"God, Do You Think I'm Wise Enough?

Tiffany Ann Lewis, Rexford, NY

Breath of Heaven

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end." Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." Luke 1:30-35

Our worship team sang one of my favorite songs recently at church, "Breath of Heaven." This song portrays possible fears and worries that Mary might have been experiencing as she considers the reality of saying,"Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be done according to Your word" (Luke 1:38). My eyes welled up with tears as we sang verse three: (Photo via Flickr)

Breath of Heaven
Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of Your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me...

Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness
For You are holy

You see, as a pastor of a new church going through her first Christmas, I too wonder, Should a wiser one than me be doing this? I am gripped with concern as I consider the joy and sorrow of the families in front of me and tremble as I attempt to hold the hearts of God's precious children during this most tender time of the year. We all can identify with this type of worry no matter what we are called to do for the Kingdom of God. You see, we are all called, as Mary was, to bring forth Jesus to a world that is in desperate need for faith, hope, and love. Yet, I think we all wonder, God, do you think I am wise enough?

Can you identify? If so, let me introduce you to a gentleman by the name of Bezalel in the Book of Exodus. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship" (Exodus 31:2-3). (Photo via Wikipedia)

God had given Bezalel the enormous task of creating the furniture that would go in the Tabernacle so that God could dwell with His children. Now, we're not just talking any home here, we are talking the HOUSE OF GOD! Bezalel was to work with gold, silver, and precious jewels and make a masterpiece for the Master of the universe according to the pattern of His design that He created in Heaven. Easy peasy...NOT!

I love to decorate and have even been hired to decorate homes for Christmas. The specific thing I like to do is to take family memories, old treasures, and create something modern and fresh. I say all this simply because I understand the pressure of trying to make someone's home something special for them.

Scripture doesn't reveal if Bezalel had any of the doubts and fears that we all face. It doesn't reveal if he wondered if he was wise enough for the job. I can only imagine what must have been running through Bezalel's head when he got commissioned to the task. However, what Scripture does reveal is that God called him and filled him with His Spirit in order to do what he was called to do.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

This portion of Scripture tucked away in the Book of Exodus is there to speak to us even today. You see, there was a reason God used a person named Bezalel and that it is recorded in the pages of Scripture for all of us to read. Names were very important in Biblical times and often expressed character and destiny.

Bezalel (pronounced Betzal'el;Strong's #1212) means: "in the shadow of God, i.e. protection of God." We see this in a beloved passage of Scripture, Psalm 91: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.' Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler" (Psalm 91:1-4). (Photo by Lillis Boyer "Healing in His Wings" via elijahshopper.com)

To dwell in the shadow of the Almighty is to dwell in the shadow of El Shaddai, the All Sufficient God. When we dwell in His presence, we have exactly what we need for whatever situation or task we are called to. You see, when we dwell in God, we dwell in all that He is. We dwell in His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, His strength, His wisdom, His justice, His compassion, His grace. The list goes on and on.

God is searching for people who will allow Him to overshadow them and be filled with power from on high and to bring hope to the hurting. Beloved, it is God who empowers us to perform whatever He has called us to today. Whether it is to give a kind answer to the person who is yelling at you, to be a listening ear to the one who is overwhelmed, or a genuine embrace to the one who is hurting, God will equip you to do it.

Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness
For You are holy
Breath of Heaven

Don't be afraid; be the gift God has created you to be. Allow Him to use you to deliver Jesus to those in need this Christmas and beyond. Amen and Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Tiffany Ann Lewis
Dancing With the Flame of the LORD Ministries
Email: tiffanyann@tiffanyannlewis.com
Website: tiffanyannlewis.com

Tiffany Ann Lewis is an enthusiastic Bible teacher with a unique focus on Biblical Hebrew and a worshiper of God whose heart has been awakened by a God who sees us in our shortcomings and loves us in spite of them all. He calls out to us so we can live fully free from the trappings of guilt and shame, because we are accepted in the Beloved, Christ Jesus (see Ephesians 1:6). She is passionate about empowering individuals through the Word of God, knowing it will instill a deeper devotion to Him and give them hope for the journey.

Tiffany Ann and her husband Rodney have been married for twenty-five years and have one darling daughter, Ashley, a glorious granddaughter, Gloriana, and two pups that are also a part of their precious family. They live in upstate New York where Tiffany is pastor at Crossroadz Christian Church in Rexford, New York.