He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 3:5-6.

The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. John 4:14.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2.

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Psalm 56:3.

And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 136: They stood afar off and watched. Psalm 88:8: You have removed my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an object of loathing to them; I am shut up and cannot get out. And, Luke 23:49: And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

I loved this today in Hearing God by Dallas Willard: “Think for a moment about what happens when you wash a dirty shirt: the water and laundry soap move through the fibers of the shirt material and carry out the dirt lodged within those fibers. When we come to God, our minds and hearts are like that dirty shirt, cluttered with false beliefs and attitudes, deadly feelings, past deeds, misguided plans, hopes and fears. The word of God – primarily the gospel of His kingdom and of the life and death of Jesus on our behalf – enters our mind and brings new life through faith. As we open our entire life to this new power and to those sent by God to minister the word to us, the word moves into every part of our personality, just like the water and soap move through the shirt’s fibers. God’s word pushes out and replaces all that is false and opposed to His purposes in creating us and putting us in our unique place on earth.”

New creation beginning where it must – in our own individual hearts and minds trusting Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. This incredible story of us moving as it has from the beginning of us to when Jesus Himself came to live among us teaching and healing, not just bodies but hearts and minds beginning to see God’s love as it really is – healing. Can we grasp how awful it must have been to experience seeing Jesus crucified, His body taken down to be placed in a tomb and nothing they could do could alter that? He experienced what we all of us experience, death brought about by sin. And on the third day they experienced so much more! Jesus’ body was no longer in that tomb, it was empty just like the emptiness of every lie of Satan binding us in hate and sin and death. And He was with them again and I can’t imagine how they took that in – except that everything He did and showed them was so very different from the way of this fallen world. And the Holy Spirit came just as He promised He would. And here we all are today. In all the decades of my longing for understanding, He has been patiently here helping me see as I am able to grasp and apply within – the healing only He can bring. And I’m beginning to understand I don’t need to live in worry and fear. I can give them each one to Him as they come and ask for His help knowing that He is my help and my compass showing me the way that is with Him. He always has been with me, but now I’m beginning to understand that and live into that with Him. It has taken what can seem such a long time but there is no better use for our time than learning with His help daily how loved we are and how present He is for each of us. “The word of God – primarily the gospel of His kingdom and of the life and death of Jesus – on our behalf – enters our mind and brings new life through faith! God’s word pushes out and replaces all that is false and opposed to His purposes in creating us and putting us in our unique place on earth!” Our place with Him as His children dearly loved, loving Him and loving one another.

***Prayer makes a godly man, and puts within him “the mind of Christ,” the mind of humility, of self-surrender, of service, of pity, and of prayer. If we really pray, we will become more like God, or else we will quit praying. E. M. Bounds (1835-1913).***