10 Days of Awe (Repentance): Sept 19-29

What are the Ten Days of Awe?  They are the 10 days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending on Yom Kippur; a time for soul searching and repentance – and the last day, Yom Kippur is when we find out if our names are written in the Book of Life. They are a time for seeking forgiveness and giving forgiveness; a time of making amends with those whom we have offended during the preceding year….so that we might enter into the presence of the Holy One on Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement.  Does this sound familiar to any of you who are not of the Jewish faith; perhaps Roman Catholic or another religion?

They represent the final ten years of judgment on the rest of the world. Israel, in prophetic chronology has already gone into captivity. She is on her death bed and about to die during these Ten Days of Awe.

All of these love stories are about Yahshua who was injured by Satan. But Yahshua rises to the occasion and destroys the armies of Satan and rescues his future bride just before she is annihilated. The preceding 30 days which we have gone through represent the time when Satan is wreaking havoc on the world. Yahshua is the Hero of this real life drama, and these last Ten Days of Awe which culminate at the Day of Atonement when you will find out if your name is written in the book of life.

May your name be found written in the Book of Life and may you use these ten days wisely in preparation.  I liken it to “spring cleaning” of the soul.  You know how when you spring clean you pay extra attention to those things you may have overlooked during the preceding year, because it wasn’t blatantly obvious that the corner in the closet required cleaning.  Besides, you may have thought, no one is going to see it so when I have visitors, and they see the wonderful polishing I did of the surface – well, they’ll praise me for keeping such a shiny, clean and sparkling house.

But, you know.  You know that you didn’t dig deep.  Didn’t open that door to the closet that never gets used anyway.  You know the dust and the dirt is accumulating and piling up and if you don’t soon do something about it, it will come pouring out into plain site for the whole world to see.

So too this human form.  On the surface I act nice (most of the time), say the right thing, do the right thing.  But, underneath, stewing inside of me is some perceived wrong or grudge I am holding against some one for some feigned wrong they did – and chances are they have no idea.  And, conversely, I have offended some one in my actions or lack of action, when I knew a lending hand was just what they needed, but thought someone else would do it, it wasn’t my responsibility; besides I barely know the person.  All of these things will come pouring to the surface during these ten days of introspection, and as they rise up and come to my attention, I must needs to the right thing.

If anyone reading this knows me, and if I have offended you and am unaware, then I ask for your grace to speak to me that I might set things right.  I don’t want to enter into a new year with last year’s baggage still hanging around.  I want to start fresh; with a clean slate.

When I arise in the morning, for each morning I am granted in this new year, I pray I will look and greet it in awe – as through the eyes of a new born child seeing the world for the first time and that I will caress and appreciate every form of life that I see, touch and interact with.

I wish this same joy for you.