Lost & Found: Mephibosheth

"One day David asked, 'Is anyone in Saul's family still alive- anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?' He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul's servants. 'Are you Ziba?' the king asked. 'Yes sir, I am,' Ziba replied. The king then asked him, 'Is anyone still alive from Saul's family? If so, I want to show God's kindness to them.' Ziba replied, 'Yes, one of Jonathan's sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.' 'Where is he?' the king asked. [....] So David sent for him and brought him from Makir's home. His name was Mephibosheth; he was Jonathan's son and Saul's grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, 'Greetings, Mephibosheth'. Mephibosheth replied, 'I am your servant'. 'Don't be afraid!' David said. 'Intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather, Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king's table.' Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, 'Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?'  Then the king summoned Saul's servant Ziba and said, 'I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. [...] But Mephibosheth, your master's grandson will eat here at my table.' [...] And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David's table, like one of the king's sons. [....] And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king's table. 
- 2 Samuel 9:1-13

Mephibosheth is one of my favorite characters in the bible. His journey is more of a lost-then-found story to me than any other story in the Bible. It demonstrates the Father’s love. And I love the way it begins. It starts on a (seemingly) normal day. Just one day. There’s no heads-up. Maybe it wasn’t even planned. (And Mephibosheth certainly didn’t know about it.) The whole reason Mephibosheth was found was because David wanted to show anyone who was still alive from Saul’s family kindness. David didn’t care about gender or age or abilities (as seen later). This attitude is much like the one God has for us. He doesn’t care what we can bring to the table- he just wants us. 

So, David asked Ziba. And Ziba answered, “Yeah. I know a guy. He’s a cripple though. Both feet too, Davy.” I love that Ziba immediately makes Mephibosheth’s disability known. The Devil does that too. He’ll whisper (or shout) all the reasons why God shouldn’t waste his time with you.
But Ziba didn’t deter David. His response, the first thing he says is, “Where is he?”
And that’s exactly what God does. He does not back down. Nothing keeps you from him. 

Next thing: Mephibosheth does not live in the place even though he was royal by blood, with Saul being king of Israel at that time. And I don’t think Mephibosheth knew where he belonged. I don’t think he knew that he belonged in a palace. Jerusalem was the complete opposite of Lo-Debar. Jerusalem was the capital of Israel. It was adorned with gold and high walls.
Lo-Debar, where Mephibosheth was living, could basically be described as Nothingville (Debar means “word” or “thing”- thus, “no thing”), or the middle of nowhere. He was royalty, but didn’t know it and, thus, wasn’t living like it at all. 

Yet, David sends for him. And Mephibosheth comes!  
But he’s afraid- because why would King David want anything to do with him? He’s a cripple who’s living nowhere. However, Mephibosheth had a family inheritance. His blessing was generational. Not because of what you did, but because of whose you are!

This story demonstrates the love of the Father to the prodigal and the lost sheep. God is KING and through coming home, there is a seat at his table for YOU. God still wants, yearns, searches, and goes after your crippled image and self. And it's all out of LOVE.

Raindrops of LOVE from God

 I love the rain because it's kisses from God. I love when the thunder storms the sky because that's how mighty His love is for me. The rain falls on me, like His love and the trees dance in the wind. The air itself smells fresh- like the green of the trees is released in the air. And after the air, there's a calm. And God's love is there too.  

John 8:1-11 Jesus in the dirt

 "Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives but early the next morning he was back again at the temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 'Teacher,' they said to Jesus, 'this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?' They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!' Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, [...] until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?' 'No Lord," she said. And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more."
- John 8:1-11

This is one of my favorites. This is one out of the three times God had his hands in the dirt. This reveals so much of Jesus' character. Jesus did not condemn her. Jesus was the only one who could, and he didn't. I can't even imagine the woman in this scene. (Dirty? Sweaty? Half-naked? Ashamed? Scared?) This was early in the morning. She could have very well just been dragged from her bed since being caught in the act. (Where was her lover? He's not mentioned.) She was right in front of Christ. Right in the spotlight. She couldn't hide. She couldn't leave. She was being used by the Pharisees for their own ploy. They didn't care about her- they wanted Jesus. This woman doesn't say a word to her defense. I think she knew what sin she committed and I think she knew the punishment- being stoned to death. (Did the Pharisees already have the stones in their fists?). The only thing that she said (when answering Jesus) was "Lord". She recognized Jesus as the Lord. Jesus removed her accusers (much like he did in the book of Zechariah: God rebuked satan, the Accuser, and cleansed Jeshua). Jesus didn't condemn the world, he came to save it. He came to heal and bandage the brokenhearted and the crushed spirit. He came to save the lost. Jesus showed this woman GRACE and MERCY in its purest form.

God SHOWS UP

I asked God to open my eyes today to see whatever he wants me to see. After a long day of being on my device I decided to go for a walk. Just to move around and to look at nature. As I was walking up a trail, I heard tapping. I had to stop walking to hear it clearly. I moved around and my eyeballs landed on a woodpecker. And then I noticed the yellow finches and the other birds. I was planted for a good ten minutes just staring and listening. The woodpecker would jump positions and my eyes would follow. I noticed how even if the woodpecker was on a branch of the tree, its drumming seemed to start from the centre of the tree. 

I felt so seen and loved when I noticed the woodpecker and all the birds. Some of them I could not see but I heard them. I had the biggest smile on my face because I knew at that moment that God gave me something that spoke to my heart. It was another love note for me. 

Isaiah 55:13- Transformations

"Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the LORD's name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love." 

This is one of my favorites right now. Cypress trees support the heavy nests of storks, which highlights the way that God cares for his creation. These trees also grow spontaneously. Nettles are a prickly plant. It hurts the skin, it's sharp and it stings. Myrtles are a sign of the kingdom's blessing for Israel. Prosperity indicates change. (NETTLES to MYRTLES!!!) I love that this transformation (in nature and ourselves) brings HONOR to God's name (and God has many names. Yahweh, Rapha [Healer], Shalom [Peace], Provider, Father, Protector, Shelter, etc). For something to be everlasting, it lasts or endures through all time. So this transformation shows God's love and power and it never goes away. God's power and love goes hand in hand. Jesus tends to your heart. He changes our hearts from nettles to myrtles. He puts in a new heart posture and you come alive. YOU FLOWER AND GROW AND BEAUTIFY AND FLOURISH IN HIS LOVE. 💮