Hephzibah.

Her Tired

Weary

Wrinkled hands.

Marked with the character of her Beloved.

The creases deep in her palms.

Holding rivers of strength and power.

The loose, flexible skin gently falling on the plow.

The cold touch of the metal grasping her heart with words of Excellency.

“she considers a field and buys it;

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.” proverbs 31:16

“she dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.” proverbs 31:19

after reading these verses I wrote the above passage which seemed so real and fresh in my mind. i could actually see these woman’s hands and envision them being placed on a plow. i think it is because i long for my hands to look like the image that came to mind. i long for the creases to be deep with power and strength. i want to tend to what i have been prepared and called to do. i want to work for the Kingdom’s sake because of the love i have for the Father and the authority of the power i have living inside of me. some weeks ago i was at Shiloh, a retreat center that IHOP owns, going on an adventure and i came across a tree that had tipped over and had been uprooted. just minutes prior i had asked the Lord to remind me of a passage that i could mediate on or memorize. instantly when i saw the uprooted tree, the orange, stoic, wearisome looking roots made me think of ephesians 3:16-19. it is a prayer we often pray at IHOP and as i sat there looking at the roots i felt charged as i said with authority, “that according to the riches of His glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being…”

strengthened with power.

once you proclaim the truth, actually speaking it out that is when Holy Spirit can show up with His power.

it is knowing we have the victory… when He says He will fight for us He has… He has already won… and it is up to us declaring the victory and rebuking the enemy.

to plunge forward i know i need to plant a vineyard with the fruit of my hands.

Mike Bickle often uses the illustration of us demanding God to come and till the soil, to plant the seeds, to do all the work. He will provide the sun, the rain but we have authority, we have His strength by Holy Spirit’s power to do the work.

these next six weeks (only a month and a half left) are ones I want to be relying on His strength and grace to adorn me. i want to bear fruit!