Bride's Song

  On September 5, 2021, during Sunday worship I had this impression that Jesus was walking down the aisle by me with a lion at his side.   I began working on this painting.   I never know quite what will happen when I paint.   I thought the lion I was to paint would be majestic and wise looking but the lion instead was youthful, with eyes of anticipation.    I knew the painting wasn’t finished so I kept seeking Holy Spirit for what belonged in the fore ground.   The following week in Sunday worship I had the impression that Jesus was handing me a container of oil.   As I pondered many ways to depict oil in this painting an ancient oil lamp settled into my spirit.   This painting was emerging during the Jewish feasts of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.    I sent this painting out to my tribe, Incense Rising to see if they had any insight as to the meaning of this painting.  I certainly had my thoughts but I knew the richness of God...

Heavens/Heaven Shamayim / Shameh   H-8064   Strong’s# The root of this Hebrew word comes from the root meaning, “to be lofty.”   As a noun it means, “heavens, heaven, sky, aloft and air.” The ancient root means, “breath” and “a place of the wind.”   Heaven often appears as plural in the Old Testament because the Hebrews understood the great expanse and vastness of heaven.   The plural form emphasized this point.   Heaven also referred to God’s dwelling place.   LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.   1 Kings 8:23 Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all it is this day.    Deuteronomy 10:14 Worship opens the door to heaven.   Worship creates an atmosphere where earth and heaven meet.   Perhaps we can compare it to Jacob’s ladder...

Incense Qatar (Strong's # H-6999)    Qatar as a verb means, “to smoke, to turn into a fragrance by fire, to kindle and to burn.” The noun form qetorith means, “incense or perfume.” You shall make an altar to burn incense on;    Exodus 30:1 Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.   And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.   Exodus 30:7-8 These were the instructions given to Moses regarding the altar of incense.   The incense offered twice a day to the LORD on the altar of incense symbolized the prayers offered to God;   the intercession of the priest in the morning and evening for the people of Israel.   The altar of incense was in the Holy Place just in front of the curtain that concealed the Holy of Holies.   As the priest physically offered incense to burn upon...

In the Old Testament, in most translations you will notice that the word Lord will appear in all capitals, LORD or with the first letter capitalized and the following letters in lower case, Lord .    The translators have done this to delineate between the two Hebrew words translated as, Lord.   The later is a general title and the other is the personal name of God revealed by God Himself to man.     Yahveh/Yehovah   Strong's #  H- 3068        The Hebrew word for LORD first appears in Genesis, Chapter 2 just before the creation of man.   Prior to that time the name Elohim was used.    In Genesis, Chapter 2 the writer uses the name LORD God or Yahveh Elohim .   Some Christian writers will attribute this change in name to the creation account being pieced together from many sources.   The more traditional Christian and Jewish view is that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible or Torah and there is...

Elohim (Strong's # H-430) is the first name of God that appears in scripture in Genesis 1:1.   In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Elohim is translated as God.    The name Elohim comes from the root, elah or el meaning, “strong or mighty.”   Elohim is associated with the idea of a “strong creator.”    The ancient meaning of El is “one who holds authority over others.”     The ending added to the word elah or el makes this word plural yet it is used with singular verbs and adjectives.    Elohim is plural but used as singular thousands of times in the Old Testament.   When elohim is used in the plural sense it is usually in reference to pagan gods and not referring to the God of Israel.  From a Christian perspective we can see the trinity expressed in this name (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) but the corporate Godhead was also part of the Hebrew understanding from the Tanakh (Old Testament Scr...

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 ESV  I have a precious tribe of believers who share the same heart.  We are an Intercessory Worship Team called, Incense Rising.  Our little group plants the songs and decrees that the LORD gives us in places where we are led to deposit them.  We do lead worship for groups of people but our main purpose has been to voice God's hopes and dreams into the region and state we live, New York State.  We have been writing songs together as a team for over a year.  Even those of our team who have never written songs are writing lyrics that become songs.  It is a unique blending of the gifts God has deposited and developed in each one of us. "Above All Names" is a wonderful ...

 Holy Spirit is preparing the bride through worship, a worship that is deeply rooted in our hearts.  The Spirit is blowing on the smoldering coals within us and producing flames of desire to be with our Eternal Bridegroom.  It is not just knowledge of Him as Savior and what He has done for us, but a deep desire to be with Him.  This worship of the heart speaks His name as we open our eyes from sleep and is our last thought as we drift off to sleep at night.  It is a desire that causes us to search for Him in our everyday experiences.  It prompts us to look for Him in every circumstance.  It is worship that sings throughout our days, in the best and the worst of times.  This depth of worship will bring about the return of the Bridegroom.  Only God the Father knows the hour of His Son’s return and He is waiting for a bride who will be ready for His Son.  A bride who loves Him, desires Him and desires for Him to be her husband.  His br...

  Len Douglas, worship leader, musician and songwriter gave me this song to record in 2019.   Len, his wife Gail, our friend Marcia and I are an Intercessory Worship Team, Incense Rising.  We meet to worship, pray and plant God’s desires for our region through decreeing His Word and prophetic song.   Last year Len had been meditating on John 20 and Mary Magdalene’s encounter at the empty tomb on the day of resurrection.  This song is filled with a depth of emotion; of loss, then surprise and unspeakable joy.  “We seek the one we love so such, we brought the spices for a final touch. It’s an act of worship, in our own way but His love was greater and He couldn’t stay.”   Later in the song the lyric changes to, “He brought the spices for a final touch.” That resurrection morning the women came with their precious spices for Jesus.  It was their act of love that compelled them to go with their spices to the tomb that morning.  At that...

  The LORD of Hosts , Yahveh Tsebaot (Strong’s # H-6635) is the plural of tsaba which means, “an army, a company organized for war, soldiers, a mass of persons.”   It originates from the root, “to fight, to mass, to war.”  The ancient meaning is, “mustering of an army as a wall or protection.” This title is used when God sent His heavenly forces to aid His people.  This is the God of victory, who commands the angels, the hosts of heaven.  Awake to help me, and behold!   You therefore, O LORD God of hosts , the God of Israel, awake to punish, all the nations; do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors.  Psalm 59:5 The LORD of hosts leads the host of heaven in battle against the enemy of our souls.   The LORD of hosts will return with His armies as Captain of the hosts and defeat satan forever.  Worship is warfare.   When we worship our God with all our being we are agreeing with the LORD of hosts and His forces in heaven are m...

  My heart is on fire, boiling over with passion.  Bubbling up within me are these beautiful lyrics as a lovely poem to be sung for the King!  Like a River bursting its banks, I’m overflowing with words, spilling out into this sacred story.   Psalm 45:1 The Passion Translation I discovered the incredible passion of this psalm over 25 years ago walking in the misty morning on the coastline of the Olympic Peninsula.    I was on vacation with my family and got up at dawn and decided to walk the beach and talk with God.   I opened my NKJV Bible to Psalm 45 and started to read it as I walked along.   I don’t think I had ever read this Psalm before or if I did, I did not understand the depth of these words.   My heart felt like it was about to explode.   My heart became filled with words that I couldn’t seem to speak.   My silence was actually singing deep inside my soul and spirit.   When I returned to my home in New York, ...

In the Bible there are relational titles such as husband and bridegroom in reference to the LORD and Yeshua/Jesus .  The LORD refers to Himself in terms of a husband in reference to His relationship to Israel .  Yeshua alludes to Himself as the bridegroom as He preached about the coming Kingdom of God and in regards to His presence among His disciples.  We see this concept explained and elaborated on also by others writers such as Paul and John in the New Testament in reference to the Church, the bride of Messiah.   The relationship of husband and wife is the most intimate relationship there is. We see this from the very beginning of time.   And Adam said, “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  Genesis 2:22-23 This relationship between husband and wife produces new life...

  The Hebrew word for redeemer is gaal or goel.      Strong’s meaning (H-1350) is, “to be the next of kin, to buy back a relative’s property, marry a relative’s widow, deliver, ransom and purchase.” Then they remembered and sought earnestly for God, then they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer .     Psalm 78:34-35 Job makes an amazing statement in the middle of his anguish and loss.   Job declares the coming Redeemer and not only that He will deliver mankind but He will bring a physical resurrection.   Job was a righteous man that God allowed satan to inflict.   He suffered, he was humiliated, lost everything he had and eventually God brought complete restoration. “Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever!   For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and aft...