Second Touch (45 page)

After her beloved Cantor dies, Lily’s faith grows dim. Rabbi Ahava tells her, “You can go on in bitterness, but why not ask Elohim for new purpose instead?” (p. 240). What new purpose could you look for in the midst of your trials? Wonder . . . “El Shaddai knows our names. Knows our stories. . . . He hears us when we cry to him.”

—Lily (p. 33) “This is My promise to you! I AM speaking here! . . . My Word will feed your souls as you cross the wilderness of life! Until the end of time there is a battle raging against you, but I, Yahweh, will win the battle for your souls! I, Myself, will lead you and provide for you, if you will ¬only trust Me!” —Mosheh (p. 202) You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. —Isaiah 26:3 Like Joshua, who stood at the brink of the Promised Land, we all stand at the brink of choice. Rabbi Ahava’s words to Lily are wise: “Even if you submit to the will of Elohim, if you submit without believing in his love, all your life will be is bitter” (p. 241). Will you choose to be bitter . . . or better?

5 Beyond Boundaries Adonai spoke to her softly as He formed her. I AM sending you. Adonai loved her, created her as a reflection of His great love. He swam beside her as she emerged from the warmth of the womb into the cold, far country called Life. She hesitated. Tried to turn back. He compelled her to go on. Breathe! Don’t be afraid! You are sent by Me beyond what you imagine are the boundaries of your world. —Prologue (p. vii) Think of one person (from personal experience or in history) who has courageously stepped “beyond the boundaries” of his or her world. How has this person impacted history? the lives of those around him or her? What “boundaries” hold you back from reaching a dream or a goal? History books are packed with stories of men and women who went beyond the boundaries of their world. People like David Livingstone, who brought God’s light to the dark continent of Africa; Mother Teresa, who compassionately gave of herself to the “lowest of the low”; Rosa Parks, who changed the course of history for African-Americans by simply taking a seat on a “whites ¬only” bus and refusing to move. The first-century lepers, of all people, knew what it was like to live within tight boundaries. Once they arrived in the Valley of Mak’ob, they did not leave until their death. The consequences for doing so were severe. If a tsara (a person with leprosy) was found outside the Valley, he or she could be driven out, stoned, or even killed. Citizens were terrified of lepers, since being a leper meant that nothing of your life would remain.

You were forever cast out of your family and your community. The gulf separating you was the gulf between life and death, since you were now a walking dead person. Lily lived within these boundaries. She’d been cast out when she was twelve, when the signs of tsara’at had appeared. It is no wonder she asked, Where was the One who formed her? Why had this happened? Where was His voice of comfort in all this? (p. x). Aren’t her questions the same ones we ask? Read Her father named her Shoshana, which means “Lily.” She was a beautiful child, almost perfect. Everyone said so. Flaxen hair, oval face, large blue eyes that gathered in the sky. Small nose. Mouth like a rosebud. Teeth straight and white. Ears petite and perfectly formed. . . . Papa used to say Lily was the most beautiful flower in his garden. . . . Mama had so many wonderful hopes and dreams tied up in Lily. Lily would grow up, get married, bring the grandbabies home to visit. . . . But it was not to be as Mama hoped. Life ripened to become bitter, not sweet. So unfair. So full of suffering! Things never, ¬ever turning out the way they ought! —Prologue (p. viii) Ask Imagine you are Lily. You’ve grown up in a loving home, with a loving father and mother who doted on you as the ¬only daughter in a household of boys. Then within twenty-four hours, everything you know literally goes “up in smoke” (p. ix). You lose your family, your home, all your belongings, and you are pronounced dead even though you are alive. How would you respond? What thoughts would run through your mind as you sit outside in the dust? Now imagine you are approaching Mak’ob, the Valley of Sorrows, for the first time. You know this is the place where lepers live until they die. Once you enter, you will never be allowed to leave it. The boundaries of the Valley are permanent. What emotions are you experiencing, and why?

The leper Tobias was also twelve, as Lily had been, when he was driven away from his family. Like Lily, he faced myriad questions and emotions of rejection, fear, betrayal, abandonment, terror (reread this young boy’s story in his own words on pp. 87–89). Read He . . . touched her face in the night and comforted her. Don’t be afraid of anything! You are a tree. . . . He commanded her to go forward on her journey. I AM your ship, your sail, your captain. I AM the wind, the water, the lighthouse guiding you to your destination! Together we will sail a great distance, face many sorrows, overcome great trials. Do not fear the journey. Trust Me! We travel together, you and I. Together! Together we carry priceless treasure to those who wait on the

desolate shore! Go on then! Live! Fearless! —Prologue (pp. vii–viii) Do not be afraid, for I am with you. —Isaiah 43:5 Ask If you truly believed these words about having no fear, no boundaries, and that God will always go with you, in what ways would your life change? Make a list. Read You will find the lost ones, like driftwood twisted and forsaken, strewn along the path of your own suffering. Find them. Embrace them. Feed them. Carry them. I AM at your side ¬every¬ step of the journey! And when we return home again together? Together those who were lost before you came will travel back with us! —Prologue (p. viii) The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. —1 Samuel 16:7 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? —1 John 3:17 Ask When you see people, what do you see first? Eyes, clothing, hair, facial expression? Something else?

Although Lily was bound by horrible life circumstances (she herself was dying), she chose to be a light of comfort to those who were also dying. Her prayer was always, Help me see them, not with my eyes, but as you see them (p. 44). What would you see with God’s eyes? Do you agree with this statement by Mosheh: Messiah makes provision for those who believe they are outside the boundaries of His love. For all the nations and peoples of the world (p. 154)? Why or why not? Is anyone outside the boundaries of God’s love? If so, who?

Who are “the lost ones” around you? What is one way you could bring joy, love, and healing to them? Wonder . . . Give is a word that never ends. Never runs dry. An eternal word. Past and present and future. . . . God’s love for us is a palindrome. —Mosheh (pp. 203–204) Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:16 Review your list of ways your life would change if you faced it with no fear, no boundaries, and knowing that God always traveled with you. Star

one of your ideas. Then act on it this week with bold courage! Let your light shine forth out of the darkness!

6 Seeing Heavenward The worries of this world blindfold our souls. Little things keep us from ¬really seeing. You know? . . . But look up. See? That’s how it is when worry ¬doesn’t block our vision. And when we die, the blindfold will be ¬altogether gone. That’s what we have to look forward to. —Cantor (p. 67) When you hear the word heaven, what images come to mind? (Fluffy clouds, angels playing harps, golden streets, rest and relaxation . . . ?) What worries or “little things” keep you focused downward on this earth, rather than heavenward, toward God and eternity with Him?

In the Valley of Mak’ob heaven is the ¬only hope. As the lepers die physically, piece by piece, they long for a place where their bodies can once again be whole. Where they no longer are labeled untouchable. Where they no longer have to stay in a community of the dying. Where they ¬don’t have to call, “Unclean!” as they pass a “whole” person. As Shoemaker, one of the lepers, declared, “Hope’s all we’ve got left. . . . We’re condemned anyway. If this fellow can heal us and we miss him because we’re all snug and content to live and die in this open tomb, think what we might miss” (p. 103). What we might miss, indeed! All of us are lepers at heart; we need the limitless grace, mercy, and love that God extends to us through the person of Yeshua—God, who took on flesh for us. We crave a “larger vision”—the hope of heaven—for that is what brings ultimate fulfillment and meaning to our lives. It gives us purpose, in spite of personal pain along the way. But perhaps it’s this “larger vision” that we struggle with the most. After all, if our image of heaven is of wimpy-looking angels with halos walking among soft clouds, heaven may seem a bit dull. Perhaps heaven ¬isn’t such a great place after all, we think. And then we lose perspective. The “little things” of life become blindfolds that prevent us from seeing beyond the small confines of our earthly life. What will heaven be like? It will be far more glorious than we can ¬ever imagine! (For a preview, read Revelation 21–22.) Read Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. —Matthew 6:19-21

Seek his kingdom. . . . For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. —Luke 12:31, 34 Ask What do the verses above say about what heaven is like? Why is it so important to focus on God, the ultimate treasure?

There’s an old adage: “You have to lose what’s ¬really important to find out what ¬really matters.” Has this adage proven true in your life? If so, how?

Losing someone or something often carries pain beyond measure. But it can also develop within us a heart of empathy for others if we allow God to use our pain for benefit, rather than becoming bitter and turning against Him. Lily, Rabbi Ahava, and Cantor are shining examples of those who shine as beacons of God’s light, in spite of their own suffering. Read Lily smiled. It was good to talk of olam haba, the life of the world to come. “Rabbi Ahava says on that day the Knower of Secrets will reveal ¬every¬ secret thought. Every good deed will be rewarded and ¬every¬ neglected kindness will be clearly seen. Beneath the gaze of the Lord, darkness will become light.” With his gentle hand Cantor touched Lily’s shoulder. “And we’ll know the truth of who among mankind was merciful and whole. And also whose half— eaten hearts were beating inside trivial existence. We’ll know who secretly blessed others. Helped the helpless. Touched the untouchables. No, more than that . . . who embraced the untouchables.” —Lily and Cantor (pp. 33–34) “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.” —Yeshua, Matthew 10:26 Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to ¬every¬one according to what he has done. —Revelation 22:12 Ask On the day you enter “the life of the world to come,” what do you think will be said about your good deeds? About your neglected kindnesses?

It’s so easy to think, No one will get hurt if I do (or ¬don’t do) that. But Scripture states clearly that all secrets will be revealed. Would knowing that someone else will eventually know your secrets change your actions in any way? Why or why not? Read Will you come tonight? Tonight? . . . We’re hoping you’ll come! To save us. We’re watching for you to come! . . . Hoping!

—Lily (pp. 4–5) You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. —Luke 12:40 Ask If someone asked you, “Do you think the Messiah is coming soon?” what would you say? Exact times have been predicted for centuries . . . and those days, months, and years have passed. The truth is simply this: Messiah will come back to earth when He is ready. Not before. Not later. Exactly on time. God’s time. That means we will never know the exact time because it is not for us to know. But we must always be ready. How can you become more ready for the Son of Man’s return to earth? What specific steps do you need to take? Read What will heaven be like? Here are a few snapshots: “All the light from unseen stars will arrive with him when he ¬comes to Yerushalayim! Blast the earth at once! Light! No north, south, east, or west anymore. Just light. Angel armies filling the sky ¬every¬where we look! Singing! Singing.” —Cantor (p. 5) Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe ¬every¬ tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. —Revelation 21:3-4 I tell you the Truth! There is coming a moment which will stand forever in the center of all eternity! The Mem of forever! Messiah will be lifted up as the Light to the nations. He will draw all men to Him. And all those who call upon His name . . . those who acknowledge that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life [see John 14:6] . . . will hear His voice cry out to them, “I AM the Truth! . . . AM . . . The Alpha and the Omega! The beginning and the end! . . . I AM the One who leads you and brings you home to eternity!” —Mosheh (p. 264) The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. . . . On no day will its gates ¬ever be shut, for there will be no night there. —Revelation 21:23, 25 Just imagine—a place of endless, dazzling light and the most beautiful songs you have ¬ever heard. A place where you will meet Messiah face-to— face and be joined with those from all over the world who believe in Him

too. A place where your talents (or lack thereof), your skin color, your past or present, your clothing size, and your financial status ¬don’t matter! A place where all boundaries stop. Where there is limitless time to spend with the One who has created you, loved you always, and now brings you home . . . for all eternity! Wonder . . . “Messiah waits at the end of life to welcome us! Don’t be afraid of darkness. There is light at the end of the dark journey!” —Rabbi Ahava (p. 44) Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. —1 Corinthians 13:12 Is your heart eager for the Messiah’s return to earth? Is your soul content in the “now,” even while you long to be fully known? Is your spirit willing and happy to serve others “in the meanwhile”? Then you are truly “seeing heavenward”!