SEASONS - REMEMBERING THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES A FEW YEARS BACK

(Writing and Photography by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Here is a little article that I wrote several years ago as we approached the first day of Sukkot/The Feast Of Tabernacles.  It was a period of time when my husband had been unemployed for quite awhile, I was cut back to 32 hours a week on my job and we were struggling quite a bit.  These thoughts give me great comfort now, as I look back and realize how God always looks after His children, no matter what their circumstances.  This temporary time taught me to learn how to better live out my life’s verse.

The time has arrived for The Feast of Tabernacles!

                  On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Sukkot, seven days
                                                                                      for the L-RD 
                                                                                  (Leviticus 23:34)

I LOVE Sukkot!!!!! 

It is a sweet, sweet time before the Lord that I treasure every year.  Of course, I can’t be in Jerusalem this year, and I am not a member at a Jewish congregation, but I am one of those born again, believing Christians who has come to understand the great significance of The Feast of Tabernacles, and celebrating this time before the Lord is always a big HUGE thing in my year. 

This season I’ve had to literally claw my way through the trappings of the world in order to get to God’s way of celebration.   It should be easy, not hard; but it hasn’t happened that way this year. Arriving in the proper place has not been at all easy.

I had dreamed all year of gathering the whole family together into a little mountain resort town, worshipping together every day and celebrating the joy of The Lord together all during the feast week, and just spending family time and relaxing in the evenings.  Things gradually, one by one, fell apart.  Everyone has made some other plans, money was tight, etc., etc.  Well, yes, that was my perfect plan, but alas, God has allowed a situation where I have unexpectedly had to forfeit this plan for something much simpler. 

My first prayer was one of frustration.  Nothing should stop the joy of the feast, so I just begin to passionately hold that up to God.  He answers me that I am absolutely right.  Hmmmm…..so I say but Lord; my budget will not allow a trip with the family this time.  I’ve done everything that I can, but it just isn’t happening.  

“Yes, I know” is what I hear. 

But Lord, why has it worked out this way?  And the answer is the most surprising thing, but I do hear it.

“Because I have called you to be content in all circumstances.”

I suddenly remembered the verse I long ago chose for my life verse,
Philippians 4:11-13.

The words screamed out to me:   Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
 

  I had no idea that keeping this wonderful season that I have previously kept with such ease was going to be so hard and complicated this year.  You know what?  Sometimes God REALLY calls on you to live out those life verses. 

Now, that word  “contentment” isn’t exactly what pops into my mind when I think of

celebrating a weeklong festival before the Lord.  I envision feasting, dancing, singing in crowds of joyful people with great fanfare!  So finally I gather my courage and  I ask The Lord what He has planned for me this week, knowing that asking Him was the very first thing I should have considered all along.  He says back to me those hard to digest words I often hear:

“I will show you.  Trust me.”
I am sure it is wrong to complain, but those words didn’t give me much direction. 

Next thing I know, my work calls to tell me they have a great need for me to be in the office on Monday and they want me to postpone my vacation time I’ve set aside at least one day, maybe more.  I had been trying to regroup and at least make a not so extravagant plan for something special to do at home with the family during this feast, but now I can’t even get the first day off from work, and will possibly even have more time than that tied up at work.  

The Ox is in the ditch. 

Some people would say it is a sin for me to work, and I should just take the time off 

anyway.   I had to confess to these zealots that I was in a bondage that I had created for myself – I had a mortgage and needed to keep my job in order to pay my bills.  We were going through tough financial times out there in the business world.  If you were employed you were one of the blessed, and you should not take that for granted in today’s economy.  My heart was already hurting for those that I worked with that had recently been let go for no fault of their own.  I did have to remember that  God said we should be responsible stewards.  I needed to  keep my word and pay my bills.  I needed my job, although at the time I  actually did have on my mind that maybe I no longer needed a mortgage, but God would have to led me through that decision and process over time.  I couldn't change anything overnight.   This was something out of my control.  I stood in the midst  of making tough decisions, of turning one way and then the other until I finally just ended up saying:

 “Okay, Lord, I trust You.” 

I’m was looking out my bedroom window, feeling sorry for myself, thinking sadly that I had not even built a sukkah!. I felt like a failure before God actually, because of not living up to my own testimony about keeping God’s feasts and festivals.  I knew in my heart He wanted us to keep them!   Then, almost as if someone was standing behind me and tapping ne on the shoulder, God reminds me that my back deck is a three sided structure that you can see the stars through.

Hmmm……………

He has provided what I was not prepared for.  I think of this simple little miracle and my heart becomes happier.  I go about planning an outdoor dinner on the deck for tonight.   We may not be starting the feast in a fancy place, but our home is a good place.  The view from our deck will be great! l  There will be lots of stars shining through the shelter.  This is good.

I consider the food.  My planning has been bad.  My budget has been so tight that the menu will probably need to be very limited.  I look in my pantry and find some great selections that I had overlooked.  God always provides what you need.  I had the physical things all along without even knowing it, now I just had to bring my mind and my spirit to the right place.  That was the thing that was most needed.  I confessed my sins of worry and anxiety to God.  I felt His forgiveness flood over me.  I thanked God for his awesome provision, and asked Him to keep my eyes wide open to all the daily blessings He brings from now on.  I had everything that we needed right here under our own roof to offer a joyful feast of thanksgiving to God on the first night of the festival. 

I thought of the people of God throughout history who had to celebrate their feast days under truly hard circumstances.  There were those who celebrated under  the rule of captivity.  I thought of those Jewish heroes that had to celebrate their feast days in concentration camps.  I remembered Corrie Ten Boom and her messages of how she found hope when there was no hope.  I thought of Joseph worshipping God in the pagan life he was forced to live in Egypt.  I began to see that my problems were all in my head. 
I resolved that after work tomorrow, I can do the same again.  We could have our feast on our provided sukkah on the deck and look at the stars and thank The God of Heaven and Earth every night during this week. 

Suddenly I felt very rested and not at all stressed.    

Maybe I was just anxious for nothing? 

I apologized to God for being so stressed over the details.  I am usually such a “Mary,” always worshipping at The Master’s feel; but this week I have been caught acting and behaving just like a “Martha” getting all bogged down in the details and the work and so much so that I almost missed the whole point of setting aside the time to listen, worship, rest and just be thankful and joyful in  the Lord. 

I  have been reminded this week that God simply wants me to sit at His feet and worship.  It doesn’t have to be elaborate, it can be as simple as a dinner on my back deck with my husband.  We will feast with the things that He has provided and offer thanksgiving prayers, ever grateful that we have food and shelter for this day, for this moment and for this season. 

It is enough to bask in God’s presence right where we are, right in the moment that we are living in, in the temples of our temporary bodies that He has given us and with our spirits that will never be destroyed or pass away. 

When the stars come out in the night sky, we will look up to see God’s story written in them. 

Is it not a great miracle? 

Is it not a wonderful thing just to sit after a full meal and look up at the night sky and be ever thankful that God is in control and we are not?  

The God who thinks way beyond anything that I could ever imagine reminded me that we own a telescope that is not even being used.  I had not thought of it in years.  I hasten to go out to the storage area and clean it up and place it next to our table on the deck.  Yes, we have everything that we need, and even more!

Happy Feast of Tabernacles Everyone! 

May you be able to see God’s blessing unfold before you as you worship and sit at His feet this week.

I pray that the world will not be able to keep you from all the good that God has blessed you with.

May we all live in eager anticipation for the time when Messiah returns to set up His Kingdom and rule and reign, for a thousand years of peace.

He will graciously provide everything that we need, and it could just be that  the simple things are actually the richest things after all.