A Knot Undone

Hi Everyone,

Finally Spring has sprung!  Isn’t God’s creation beautiful?  I love all the blossoms and the gorgeous colors!  I hope you are all well and that you find your peace in our Lord, for he is so good!

Today I am writing about a vision that I received just yesterday. 

A Knot

I saw a knotted thread on a piece of fabric.  Suddenly the knot began to move.  Something or someone was pulling on the knot from the opposite side of the fabric.  The knot became easily undone allowing the thread to slip through the fabric without any difficulty.

This is something that is entirely unexpected.  When hand sewing, a thread is knotted in such a way that the knot is meant to hold, in spite of pulling and tugging.  The fabric was tightly woven, and the knot looked like most knots that I make, so it should have held. 

Normally, if one would like to remove the stitches in a seam, one would need a seam ripper or a small sharp pair of scissors to cut the individual stitches.  A knot like the one made in the vision would have had to be removed in the same manner.  However in the vision the knot simply came undone.

As I prayed about the vision, a passage of scripture came to mind: “Woe am I a man undone!”  It comes from the book of Isaiah, Chapter 6.

“In the year of the death of Uzziah the king, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and raised throne, and the hem of his robe was filling the temple.  

Seraphs were standing above him.  Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And the one called to the other and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!  The whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.  And I said, “Woe to me! For I am undone! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I am living among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, and in his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs.  And he touched my mouth, and he said, “Look! This has touched your lips and has removed your guilt, and your sin is annulled.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?”

And I said, “I am here!  Send me!”

 And he said, “Go and say to this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears understand with their hearts and turn, and be healed.” Isaiah 6:1-10

This passage shows how Isaiah felt in the presence of God.  He saw his unworthy state before a Holy God.  The seraph took a piece of coal and put it to his lips to cleanse him from his sin, for he had recognized his speech was unclean and that he had come from a people with unclean speech.  The coal was then taken from the fire and used to purify him, so that he might converse with God.    

This passage reveals also that Isaiah was given a commission by God, to go to his people and to speak to them.  He was instructed to tell them that they were a people that had drifted far from God, because they were no longer sensitive to him.  They could listen and hear with their  natural ears, but they were not able to hear the voice of God speaking to their spirits.  They shut their spiritual ears to God, and so that they were not able to understand what he was saying to them.   In the same way, they could see with their natural eyes, but their spiritual eyesight was dim.  They could not possibly perceive what the Lord wanted to show them.

So the vision of the knot is for whom?  I believe that the vision was given to the church.  The knot in the vision shows that something has gone wrong.  The knot was made to hold fast, but it had no strength.  When it was tested, it did not hold.

This message is important for the church, for as the knot was tested, we, as the church will also be tested.  “For we will all be tested with fire.”  Mark 9:49  

However, when the knot was pulled, it became entirely unraveled, or undone.  How will the church of today fare?   Will we become unraveled, undone?  

Looking again at the scripture in Isaiah, we may find that the church, or a part of it, may not be willing to embrace the message.  For they may choose to close their ears and their eyes to what is soon coming.  We need to test ourselves—are we in the faith?  Is our faith unshakable?   

The tests or trials that are coming will test our faith in the Lord.  Will we stand firm even under difficult circumstances?  Will we hold fast to the teachings of the Lord, and not deny the faith?  Will we prepare ourselves for persecution, or will we give way under pressure and become utterly undone?

Persecution is not a pleasant thought.  No one wishes for such.  And everyone wants to be accepted, to be loved and respected.  But the Lord has told us in his Word, that we should expect persecution:  “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you;  if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.  But all these things will they do to you for my name’s sake, because they have not known him, who sent me.”  John 15:18

Paul spoke of persecution as well:  

“You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.  Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.   But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”   2 Timothy 3:10-15

For us persecution may be just around the corner, and for some Christians, it has already become part of life.  Let us remember to keep the persecuted church in our prayers: those in China, and elsewhere, where persecution is a constant threat.

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”   1 Peter 1:6-7

And—not only will our faith be tested, but also what we have done for the Lord will also be tested.  “For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  For his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.” 1 Corinthians 3:13

By this passage, we know that everything that we do for the Lord will be tested with fire.

When writing about these visions, I try to be careful not to misinterpret the vision nor mislead anyone.  I ask myself, “Am I conveying the Lord’s intentions and message clearly, without putting my spin on it?  Does my writing build faith in the Lord and his word?  Does it encourage the believer?  Does my writing stay true to God’s purpose?”  I ask the Lord, are you pleased with my writing? Or have I written what you would have me write?”

I am certainly hopeful that what I do will withstand the test of fire, and will prove to be true and of benefit to the body of Christ.  

Going back to the first scripture, (Isaiah 6:1-9), the Lord told Isaiah that he was sending him to  people who were not inclined to listen or understand the Lord’s message to them.  It almost seems like a set up, but very often out of love for his people, (and all people), God sends his prophets into a viper’s nest.  It was usually the “religious,” types that gave the Lord and the prophets a hard time. Unfortunately it is natural for some people to be hypocrites, and oblivious to their own standing with the Lord:   “He (Jesus) replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.   They worship me in vain; they teach as doctrines the precepts of men.”   Mark 7:6-8

Yet, if we fear God, we will weigh our actions and our words carefully.

Today we are entering into a similar time.  We see that our nation is very divided politically.  And the church is in a peculiar place as well.  Many people are staying home and away from gathering together because of fear and anxiety over the virus.  If a virus can keep us away from church, and the state can restrict attendance, what will all-out persecution do?    

We can see that trying to share ideas in our nation today is very much the same.  Conversation about certain topics is met with much resistance.  People are not willing to listen to anything that they do not already embrace.  There is no tolerance for change or to have a free and open discussion or debate.  People are more apt to fight and defend their point of view than to allow anyone the freedom to share their views.  Many will go to great lengths to stop the spread of a narrative that they oppose.  Our nation is experiencing “cancel culture.”

Cancel Culture, is the idea of shutting people and organizations down. Anyone that holds an opinion that does not support or is in direct opposition to their narrative must be stifled at all costs! They do this by:

• Taking away a person’s or group’s voice by de-platforming them. They will no longer be able to openly share their beliefs. 

• Demonetize their websites, and video blogs, threatening their ability to finance their newscasts or video-blogs.

• Encouraging banks and corporations to cancel their accounts, their jobs, their careers and their businesses.

• Bring legal charges against them accusing them of crimes that have no basis in fact.

• Give them the label of “racist” in order arouse hatred and disgust towards that person or group. 

These are tactics of the wicked one. 

The Lord said:  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.   I came that they may have life, and have it  abundantly.” John 10:10

I believe that we are in the last days, so we should expect things to heat up for believers. Persecution will come simply because we love the Lord and follow him.  The “ruler of the age,” and the world’s view has always been in opposition to God and his ways.  So we need to understand that God will allow this in his permissive will.  And through persecution, the church will be tested. 

Will we become over-comers? Or will we succumb to the world’s pressure to conform?  Just this morning, on a major news broadcast, we learned that certain private schools and universities were implementing a mandate for vaccinations in order for students to attend class. There seems to be an increase in the desire to control and manipulate people. This new wave of authoritarianism was first visible with the governors of certain states, and now it is catching on with other large institutions.

We have to check our spiritual condition when we see these disturbing things happening. Are we anxious or fearful? Where are we focused? What is the condition of our heart?  To whom are we looking for help?   Where is the answer to be found? 

The Lord is and has always been the answer to every problem and situation.  If we have made him our treasure and our great reward, if we know that our hope is found in him, if he is the object of our love and devotion, then we will experience the joy of the Lord and the freedom of the Spirit.  “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!”  2 Corinthians 3:17

So we are to count it pure joy--”Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.   Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  James 1:2-4

But through testing, we maintain our focus on the Lord.  Through testing our faith is made more sure.  Some may curse us, we return a blessing.  Some may cancel us, we pray for them.  Some may persecute us, we show them love and kindness.  That is the Lord’s way.  It must also be our way.  

“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;  if he is thirsty give him water to drink.”  Proverbs 25:21

“If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone takes your cloak, do not withhold your tunic as well.  Luke 6:29

Going back to the vision of the knot once more, I wanted to give you one additional scripture that came to mind while I was praying about its interpretation:

“But woe to you, Pharisees, because you tithe mint and rue and every herb; and pass over judgement, and the charity of God.  Now these things you ought to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”  Luke 11:42

The knot became undone on its own, as the thread was pulled on the opposite side of the fabric. There are two things to note in comparison of these two scriptures.  In Isaiah’s vision of God, he was fearful and aware of his sinful condition.  He said, “Woe is me! For I am undone!”

In the Lord passage above, he warns the Pharisees, by saying “Woe to you, Pharisees…”  They did not recognize the Lord—no honor was given to him.  They did not listen to his teaching and acknowledge the miracles that he performed.  There was no fear of God, for they were prideful in their tithing. They expected people to honor them as leaders in righteousness, and perfect in their adherence to the law.   

Isaiah was undone in the presence of God.  By contrast, the Pharisees were out of touch with God.  They were self-righteous, passing judgment on everyone else.  They refused to show concern or mercy towards them, for they believed that everyone else was inferior, and undeserving.

“Jesus replied, ‘and you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. “   Luke 11:46

The Lord doesn’t want us to become hard towards those who oppose us.  He doesn’t want us to become smug in thinking that we are better than they are.  If we become pious, and self-righteous in our thoughts, and condemn those that oppose us, or threaten us politically, then we would certainly become like the Pharisees.  With these self-exalting thoughts, and condemning actions, words, and intentions towards others, we will find ourselves in opposition to God!

Rather: “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:13

And: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8

So we choose to love, and show mercy to those who mistreat us, cancel us or condemn us.  Let us find a way to share the love of God with others.  “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”  Romans 12:12

Thanks for reading and sharing this with others.  Please subscribe if you would like to receive an email to let you know of future posts.  May God bless you and keep you from all harm.  The Lord is good!

I hope you will begin today to make God your source of joy, contentment and peace! Be blessed!