THE TURTLEDOVES GIVERS
It amazes me how God loves to use juxtapose. Placing two ideas or situations together to create a contrasting effect. He hides and covers His most precious things. Sometimes, you may look at a person and think that he/she is in the worst of positions in life but because this person is very prayerful, God is actually in control of the person's situation, working something beautiful. In my life, I have come to see and know that God uses humility type of situations and people. Those who choose to humble themselves before God, those who choose to be covered and hidden by God. Seeking fame is vain.
I always picture the Israelites waiting for their Messiah in those days when Jesus was born. They thought He would be great, a powerful ruler, an earthly king. But there was another type of people waiting for the Saviour, the true Messiah. People like Simeon and Anna. Simple people, both old, hidden in God, Spirit filled. They recognised that the child that Mary and Joseph were coming to present was the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
I think about how people in churches usually say, "It's the people with money that always get recognised. It's the people with wealth that get the front row seats in church". Well, that's usually true. Having been literally born and raised in church, this is the case most of the time. It's sometimes a weak point on the part of the preachers to align themselves with those who have wealth, influence and power not knowing that within the congregation, there is a meek and powerful evangelist, teacher, prophet or minister of the word of God. I knew a man who was a prophet within the congregation of a church I used to go to. This man told me of a prophesy about that church and the prophecy came to pass word for word. I was amazed. I wondered how many such people were within the congregation? All I know is that people avoided this person like the plague because he was so lowly, it literally hurt :-) He was a powerful deliverance minister and I pray and hope he is continuing in his assignment in God.
Jesus's parents were the turtledove givers. Lowly with a humble income and a humble offering. They walked through the streets of Bethlehem, Mary carrying their swaddled one and a half month old little bundle of joy, Joseph carrying the turtledoves and the pigeons. Nobody stopped to salute them, nobody asked to see the baby, no one gifted them. The people didn't know. Joseph and Mary made their way past the traders displaying their wares, the throngs of people going about their daily activities. Joseph put a protective arm around his wife because some people didn't seem to notice she was carrying a little newborn. When they reached the temple, Mary almost sighed in relief. The temple was alive with its usual activities. Pharisees, Sadducees and Levite priests here and there, young Hebrew boys rushing to class to study the Law of Moses; the boys would soon be part of the elite among the Israelites.
Mary and Joseph knew where the priest's table for handling purification after childbirth was. They started making their way towards the table. As they approached, the priest at the table cast a glance at them and their turtldoves offering and he quickly engrossed himself in the big old books before him, copying in entries of the couples who had come in that day to give their purification offerings. Suddenly, Joseph thought Mary had stumbled, he instinctively gripped her arm. It wasn't a stumble, it was old prophet Simeon who had startled her. Old Simeon was always old Simeon. As far as Mary could remember, he had always been old. Mary and Joseph smiled, Simeon was a gentle, happy soul. He greeted them quickly and asked to hold the baby. He lifted up the baby who was now waking from his sleep almost wondering why he was being lifted up in the air.
“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation...", (Luke 2:28-32) Simeon said, hearty joyful tears welling up in his eyes.
He continued speaking words of prophecies about the baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph were amazed. Simeon was known to always speak of profound things that nobody would understand sometimes, but his words at that moment led by the Spirit of God, touched the very soul of Joseph and Mary because they were the very words that God had been daily impressing on the couple since the conception of the baby.
A while later the widow prophetess Anna came rushing in with joy, as fast as her old age could allow her. She started thanking God and praising God, "Berachah! Berachah!", she said joyfully. She spoke of the redemption that Jesus would bring not just in Israel but to all mankind. The Levite at the purification registry table watched all these in amazement, "Who are these turtledoves givers that they should be given much attention? I have taken in healthy lambs for offering today. Who is the baby they are carrying? Who is Jesus? What are those two old prophets talking about?"
He didn't know that what Mary and Joseph had was of more worth than a whole bullock; they were carrying his Saviour, the Saviour of the world, the Lamb of God.
Are you a turtledoves and pigeons giver? Is your life lowly and meek? God loves to work with such. Throughout the bible we see God esteemed the gifts in the hearts of the people He used. Those who felt that they didn't have much to offer, those who felt little, insignificant, poor, rejected, abased, abandoned. God loves to use such souls. So lowly that when Gideon was called a mighty man of valour and that he would be used to save Israel from the Midianites, he refused and asked,
"O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” Judges 6:15.
The lowly shepherds that kept the flock by night were the ones who received the good news from the host of angels singing beautiful songs about the birth of Jesus. David was a lowly shepherd when he was anointed king of Israel, Joseph was a prisoner when he was appointed prime minister, Ruth was a widow a foreigner in Israel when she was recognised by Boaz, Esther was an orphan when she was crowned queen, Timothy was just but a young zealous youth when the elders laid hands on him and blessed him to do ministry, it was Jephthah that was cast out for being the son of a harlot but was later sought after, it was the little slave girl that told Naaman that there was a prophet in Israel who could lead him into healing.
God uses the empty hearts ready to be filled with His Spirit. God uses the crushed, desolate, meek, poor and the hidden. He places us in such hidden meek positions so that we can cast our crowns and let Him use us. There is no place for a pompous, boisterous, bells and whistles, prideful heart. We should not glory not in our fleshly strength but in His awesome infinite strength. There won't be a time when your soul won't pant after His living water. There won't be a time when you'll feel that you do not need God. There won't be a time when you'll forget it's all about Him.
Do you have a small gift in your hands to offer?, give it still. But God is looking at the gift in your heart that through Him, you have to offer to the world. Do not worry about your turtledoves and pigeons lowly, meek life. Humility allows God to use you.
What do you have in your hands?
•A little oil; 1 Kings 4:2
•Only a handful of flour and a little oil; 2 King's 17:12
•A rod; Exodus 4:2
•Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ...; Acts 3:6
•two little copper coins; Luke 21:2
God is waiting to hear from you in prayer and in worship, despite how you feel, He wants to use you.
"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of the birds is come, and the voice of the turtledoves is heard in our land...Arise, my love, my fair one and come away...O my dove in the cleft of the rock, in the hiding (secret) places of the stairs, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is comely." Song of Solomon 2:12-14.
