“Your throne O Lord, shall endure forever;…You have loved justice and hated iniquity; Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above all your fellows.” Psalm 45:7
Many of you responded to my letter last months with sentiments of empathy and encouraging words. Thanks for writing.
Last month I introduced you to a song that moved me to lament and cry out to the Lord. On the same album, the following song is the Easter triumphal song of hope, a word to hang onto at the end of every day.
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death. And to those in the tomb He has given new life!
This is the truth we hold to, not a promise only for life after death, but the truest reality that is breaking into our present world today. Join me in praising God for giving us life and freedom. Instead of the cynicism that seems so common, causing us to remain indifferent and silent, let us rather sing songs of praise to the one true God and say with Moses to every Pharoah in our path, “The LORD will reign forever and ever!’ (Ex. 15:18)I have had more time to breathe and reflect during the month of June.
During our staff retreat, surrounded by the simple beauty of village life, we reflected on Christ’s words in John 15, “Remain in Me,…I am the Vine, you are the branches.” These were special days for giving God our undivided attention and for quality time with one another. Jesus spoke to us of His love for us, the call to love one another, the call to intimacy with Him and obedience to His call… and about the gift of joy.
Psalm 45 speaks of anointing with the oil of gladness. I am finding that joy is a gift from the Holy Spirit(Rom 15:13). On Pentecost Sunday it occurred to me that true joy born out of hope would be quite impossible without the Holy Spirit.
Prayer for this month:
- We found a new office on the 11th floor and will be all moved in by July 1. Pray for grace in the transition and good reception from our new office neighbors (like when they find out we sing and pray every morning at 9AM!).
- The first week in July, I will travel to Galati and visit the dear children and staff before I travel back to Chisinau with Kate Gilliard, who completes her summer internship in Moldova and Romania. I will then volunteer, July 10-16, at a day camp organized by “Centru Don Bosco” where they are expecting 300 children (http://donbosco-chisinau.blogspot.com/). Pray for stamina, creativity and positive life-change in the youth and children who attend. I hope to learn from this experience while I also offer my gifts and help lead times of singing.
- Pray for my family in New Hampshire as we adjust to the loss of mental health that my grandfather has suffered this year. He was diagnosed with Alzeimer’s disease and has recently moved into a Healthcare facility not far from his wife and family.
Be blessed this summer, and may you also be used by God to be a blessing to others, bringing songs of hope and faith and joy.
In Him,
Rahela
