Ten Things of Wonder: Poem VIII

Timely Triumph

A seed buried

in the dark places

of the earth bursts

the frosty shackles of

winter. Spring’s first

sunny daffodil

lifts its glorious

head in timely

triumph.

Ten Things of Wonder: Poem VII

Astonished!

The silent song

of the stream—you know

the one you heard when

you were seven—well, you

can still hear her musical

strains. But not from the city.

You must sit snuggly

upon her shores again and dangle

your feet in the shallow

waters. You’ll need to slow down,

and surrender to

the stream’s ancient syncopated rhythms.

Mostly though

you’ll need to be

astonished once again

when the singing starts,

like when you were seven.

Bonnie Saul Wilks

Holiday Island, Arkansas

February 23, 2012

Ten Things of Wonder: Poem VI

Repose

Beyond the glass pane, blurred

by rain and age, the sun-dappled

garden winds into surprise. There

the scarlet peony races in a dead-heat

competition with the sweet, wild rose,

and the lilac remains one lap ahead of the

honeysuckle. Swans glide at sunset and

the succor of serenity is as sweet and soft

as twilight’s misty twinkle. This—

the evening cool—is called new day.

The sacred hour selected to walk with the Gardener

alone—just two entwine in embrace down the pathway—

while the velvet white

lilies lean their heads into the dusky

sky and cast their fragrance before their footprints.

~Bonnie Saul Wilks

Ten Things of Wonder: Poem V

Fading Fragment

Sometimes the rain carries me to the eternal God Himself whose shadow He deigned to shimmer within a fading fragment—like a raindrop. When heaven and earth blend, the atmosphere grows redolent with eternity. One small picture of that mix is rain and earth. First rain mingled with soil takes on an irresistible scent.

Before the heavens open, the aroma is heavy and captivating; but there is a compelling—earthy yet ethereal quality—in the scent when water from heaven first touches the dirt of earth. Those initial few drops of a downpour fusing with common soil are bursting with life, with potential. That aromatic blend—earth and first rain mingled—is one fraction of forever: A symbol of eternity.

It is a withering moment that says, “Heaven and earth are inextricably bound, and God created humankind in His image and intends for us to live forever.” God uses withering moments and events to point to things that will last forever.

Bonnie Saul Wilks

Ten Things of Wonder: Poem IV

That Part of the Soul

There is singular part

of the soul that draws

me to the top of a mountain—

that drives me to climb to the top

and conquer—there’s that desire

to see and know more

to experience all the

fullness of life that

Earth encompasses. It

is a thirst that keeps me

young and alive. There’s

a part that is insatiable

and must be tamed. But

let me tell you, that thrill

at the top, the chill of sharp

wind and exquisite and

beauty below… it ignites

another part of the soul…

the part that wants to soar—

to jump off the ledge and fly

on wing like an eagle.

But two things hold my

feet in place: reason and

humility. Oh for the strength

of these gifts that anchor

and enable me to take my

place in perfect order. And that’s

as exhilarating as the

flight of an eagle high

above the mountain top…

to take

my place in

perfect order.

Bonnie Saul Wilks

Holiday Island, Arkansas

February 21, 2012

We are basking in a week’s vacation here on Holiday Island, Arkansas. I really haven’t spent much time in this part of the USA, so it has been a very pleasant surprise to discover how beautiful it is!

We are situated in a cozy cabin nestled next to the Table Rock River which meanders around and around, beginning in NW Arkansas and ending north of Branson, Missouri! It is gorgeous, lined with trees and hills with plenty of wildlife showing up routinely and unexpectedly. It has been refreshing just sitting by the water, soaking in the bounty of nature. Each day my heart has grown with wonder.

I have been inspired to ponder life, nature, God, and the beauty around me, and I have only allowed myself to think on lovely things as we are admonished my scripture… “… whatsoever things are true, noble, lovely, excellent praiseworthy… ” It has been therapeutic!

I can’t think on these things–I can’t consume them without giving Him praise and thanksgiving for His amazing creation. So I have begun a ten-day wonder adventure, posting a poem every few days about something lovely that has caused me to wonder.

I’m inviting you to wonder with me… After all, things of wonder are meant to be shared!

You will find the first two poems of wonder here and here. Today I offer the third.

Ten Things of Wonder: Poem III

Drink the Whole Thing

Joy comes fresh, hand-squeezed

in gallon-sized jugs. When it

arrives at the door of your

heart, drink the whole thing if you want

to grow strong. Don’t save it for later or

finish just half.  There’s more. The Wells of

Salvation Bottling Company

never bottles just a drop or a trickle,

because it flows in silver rivers from deep

deep cisterns. You’ll want the full dose.

And don’t fill guilty for it’s deep, abiding

satisfaction. The world is full of sadness,

injustice, suffering, and travesty. Yes. And yet joy

has been prepared for you—to make your face shine,

to offer hope for the thirsty, to make you stand out in the crowd.

Bonnie Saul Wilks

Holiday Island, Arkansas

February 21, 2012

Ten Things of Wonder: Poem II

Winter Forged

I have never seen

anything as striking as

the winter-forged, black

filigree of tree,

curled as wrought iron

and delicate as lace,

standing stark

against a pale blue

cloudless, morning sky.

Bonnie Saul Wilks

February 19, 2012

Holiday Island, Arkansas

Ten Things of Wonder: Poem I

The Horses and the River

The horses of my life

paw at the ground before

dawn, the race shooting

through their legs. They whiney

and stir as the heat of the

battle burns in their bones.

Fiercely they volunteer, disregarding

the blood, the price—feeling already

the flags of victory unfurled

and whipping in the sharp wind.

The river of my life

meanders with slow feet—

sure feet until dawn, closing

sleepy eyes until light sparkles

on the surface. Silent songs of the

deep rise on silver bubble begging me to stay the day

for the sake of peace, for the sake

of quiet—growing strong in the

nourishment of serenity, I prepare

for destiny’s challenge.

I walk with one foot in each

world and can’t live without

either. Someday I’ll lay it all

down for the embrace of a scar-riven

side and outstretched hands that are pierced.

Bonnie Saul Wilks

February 19, 2012

Holiday Island, Arkansas

Compared to a Bride

The Sabbath is compared with a bride, coming to the people of God in purity and sanctity. Many Shabbat rituals surround this thought. Sixteenth-century mystics created the Friday evening service called in Hebrew Kabbalat Shabbat, which means welcoming the Sabbath. This song L’kah Dodi is often sung:

Come my beloved to meet the bride.

Let us welcome the presence of the Sabbath

Come in peace… and come in joy…

Come, O Bride! Come, O Bride!

Today in Jewish Orthodox settings as the last verse of the song is sung, the congregation will turn away from the ark housing the Torah and bow before the synagogue entrance as if the bride of Shabbat were about to enter.

As believers, the idea of Sabbath as a pure Bride finds a home in our hearts in the end of the verse in Leviticus 23:3, it is for a Sabbath to the Lord. We hold close and yet see beyond the Orthodox view of Sabbath being the bride, as we embrace the New Covenant idea that we have become that pure Bride by Yeshua’s blood. Therefore, we greet the Sabbath prepared to steal away with our beloved Bridegroom for the space of 24 hours.

The powerful draw of the prosaic and temporal is set aside, enabling us to peer into the eternal portals of heaven by honoring this commandment. Shabbat is a weekly honeymoon with the Bridegroom, Who is our Creator and Maker, and it is glimpse of what it will be like forever to be with the Lord.

Rather then becoming paralyzed with rules, the Sabbath should evoke great joy and expectation, as a bride would have on her wedding day. As Messiah’s Bride, we find a picture of being presented to God in righteousness as a one without spot or blemish (Ephesians 5:27). We separate the time of Shabbat to be alone with our Bridegroom in delightful exclusivity.

Scripture is replete with many beautiful pictures of the Bride and Bridegroom captivated by each other in romance. Song of Songs, beginning to end, describes in detail the intimate relationship between the Bride and Bridegroom. Song of Songs 8:5 speaks of the Bride coming up from the wilderness leaning on her Beloved.

Judaism, replete with history, tradition, and culture, full-heartedly embraces the idea of Israel as the Bride prepared for the One and only true God. Hosea describes the suffering and depth of love God has for His unfaithful Bride. The same message of boundless love resounds throughout Scripture. And it is clearly seen in the New Covenant as we visualize and ponder the way Jesus reached out to the woman caught in adultery. This one, who deserved to die according to the Law, is the most definitive and colorful example of the rebellious and undeserving Bride, who is captivated and eventually changed by a loving and selfless Bridegroom.

As the story of the ages unfolds, we begin to recognize that He is the Lamb who was pierced for the burden of sin that humankind bears. Gary Weins writes in his book titled Bridal Intercession,

You see, the so-called fairy tales of history really are true. The Prince really has kissed the girl, the humble handmaid really is the Princess, and the Beauty who has been under the spell of the poison apple really will be brought to life. The King will have his glorious Bride and the desires of His heart will be satisfied. The stories are clear and you’ll find them throughout Scripture. Our God is a God of love, and His burning heart is the heart of a Bridegroom Who will not be dissuaded from His task. His zeal burns for the restoration of His people, and He will not relent until the broken woman, whose name is Jerusalem, shines forth in the way He intended, as a praise in all the earth (Isaiah 62:7).

Can it be that in these days of preparation as the Church, as One New Man, Jew and Gentile and representing all nations, tongues, and tribes, anticipates the Lord’s return, that the keeping of Shabbat will be restored to the whole Church as a foretaste of the redeemed and beautiful Bride’s glorious and great reunion with the Bridegroom?

As Gentile believers, who love Israel, we invite Jews that we meet in our everyday world to our Shabbat table in celebration. They accept our invitations and become renewed in their love for their Jewish roots, open to the message of Messiah, and even “jealous” that we celebrate the Sabbath. Could these evening meals together—Jew and Gentile—at the table lit with Sabbath lights and filled with Yeshua’s love extended be a foretaste of something in eternity when we celebrate as One New Man?

Intercessory Purposes

The strength and importance of prayer and intercession for the believer can never be over emphasized. Through the centuries, God has used prayer warriors to “battle” His purposes on earth. Abraham cried out to God on behalf of Sodom, even when he knew the city was thoroughly evil. God answered his prayer. Moses pleaded for Israel again and again, even offering his own life in return; and God honored his requests. Habakkuk asked for God to fight against injustice, and Nehemiah dreamed about and interceded for the rebuilding of the temple.

Yeshua is the supreme example of intercession, earnestly interceding for His people, even those who ridiculed and betrayed Him, and the thief on the death tree next to Him. The life of Yeshua became a living-representation of intercession because He was perfect, pure, and sinless. He only obeyed the Father at all times. Yeshua took time to be alone with the Father. He found a sanctuary and gift of time in His presence. That is where he rested and was rejuvenated. That is where he pleaded in intercession for the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

Today God calls His Bride to do the same acts of intercession and become examples of living intercession toward a lost and hurting on earth.

Again Gary Weins speaks of the place of the Bride in intercession,

In the prophetic portrait called the book of Esther, he is inviting us to approach intercession through the doorway of romance, to dial up all His daring and passionate emotions, to tell Him all over again that we say “yes” to His proposals that we choose Him again even as at the first. He wants us to presume upon His grace and mercy, to enter the Holy of Holies with confident boldness, knowing that His scepter of righteousness is extended toward us at all times, because He is a King in love, and we are His bride!

As the Bride of Messiah when we engage in Sabbath-keeping practices, we find ourselves fulfilling God’s intercessory purposes on earth. The act of keeping the Sabbath is a prophetic call to Israel, as it is repeated through the ages, and demonstrates that God has made covenant with His people and will keep it.

That act becomes an intercessory prayer that resounds into eternity, whose language is heard without words, yet voicing through our actions that Sabbath stands forever as a sign between God and man.  God is showing in word and deed that He is our provider, and there is a physical and spiritual Sabbath rest for those who will seek it. The observance and remembrance of the Sabbath reinforce these truths in a literal and weekly manifestation.

For Israel, the Sabbath stands as a highway marker that God has kept His promises to her and will continue as long as the foundations of the earth remain there are stars in the sky. As Messianic believers enter into the Sabbath rest, the act itself becomes an intercessory call that cries out for the light of Yeshua to shine into darkness, illuminating the hearts of Jews around the world to the truth of salvation through no one else but Him.

An invitation to Sabbath rest rings throughout the universe as the His people strike the first match to light the Sabbath candles, lift the brimming cup of wine, and bless the God of Israel on the evening that is separated unto the Bridegroom and Bride alone.

Ritually Set Apart

To underscore the Sabbath’s spiritual significance, it is ritually set apart and begins with a festive Friday evening meal–a special event that reminds us that we are keeping covenant with God and entering into a holy time. To believers in Messiah, Shabbat is a picture of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, when Messiah’s Bride is united with her Beloved in heaven because of the blood sacrifice of Yeshua (Revelation 19:7).

[This is an excerpt from my book, Sabbath: A Gift of Time, available at bookstores everywhere.]

Oh, to be found in a golden field of grain lifting a silver sickle at the sound of the shofar.

“… For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed”

(I Corinthians 15:52).