Advent: Day 6

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God.
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication.
I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;
I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry.

In October, Rob found himself in a bit of a quandary; he had upcoming events for which dress clothes would be required. First, there was the wedding of the daughter of a prominent person in the Wayeyi community, for which he needed a suit. Secondly, there was the Gaborone Music Society performance of Handel's Messiah, for which he needed black dress pants. He hadn't brought one with him but, even if he had, it wouldn't have fit him anymore with the way he's shrunk over the past year. All attempts to purchase one ready made fell flat because of his locally unusual height. That left us with the prospect of a custom-made suit. After a successful search for a good black fabric, we took it to a local designer. For 550 pula, she could make him a suit that would well meet his needs. We put in the order and waited. There was bit of worry about 10 days before the wedding when we called her to check on the suit only to discover that her tailor had left the country and she “thought that he'd be back by Friday.” That didn't sound promising. When I was mentioning this to my friend Johanna, she said that I must keep up hope. I said that it was hard to keep hope, especially when there's a good chance that you won't ever see the thing that you're hoping for. The disappointment is just too much if hope doesn't come to fruition. It seems easier sometimes just to save yourself the high of the hoping so that you don't feel the low of the disappointment quite so keenly. Her response was that the disappointment only comes from seeing a result other than the one you hoped for through the eyes of the word, not through God's eyes. If we could just see the potential for God to bring the highest good out of every potential outcome, then we could enjoy the highs of hope without having to worry about the chance of the lows. So, we made a deal–she would continue to hope for what she was hoping for if I would keep hoping for Rob's elusive suit. Within 24 hours, I got a call from the designer saying that Rob could come in that afternoon to try on his new suit.

What have you been holding back on hope for, just in case God's deliverance doesn't come?

Advent: Day 5

Isaiah 33:15 The one who lives uprightly
and speaks honestly;
the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures
and rejects a bribe;
the one who does not plot violent crimes
and does not seek to harm others

33:16 This is the person who will live in a secure place;
he will find safety in the rocky, mountain strongholds;
he will have food
and a constant supply of water.

The Gorge is a national historical site. Certain groups of Batswana lived there long ago because of the security of the location–it's a long and treacherous hike up to it and an even longer fall to the bottom. Hard to fight a battle on the side of a hill. I missed most of the guide's exposition on the site since I was exhausted and didn't want to get dizzy fending my way across the rocky gorge-side. One thing I did catch was that they used to throw people into the Gorge who were convicted of harming others in the community, their way of purging them from the culture.

When have you been aware that upholding God's values has resulted in blessing or protection in your life?

Advent: Day 4

Isaiah 42:5 This is what the true God, the Lord, says –
the one who created the sky and stretched it out,
the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it,
the one who gives breath to the people on it,
and life to those who live on it:
42:6 “I, the Lord, officially commission you;
I take hold of your hand.
I protect you and make you a covenant mediator for people,
and a light to the nations,
42:7 to open blind eyes,
to release prisoners from dungeons,
those who live in darkness from prisons.”

54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time,
when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood would never again cover the earth.
In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.
54:10 Even if the mountains are removed
and the hills displaced,
my devotion will not be removed from you,
nor will my covenant of friendship be displaced,”
says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

During the rainy season, we see some pretty spectacular skies here. This is a photo that I took from the passenger window while we were driving back from Tim Beckendorf's place in Shakawe to the chalet where we were staying in Sepopa last Christmas. The rainbow has to be God's coolest mnemonic ever.

What other people, occasions or things are around you that remind you of times when God showed compassion because of covenant with you?

Advent: Day 3

Isaiah 35:1 Let the desert and dry region be happy;
let the wilderness rejoice and bloom like a lily!

The first picture is of flowers against a thatch wall. The second is of water lilies. The water lily root is an important food for the Wayeyi. They grind the root and mix it with meat. I love to take pictures of flowers. There are so many and they are so endlessly beautiful. Why so many different types? It's hardly necessary. They just sit there, looking pretty. Yeah, I know about bees and pollination. Still, they could easily have been designed more simply.

When has God given you a gift that was so extravagant that you knew that it had to be God just being extremely God?

Advent: Day 2

Isaiah 41:18 I will make streams flow down the slopes
and produce springs in the middle of the valleys.
I will turn the desert into a pool of water
and the arid land into springs.

The Okavango Delta has this happen every year, like clockwork. Right there, in the northwestern corner of Botswana, an annual picture of divine provision. An entire ecosystem is dependent on it.

What is the desert area in your life that God has flooded over and over again, as you have needed it?