Bringing Them Home

Prayer – Lord, I continue to pray for individuals in Israel—that they would know You as their Savior, their Messiah. You have brought so many back to the Promised Land. Please bring peace within their hearts…if not within their nation as they are terrorized with recent bombings. Protect Your dear little children, Lord, from fear. Focus their hearts and minds on You. Don’t turn Your face from them…or from us…at this time. Is the end near?

"So now, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will end the captivity of my people; I will have mercy on all Israel, for I jealously guard my holy reputation! They will accept responsibility for their past shame and unfaithfulness after they come home to live in peace in their own land, with no one to bother them. When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, I will display my holiness among them for all the nations to see. Then my people will know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind. And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!" Ezekiel 39:25-29

 

Meditate. Consider God’s promises in scripture—and the fulfillment of His promises…and prophecies.  

The Holy Spirit
He descended as a dove on Jesus.
He was poured out on the children of Israel.
Blessings~

And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!  Pour out His Spirit. Imagine an enormous pitcher of water held over the Jews in Babylonia…and the water, representing the Holy Spirit, is cascading down on them. That is just the image that popped into my brain. I think it is more important to recognize that this is a promise from God to His chosen people than to imagine the visual image. God promised and He keeps His promises. He said He won’t turn His face from them but He will pour out His Spirit on them. All of them that returned to the Promised Land…not just the prophets, priests and kings. Everyone. That makes them very special people. Earlier they had sinned against God and He turned His face away from them. Here, by His grace, He promises to actually bless them in bringing them home…and filling them with the Holy Spirit. Now, as history goes on, many Jews have returned to the Promised Land. God has brought them Home.

 

Verses of Salvation ~ "I will unify them into one nation on the mountains of Israel. One king will rule them all; no longer will they be divided into two nations or into two kingdoms. They will never again pollute themselves with their idols and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful backsliding. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David will be their king, and they will have only one shepherd. They will obey my regulations and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren after them will live there forever, generation after generation. And my servant David will be their prince forever. And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers, and I will put my Temple among them forever. I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And when my Temple is among them forever, the nations will know that I am the LORD, who makes Israel holy." Ezekiel 37:22-28 (Underlined for Emphasis.) (God saves.)

 

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

When your world is upside down—have some upside-down cake.  

Since Mother’s Day is coming up, I think of my Mom and her favorite dessert which she would frequently have us kids fix for dessert after dinner on the weekends. Just the smell of it brings back fond memories. 

 

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

¼ cup butter or margarine (use coconut oil for non-dairy)

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

9 slices pineapple in juice (from 14-oz can), drained

9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired

1 1/3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening or oil

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup milk (use lactose free or almond milk)

1 egg  

 

Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven, or microwave if it is a glass pan. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.

 

In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scrape the bowl. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

 

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm, with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Store cake loosely covered, if there are any leftovers.

 

© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

 

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