2015) NECESSARY

Written on December 30, 2015.

Christmas Eve morn found me awakened by a light filled room, though the sun had not yet peeked from beneath it covers. The moon no longer dangled by the right or left corners of the Heavenlies, but hung boldly, full to its very brim with light.

This wasn’t the first time I had awoken to what seemed like night pushing to be day, so I knew the basking light came with a simple statement. “There is something to be harvested.” Still snuggled, I sat straighter, at the ready with the understanding that the “something” was probably in me.

The next bits were mostly uneventful, except for the urge to worship. Surrounded by song, I felt a few little thoughts knocking on my door. And I knew I needed to let them in. Upon their arrival, I noticed a distinct difference in the atmosphere. It had become quite wet. I looked upon my person, sleeping soundly next to me. Was he aware that we had a manifestation of rain in our room? Should I wake him so he could marvel with me? Touching him gently, I realized he wasn’t wet at all. Hmmm. This was not an external rain inside our room. It was, in fact, an internal rain from inside of me. A torrent of unexpected tears, making their way to the surface. I dug deeply into my comfy chamber, blanketed in expectancy. Pappa had something to say.

The thoughts that brought tears that morning were about the two of our tribe who are about to go. Away. The thoughts weren’t thing such as missing seeing their car tucked safely in the garage or the surprise visits from their barn apartment to our kitchen. They were more related to the one and only word Pappa had given me during the months Toggle and Yonah had asked us to pray about moving. The word – necessary.

I didn’t like the word too much when I first heard it. It seemed like “have to”. Until He took it from seed to bloom in an instant. The first thing Pappa said was, “absolutely needed.” The deeper still was that necessary comes in order to reveal the need. The true need.

I needed to let go of the dread that Toggle and Yonah’s marriage covenant of redeeming love and going long meant going far. It does. 🙂 With hands high and wide open before Him, I realized that though their going conflicted with my staying, it was truly birthing my own necessary. For I would now need to trust deeper and pray wider. In many ways, I’m going to.

We all have them, necessaries. Necessary means “what must happen to attain an end established by the counsel and decree of God.” That was a mouthful. Here is another bite. Necessary means “a compelling need requiring immediate action. Essential, imperative, indispensable and crucial.” If you have just a little room left, there is another morsel. “For the salvation of men. For the need of humanity.” Necessary was the word used for Christ’s journey to the cross and its impact upon the world.

That sounds grand and we often feel grungy. On those days we feel like what we do didn’t really matter at all. And we too easily allow the necessities of Heaven to become our tribulations. Instead of our triumphs. Necessary often stretches us in a direction we didn’t think we could go. All in order to make room for more. More of them. Who are so precious to Him.

Necessary implores us to move, to grow in order that someone else might too. In order, for humanity to be impacted. Even if that humanity is the one sitting next to us. Even if that humanity is an entire nation, we know not.

Necessary lifts us up, just as He said, even as we say, “not yet!!” My favorite thing about necessary is this. It doesn’t reveal a need as much as it fulfills it. For when Heaven’s necessity comes, it is in order that what has already been established can come into our now. Humanities now.

When need is fulfilled, its name changes to testimony. And testimony impacts humanity greater that anything. Necessary is really all about completion. It’s about “It is finished” and revealing to the world what has been done for them. And we get to go places we didn’t think we would go, say things we never thought we would say and do things we haven’t even dreamed of doing. We get to blaze the trail with our fire, so others are not afraid to burn for Him. It means living public when you want privacy. It means sharing when you think you have nothing to give. It means letting your own need be seen so someone else’s can be filled.

In John 4, is the story of a nobleman, wealthy yet weak. Weak with need that led him to necessary. His son lay dying as he went to Jesus and confessed that he had discovered that he was weak of faith and trust in God’s power. It was necessary for him to find Jesus to have his need completed. His reputation and social standing at risk, he went.

When the nobleman got to Jesus, He told him to go. What? He just got there! Was this necessary?! Yes, it absolutely was. For Jesus said, “Go, your son will live.” Without proof, but heavy with purpose, the man returned. How much of humanity was impacted by that. The story doesn’t really say. But I know the man was. And his servants who met him on the road to tell him that his son’s health was restored, they were. And his son most certainly was. And me. I am impacted and changed centuries later by his need turning testimony.

The past week has been full of necessaries. And the manifestation of rain entered our room many times. My person felt them too. My drops and his all mixed up together in one perfect storm. A testimony storm. When floods come, we flood back – reigning because of HIS goodness, HIS greatness and HIS grace. For Him and for humanity. They will know. It is necessary that they do!

JOURNAL JUBILEE:

Most often the word necessary come in the form of “Was that necessary?!” The truth is, it was. Ask Pappa to reveal to you something that you make have tallied as tribulation that he wants you to know the necessary in. Let him reveal to you the impact it had – is still having!