa…….

  1. That so many friends and family would fly out to visit and be apart of the Dedication of Oceans Retreat Center!
  2. That Tim’s office would in the exact room where our daughter Sarah lived when she studied abroad with Azusa Pacific University in 2013. (Sarah can’t wait to come back!)
  3. That the retreat center would be so booked that no rooms were available for our daughter Anna & her husband and then the airlines shut down all the rooms were available. (Anna & Hunter promise to rebook and come visit us! )
  4. That COVID-19 would be a global Pandemic and change the course of ALL of our lives!
  5. That I’d be cutting Tim’s hair and he would let me, as no barbershops are open! (Timothy I did my best.)
  6. That curtains are non-essential but material is for sale! So thankful ORC’s first volunteer, Michele left her sewing machine and that Thobeka knows how to sew!! Come see the changes! We may have floral masks for sale?
  7. That churches and schools would be closed and so many jobs lost. Thankful Oceans can help out by delivering groceries to the people living in the townships of OceanView and Masiphumelele.
  1. That my dad, Ray, would be getting married to Dianne, a wonderful lady with a heart for Africa, and who stayed at ORC when it was Wellwood Lodge.
  2. That January through May would be so sunny with wonderful weather and that we have plenty of projects to stretch us and keep us busy! Haven’t been bored yet!
  3. That WhatsApp and technology would be such a blessing to stay in touch with so many of you! Appreciate your prayers and concern during this time!!

I do love lists! And this particular list is a reminder that His LIST is full of wonderful unexpected blessings and surprises! “Yielding to God’s plan is the best path to follow. Tim and I have no idea what tomorrow, this week or next month will bring. I challenge you to do write your own list of blessings that came out of COVID-19 and praise God for HIS sovereign plan!

It’s Tuesday but Thursday is Coming!!!!

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Sunrise over False Bay

It was dark when we started our hike up the mountain. Why so early you ask? Because we are only allowed exercise out of our homes from 6 – 9 AM so you need to squeeze in every minute you can. Looking at the positive side we have experienced some amazing sunrises.

On the morning of this photo we were reading from Psalm 46 as the sun broke through the darkness.

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress,” (vs.10-11, NLT).

As I watched the sun irrupt from behind the mountains and dispel the last shade of darkness I thought about those words “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us…” Those words along with the breathtaking scene filled my heart with praise for Christ’s glorious reign. The One who created the blinding sun lives in me and surrounds me with a ring of fire that promises to keep me for all eternity.

This blog comes out on Tuesday but don’t forget Thursday! Thursday is one of the most important and yet most forgotten days in Biblical history. Without Thursday I could never find comfort and joy in the verses above. This Thursday, May 21, we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus, where the Scriptures show Jesus took His Throne in Heaven, ushering His Kingdom reign over all the earth!

The following morning Patty and I hiked up again to let both the sunrise and God’s Word speak in the stillness of the morning. We read from Psalm 47 which goes on to tell why Ascension Thursday is such a big deal:

“God has ascended with a mighty shout. The LORD has ascended with trumpets blaring. Sing praises to God, sing praises…For God is the King over all the earth,” (vs. 6-7, NLT).

What a powerful prophetic Psalm pointing to Christ’s Coronation as King over all the earth. In the midst of a world wide pandemic and the chaos it has caused among governments and nations we have a glorious King whose reign is perfect and is an everlasting fortress for His people. I love how the 500 year old Heidelberg Catechism, answer 49, makes a big deal of Thursday and shows why we blare the trumpets with shouts of praise:

  1. He pleads our cause in heaven in the presence of His Father (Rom. 8:34)
  2. We have our own flesh in heaven – a guarantee that Christ our head will take us, His members, to Himself in heaven (Jn. 14:2)
  3. He sends His Spirit to us on earth as a further guarantee. By the Spirit’s power we make the goal of our lives not earthly things, but the things above where Christ is sitting at God’s right hand, (Jn. 14:16, Col. 3:1-4).

In this hour where the demonic darkness of fear has sought to dampen our faith remind yourself “Thursday is coming and has come!” We have an ascended King who prays for us, who is making an eternal home for us, and who has poured out His Spirit upon us. He reminds us we are sons and daughters of the King and we walk in the light of His glorious presence filled with His power bringing in His Kingdom Reign to all the earth!

Take Heart Thursday Has Come and “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us…”