Ahava Love Letter - "The Prince & The Silver Hairs" (#7)

Ahava Love Letter

“The Prince & The Silver Hairs”

 “And he said (to the Lord), “Here I am.”” (Exodus 3:4)

The Lord speaks: “Come now therefore, and I will send you…” (Exodus 3:10)

Dear family of friends,

Have you ever seen The Prince of Egypt animated movie?

Dream Works' first American traditionally animated musical film of Moses and the Exodus, The Prince of Egypt, came out on December 18, 1998. I read where the concept arose unexpectantly from a conversation Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg and David Geffen had in 1994. The film was nominated for best Original Music Score and won for Best Original Song at the 1999 Academy Awards for "When You Believe". The pop version of the song was performed at the ceremony by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. (I still love it!)

It may have had a big impression on my kids. I don’t remember. But I know it certainly did on me. So much so, that after I had set up the church bookstore at All Nations Church on Granite Street in Charlotte in 1997 (in the former kitchen), and then when we purchased and moved onto the Heritage USA/PTL former Fort Hope property, where the store became "The Glory Barn" (Ruth Heflin influence), I wanted to share this message as much as I could.

When the CDs, DVDs, pictorial story books, logo cups, etc. came out, I waited just a bit longer to buy a mass quantity on clearance shelves at the "big boxes", to make available in that "smaller box." Something, or Someone, had given me the desire to share this story, and hope it would have the same impact it had on me, with others. Especially to get this story into the hands of little kids who are so imprinted and impacted during their young ages.

Now over 10 years later, while waiting for our four grown kids, with Josh’s spouse Chelsie, Christen’s fiancé’ Andrew, and our four grandkids to come over for the annual Thanksgiving dinner this year, I re-discovered our DVD copy of The Prince of Egypt  sitting on the TV shelf, behind the glass door case. I pulled it out and popped it in. Still a great movie.

Lately I had been wondering about Moses again. What was it really like for him in his 40 year "desert", both naturally and spiritually? What was the Lord doing, when He led, and then seemingly left, the former exalted prince out there in that wilderness? How did this Moses, once next in line to Pharoah, raised to rule an empire that would rank high on the list for all time, end up sitting around sheep and camels in a hot, dry desert? For 40 years no less. (Sidebar: Did you know Moses was about 55 years old in comparison to life spams now, when the Lord sent him back to Egypt? Do the math, using his full 120 years and our current lifespan of about 75-80 yrs.)

How many of you, along with me, feel like you may have just spent (or still are?) 40 years in “the desert”? Thinking and wondering and questioning if you too would be "used of God again", or even for the first time? As I have, did you too question if those desires, the ones you just knew the Lord put in your heart long ago, quite possibly in your tween or teen years, would ever come to pass? Or were they just life-long aches, that pressed even more when you saw others doing so great, experiencing fulfillment of "their calling", while you seemed to “sit on the bench" and just long inside for those opportunities? Maybe not? Maybe so.

Quite possibly you had some glimpses or moments when encouragement did come, but they were few and far between. But you kept faithful and pushed on. For many of us, the historically true story of Moshe' (his Hebrew name), leader of the once enslaved Israelites who guided them out of Egyptian bondage, is encouraging. He made it out of the desert.

But what happened when he was in his desert? Why was the time so long, and so obscure for him? Why has it been for many of us?

I have often heard that in construction, the more massive the building structure is to be, the deeper the foundation that must be built. I am not an engineer or architect, in the natural, but life experiences do count for something. (Along with those "white hairs" of wisdom, which number even more so!)

Looking back on our Ft. Lauderdale, Florida days (those “seven tough years in Egypt” as Laurie and I called them), while our family was at Good News Church from 1987-1994 (where the international ministries of Derek Prince, Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda, and Jim Croft first flourished in those years) then Senior Pastor Geoff Buck shared a prophetic word. It was one that I have "logged into from the memory hard drive in my brain" several times.

Either directly from his mouth, or previously spoken through another, I heard something like this out of his mouth. "The time of the silver-hairs will come. And the Lord wants you to know that in the meantime He isn't finished with you. In fact, it will be "that time” when you are the most productive.”  (Sidebar: As for the “silver-hairs”, I trust the Lord would also include those who have, let me be careful in how I say this, have them “Covered them up with another color”??!!”) 

Does this give hope for you? It certainly did for me, even when I was in my late 30’s!

When on my 55th birthday, Nov. 23, 2009, the Lord said specifically to me, "Now is the time", it spoke two things to me: the waiting (desert) time was over and a release had come to have my own vineyard to grow and care for. (I wrote about this more elaborately in one of my first Ahava Love Letters. For that one and all the letters which have been written thus far, go to http://www.loveforhispeople.com/ and look under the Ahava Love Letters tab.)

From the bottom of my heart, I hope it is the time for you too, and that your most important desert training time is over or about to be completed. Our country, spouses, kids and grandkids, and extended families need our leadership, encouragement and hope, for now and in the future. With our “desert time diploma in hand”, we can now get up, get going, and do that which the Lord God of Israel has been preparing deep within us over these many, many years.

Ahava, my family of friends,

Steve

P.S. Caring for sheep, goats and camels must be a tough job. When I see the Bedouins and shepherds in Israel out in the hot, sandy, rocky desert doing it, I give thanks to the Lord for the air-conditioned bus I am on! Come along with us on our next Ahava Adventures trip in November, 2011. Or if you can’t make this one, go shop for “not life-size” camel and sheep stuffed animals at our new Shalom Inspirations gift shop in the BLACKLION complex in Pineville, NC on Park.

Either one is a good time!

P.S.S. Love For His People, Inc. sends monthly financial support to believers “on the ground” in Jerusalem, and to an orphanage in Accra, Ghana, cared for by a Messianic Jew named Ephraim. We also give as we can to assist a reliable work in Hyderabad, India, called Lighthouse Center India, founded by John Ebenezer. We appreciate your special gifts. You can donate now on-line by clicking here http://www.loveforhispeople.com/, for our website “Giving Opportunities” website page, or by sending checks to the address below. Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)

©2010 Steve  Martin      Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box 470035   Charlotte, NC 28247-0035

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Ahava Love Letter #7  121410