Author: Hannah Kramer

Crossroads

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“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27)

I spent the weekend with some friends hiking and camping. It was a fun time, as well as sweet time of fellowship. After worship in the evening, some opened up about what they were going through in life, and a common theme that emerged was that many were at a crossroad. There were many decisions that needed to be made, some more important, some less important. Some of those decisions would affect their lives for the next several months, others for the next few years.

It was interesting how in a way we all reach a crossroad and, while we may know the general direction in which we want to go to, it’s the actual roads that need to be taken to get there, which are hard to choose. Sometimes, even the general direction is unknown.

I’m finishing my studies for a Master’s degree soon and am hoping to hand in my thesis in the next couple of weeks. It’s an exciting time, yet in a way both peaceful and frightening . I am glad to be finished with it, yet the road ahead seems a bit unclear. I am glad to have the extra time to do other things I need to get done or want to do. People keep asking me what my plans are for next year and what I want to do with my degree. Honestly, I don’t know. One friend described a decision she had to make for something she wanted to do during the summer. It would affect where she would live and work and it was hard for her to reach a decision. She half-jokingly said how easy it would be if God just sent her a note telling her what to do. I guess we all wish that in a way. It would be much easier to choose a job, studies, know who your spouse would be, where to go and what to do at every crossroad. Yet, God wants US to choose. Yes, He knows beforehand what and how we will choose, but He wants us to trust Him in the roads we take. After all, He didn’t create robots.

One verse that I remember learning as a child and which appears at the top of this post, was “let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid”. We all have concerns about the future, worries that we might take the wrong turn in the road, perhaps even fears. But God wants us to trust Him, not to be worried or afraid. I know this is easier said than done, but this is where faith comes in. My dad has a saying which exemplifies this perfectly: For All I Trust Him.

Whatever the crossroad you face right now, whether it is work, studies, having a spouse, traveling, or ________ (you fill the gap), know that God is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will show you which road to take. It may be before you reach the crossroad, or when you stand right at it.

Are you at a crossroad? If you were, what helped you decide what to do?

© Hannah Kramer

To give them beauty for ashes

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“Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city!” (Isaiah 52:1)

We sat and watched the ceremony. We watched the lighting of the beacons in remembrance of those who had fallen in the defence of Israel. We watched as the cameras focused on members of the bereaved families and heard their stories. We listened to women who lost their husbands, men who lost their sons, children who lost their fathers and families who lost mothers, sisters and daughters. The tears began to fall – a flow of tears for all those whose lives ended as a result of war and terrorism.

Last night at sundown began Yom HaZikaron, our National Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror in Israel. It started with a minute-long siren in the evening, when we stood in silence in honour of the fallen. It continued with another two-minute siren this morning. Cars stopped in the middle of the highways and on local streets and driver and passenger alike stood outside the vehicles until the siren ended. Schools and public places around the country had special ceremonies to make this special day. And through the evening, night and day, there were the of the 23,544 soldiers, men and women, who gave their lives for our freedom, so Israel could live in the land of its fathers, the land given to it by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob over 3000 years ago.

At sundown today, the country will go through what sometimes appears to be impossible transition, from sadness to joy, from mourning to celebration. The evening of of the end of Yom HaZikaron marks the beginning of Israel’s Independence Day, this year – it’s 69th.

Three score and nine years ago, this nation arose from the ashes of the Holocaust, its people coming from all corners of the earth, bringing with them a dream and a hope to forge a future that would help to overcome the past, a past filled with hatred against Jews, simply because they were Jews. Since its founding, Israel has been and remains under attack, engaged in a fight for her life. The attacks take many forms, but they have a common purpose – to remove Jews from this land and, sometimes, from every other land as well. Today, we remember those who struggled here, so that the living may endure and hold on to the land of promise.

As we mark the beginning of the 70th year of the Nation of Israel in her own land, we continue to pray for protection by God, who watches over the nation as the pupil of His eye. May we pray that He would watch over, protect and strengthen the soldiers who put their lives on the line daily for her, and for the day when Israel will replace her spirit of mourning for garments of praise (Isaiah 61:3).

A Shepherd Who Came as a Lamb

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“…For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” 1 Corinthians 5:7

In a little over a week’s time, we celebrate the Passover. I have been studying a bit about the levitical sacrifices recently, especially how they foreshadow the Lord Yeshua and their application to our lives. It’s amazing to learn about the sacrifices and see how the Lord Yeshua was our Passover lamb.

Yet, the Lord Yeshua was also our shepherd. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). As I studied some of the sacrifices and talked about them with my mom, it was amazing to see how during meetings at our congregation, when people chose songs and shared passages, suddenly they all seemed related to the various sacrifices, how the Lord Yeshua was the perfect sacrifice for us and how our lives need to be a sweet-savor offering to Him.

I’d like to encourage you to study about the levitical sacrifices. They truly are fascinating.

Perhaps you’ve seen the movie, but one of my favourite songs from the “Prince of Egypt” is “Deliver Us”. In the end, they ask for a shepherd to shepherd them. Our people still seek a shepherd today. What they don’t realise is, He has already come, over two thousand years ago, as God’s lamb, Who took upon Himself the sins of the world, that we could be freed from the power and penalty of sin.

 

She Isn’t What She Once Was

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“By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace” (Hebrew 11:31)

How often have we heard not to judge a book by its cover? That’s because we don’t know what we will see once we look inside. The hardness of the cover could easily conceal the softness of the story. This is abundantly true in the case of a book I just finished reading about Rahab, the Harlot. It was rather short and, although I finished it in two days, I keep thinking about her character. The story itself contained much speculation about her background, about what led her to hide the spies and how she met Salmone, her future husband. However, some of the ideas expressed in the book got me thinking about the things that are not mentioned in the Biblical account of Rahab.

How did the spies get to her house? How did she know they where spies? How did she hear all the stories of the Exodus and of what happened to them in the desert? What were her expectations for herself after the walls came down?

There are many questions I’d like to ask her. Yet, one thing is clear – she had faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. She knew God will give Jericho into the hands of Israel. God undoubtedly chose Rahab to welcome the spies and to encourage them. This is evident from her statement: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2: 8-11). But, He also chose her to bless her. Outwardly, she was a harlot according to profession in the flesh, perhaps rejected by society, captive in this way of life and longing to escape it. Inwardly, according to her profession of faith, she was a new creature, her heart being renewed and belonging to “God in heaven above and on earth beneath”, who, because of her faith, grafted her into His family. This sort of faith came about as she heard of the miracles and wonders God had performed (Rom. 10:17) and here was her chance to start afresh under the wings of the God of Israel. Many hear the truths of the Bible even today, yet few choose to believe. Rehab chose to believe. She knew that the battle was the Lord’s and that He God had already won the battle.

Rahab possessed a strong faith that many of her contemporaries, and ours, lack. Yet, she is still referred to as a harlot. I always thought it was some sort of an insult to her to mention her former profession. However, today, as I think of it, it is a testimony to God’s work of grace in her life. God showed His love for her by saving her life when Jericho fell and then went further by making her part of His people. God saw her heart beating with faith, admiration and love for Him and He rewarded her by making her a part of the lineage of the Messiah, the Lord Yeshua.

We are blessed because of Rahab’s faith. How many others will be blessed because of ours?

A Day to Remember

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Today is Christmas Eve, a day celebrated around the world with lights, music and family gatherings. In today’s world, people give their own definition of what Christmas is all about and celebrate it, or not, in their own way. “It’s about giving”, some say. “It’s about family and love”, others claim. Many celebrate this day believing it is the day the Lord Yeshua was born. 

As the world continuously changes, the right to celebrate this holiday, or display any “faith-related” behaviour or items, are considered offensive to many. There is an ongoing battle to retain and to reclaim these rights around the world. But, in the process, I fear we are losing sight of what is more important. The Word of God says “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18). If we come upon opposition to our faith, it is because the world hates the Lord in Whom we put out trust – not us. The world is becoming more and more evil, yet we are surprised that hearts continue to be hardened and oppose anything related to our Lord Yeshua – even a particular day when many simply want to celebrate His birth.

What do we do in light of this? And what is important here? I don’t believe that it really matters whether the Lord Yeshua was born on this day or in a different month all together. The important thing is that He was born. He did not remain a child, but grew up and demonstrated how great His love was for us, as He willingly suffered and died for you and me. Our truly victory, in Him, is that He rose from the dead, conquering both sin and death! When people oppose us and don’t want us to express our faith, in any shape or form, let us show them the love of the Lord Yeshua, a love that sent Him to the cross for them – and kept Him there until He completed what He came to do. The exact date to celebrate the Lord’s birth doesn’t matter, and whether you celebrate at all on a certain day doesn’t matter. What matters is that we share the truth of what the Lord Yeshua did for us. Don’t leave Yeshua as a babe in a manger, or in the cradle, or on the cross. We worship a risen Saviour, who will return one day. That is the message we need to share and that is the hope we have today and every day. That, my friends, will indeed be a day to remember, a day we will never forget.

Even Though the Ground Burns

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“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you” (Isaiah 43:2)

The past few days here in Israel have been quite tense. We have had more fires than we can count and more than we can remember ever occurring simultaneously. Undoubtedly, many, if not most, of them have been started by arson. 

Many people from our congregation had to be evacuated from their homes and had to leave everything within seconds. They left their possessions and everything they own, not knowing if they will have a home to return to when the fires cease.

Over 70,000 people from my city left their homes, some of which have burned to the ground with many others being severely damaged. Firefighters and police continue to do all they can to save people as well as property, as planes with water are filling up and emptying on the fires all day long. The news keeps going on all day with reports on the situation. 

Looking at the pictures, hearing the stories, many can’t help but wonder what the people would take with them if they had only seconds to to decide before having to flee. Kind of like the question “what would you take to an isolated island?”. Only in this case, it’s real and people have to choose. 

The amount of help people are receiving and giving is enormous and, as many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, one truly has to acknowledge that we have much for which to be thankful, especially in these days: thankful for having another day; thankful for having our families, thankful for all we have, and most importantly – thankful for God’s grace and mercies, for protecting us in EVERY situation; thankful that though the enemy means for evil – God means for good and is with us even though the ground burns.

There is a popular song in Israel that says: “I have no other country, even if my country burns…this is my home”. We live on this earth, but we look for the city, whose architect and builder is God. 

God is able to silence the storms and the waves of the sea. How much more can He easily extinguish the flames which were intended to destroy His land. God is our defence, we shall not be moved! 

Please pray for Israel as we face attacks which seek to destroy our beautiful land. Pray for wisdom for the government in this situation, pray for the firefighters who have been labouring day and night to extinguish fires all throughout the land and for the police who try to maintain order in the midst of a sense of chaos and disillusionment. Pray for those who lost their homes and all they have. Pray for rain, to water the earth and that our nation will turn to God in this time of need.

© Hannah Kramer

Make me a servant

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“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10)

I have been thinking of this verse for a quite a while now and it has come up in a number of places recently, so I knew I had to share my thoughts about it.

I often think how easy it is to try and be a people-pleaser. Do you ever find yourself trying to do that? I know I do sometimes, only to be reminded of the above verse.

I just returned from a youth conference which lasted for 3 and a half days. It was a blessed time and truly a fun and sweet time of fellowship. The staff was the largest I can remember for a youth conference, so there were many hands helping out. A true blessing! One of the devotions shared at a late night counsellors meeting dealt with what it means to be a servant. The points that were brought out struck a chord with me and I’d like to share what I realised as the conference ended.

As we sat with the youth in the morning, one of the questions we asked had to do with Yeshua being their Lord. We sing about Him being Lord, we call Him Lord, we pray in the name of the Lord Yeshua. But is He really their Lord? The Lord Yeshua said “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21). This is something that is critically important to ask ourselves. If He is our Lord, do we really give Him all? Do we really seek to please Him? Do we really honour Him in all our ways? Those are things we need to examine in our hearts daily, especially if we say Yeshua is our Lord.

The idea of a bond-servant has always interested me. In Bible times, it was a person who became a slave, willingly or not, but chose to stay with His master because of love, despite having the option to be free and leave.  The topic is very broad and I cannot fully explore it here. But what got to me was the idea that if I call Yeshua my Lord, that means that I am His servant. Psalm 123:2 says “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He is gracious to us”. That means that I with all of my desire to serve the Lord, if I try to please people, I am not looking at my Master’s hand. His hand is the one that guides me, leads me and urges me to move or stay where I am. Yet, what happens when I seek to please myself, not necessarily others? Yesterday, as the youth began to board the buses to leave, some of the counsellors were waiting to see if there was room for us or if we would need to take a train or a public bus. My brother called me to hurry and get on, so I figured there was room. I said I was going to put my stuff on the bus and get on. Others asked if there was room for everyone. I wasn’t sure and said I’ll check and they said they can take public transportation. All of a sudden, I realised my selfishness in hurrying. I really did want to see if there was room for everyone, yet did not wait for the response. Instead, I cared about getting my stuff on the bus. Eventually, there was room for everybody, but I felt ashamed of myself for not trusting the Lord in arranging the ride home. It may sound like a very silly or trivial matter, but I feel that even in the trivial matters, we should seek to please God. Trying to please others includes trying to please Me as well. 

I truly want to serve God and seek Him. Yet I find that that is something that needs to be worked on daily. It requires a desire to actively pursue my relationship with God.

Paul said in 1st Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” , meaning we should follow his example just as he follows Yeshua. Yeshua was a servant to all, put everyone before Himself and led by example. In Luke 9:58 Yeshua said: “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  And, John 19:30 says, “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit”. The Greek words for “laying his head” and “bowing his head”, have the same root. In other words, the Lord Yeshua rested only when He completed what His Master, God the Father, sent Him to do. Obviously, we also need times of rest. Yeshua even planned resting times for His desciples. But, I believe that the idea to follow here is in how Yeshua acted as a servant, seeking to please His Father, looking to His Father’s hand until He finished what He came to do. If He had tried to please Himself and act for His own comfort, all hope for us of eternal life and redemption would have been lost. Praise the Lord He didn’t!

I’d love to hear about how you are running the race! May we seek to please God as the Lord Yeshua always did and continue to run the race faithfully. 

One Step at a Time, part 2

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6)

This week I will finish my last semester of the school year, concluding two years of studies for my Master’s degree and officially finishing all of my classes. YAY!

Praise the Lord! It has been a very busy two years, with lots of classes covering a broad range of subjects, activities, papers and presentations. I have one more paper to hand in and after that, I need to work on completing my thesis. When will I finish it? I’m not entirely sure. And I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing, work-wise, after I’m done. I feel a little like I did when I started my studies, not knowing what the next step is. You can read about that here  – One Step at a Time.

Sometimes, I wish I knew what the next step would be, where to go and what to do, waaaay in advance. But, I realise that God sometimes shines a light for me just enough for the next step, not for the whole road ahead. This, in a way, is rather calming and, at the same time, exciting. I need to trust Him for the next step, let Him plan the road, help me climb the mountain and run the race with His help. So often, I want to plan and do and, and, and…but then I’m reminded of Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD”. This is a really encouraging verse, knowing that God has the perfect plan and thoughts for me. Being at a crossroad is not easy, but when you have the maker of the road at your side, He helps to point out which way to take. 

In the first part of “One Step at a Time” I shared a song , which is called by the same name.

My brothers and I practically know all the lyrics of this song, and, over the years, it has had an impact on us. I hope you enjoy it and may it encourage you as you climb your mountain, one step at a time.

One step at a time

When something seems
Too hard to handle,
Too big to conquer,
Too far away to touch.

When all your dreams
Begin to shatter,
And deep inside you
You’re hurting’, oh, so much.

That’s when it’s time to say

Refrain:

I’m climbing my mountain, step by step,
I’m climbing my mountain, day by day,
I’m climbing my mountain, all the way,
I’m climbing my mountain.
I’m gonna make it!

Chorus:

One step at a time.
One step at a time.
One step at a time.
With Jesus by my side.

One step at a time.
One step at a time.
I’m climbing my mountain,
One step at a time.

Even though you might grow weary,
Don’t be discouraged.
In your weakness God is strong.
Remember this, He’ll never leave you,
He won’t forsake you,
He’s your strength and He’s your song.

So sing and start to say…

A Stone’s Eye View – A Poem

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“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:40

A little stone, aside near the rubble, lay there in silence, all covered with stubble;

bearing witness to much, in the city’s great days, when the stone was much bigger, more worthy of praise.

“What wonderful buildings” the stone heard some say, “yet these will be broken, none spared on that day”;

thus answered the King as He gazed and He looked, at the grandeur of stones, so carefully put.

The stone was a witness, as the King came its way, royal and lovely, as the crowd cried “hurray”;

“glory in the highest” and “blessed is the King”, the people proclaim as they joyfully sing.

Yet some tried to silence the voices that rose, angry and jealous of the praise that it shows;

so the King made it clear, for all men to hear, that the stones would cry out, though others would sneer.

And the King wept and cried at the city’s wrongdoing; He longed to draw near, the sons who were booing.

So before long, great darkness befell, and the stones heard a cry, while the earth seemed to yell;

the King was crowned, then nailed to a cross, and hope for salvation appeared to be lost.

Yet stones in a garden saw a miracle unfold, the King rose again, beating death as foretold.

And oh, how they’d shout, if only they could, to tell of the story so wonderful and good.

Years went by, and the grand buildings tumbled, the magnificent stone, was now shattered and humbled.

A fire consumed both Temple and city, the city of Gold, was now left without pity. 

Though some stones had fallen, were burnt and in pieces, they were renewed and their splendour increases.

But the small stone remains, still unseen and unheard, with stories to share, for our hearts to be stirred.

If stones could talk and their stories convey, I wonder if we would hear what they say!

© Hannah Kramer

When answers the heart

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“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” Ezra 7:10

This has got to be one of the busiest months I’ve had in a long time. In addition to my studies and soap business, I’ve been preparing for a community fair where I will have a display table for my soaps. In addition, I have at least one conference every week, sometimes even two. Yes, I do mean EVERY WEEK this month. And it’s only mid May 🙂

Last weekend, I attended a young people’s conference, where we briefly talked about Nehemiah. I say “briefly“ because this book is so so rich and full of things to learn and talk about, that one day of sermons was not enough. I feel we barely scratched the surface of the treasures this book has to offer. The speakers talked about how we can all be Ezras and Nehemiahs, in that we can all be people who can lead in the places where God put us – among believers or among those in the the secular world. Then they asked what we had on our hearts that we would want to see happening in our land.

I don’t believe we are all called to be an “Ezra” or a “Nehemiah” in the sense that every person will hold a public, on-the-front-line position. But, I do maintain that each and every believer has a unique role in building the body of Messiah, so that it would a praise to the Lord. Both “Ezra” and “Nehemiah” had a heart for their work. But first and foremost, before their work, they had a solid faith in God and belief in what God wanted them to do.

Back to the conference – Thinking about the question that was posed, my initial thought was to see the nation circumcise their hearts (spiritual circumcision), in accordance with various passages in Scripture (for example Deut. 30:6, Jer. 4:4). Then I thought about what Ezra and Nehemiah actually did. One of my favourite verses is the one at the top of this post, about Ezra preparing his heart for the Lord. He prepared his heart to seek the Lord. How amazing is that? Thinking about it, I realised one must have his heart circumcised (the preparation) prior to seeking the Lord. This allows for seeking the Lord with all our hearts, which would allow Him to be found by us (Jer. 29:13-14). After all, the matter of the heart is heart of the matter.

There are many gifts in the Body, all meant to build, encourage and strengthen the Body. Some exercise their gifts “upfront”, while others do so behind the scenes. The calling to get the work started is something the Lord lays on people’s hearts. Just as He laid it upon the heart of king Cyrus to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, so today God awakens His people. In that sense, we are all called to be an Ezra or Nehemiah and answer God’s call. But, not everyone follows through and completes the work assigned, even after a good start.

Yet, just as Ezra was awakened by God, he also prepared his heart to know the Lord intimately. That is something I wish for myself and I know many others do as well – to prepare to seek the Lord, to do it, to rise to His calling and encourage others to be obedient to Him. And this causes me to wonder: when our hearts are stirred by the Lord, how will we respond?

© Hannah Kramer