Does it feel like your life is unraveling? Incomplete?
Are you barely hanging on by a thread?

God is still weaving your story—even in the broken places.
He mends what feels tattered. He restores what seems lost.
He fills the empty spaces with His great love for you, recreating the beauty that you are.

If you’re in a season of waiting, pain, or redemption… you’re not alone.
Join me for a glimpse into my journal—raw, honest, and filled with hope.

Tapestry Unraveled is a collection of parables, lessons and God whispers.
The third book in the Echoes series.

I pray you are as blessed in the reading as I have been in the writing.

Visit LiftedKeys.com for more information.

Hebrew word for altar meant a place to sacrifice, and the building of an altar was repeated throughout the Old Testament at important times.

Upon placing his feet on dry land, Noah built an altar and offered sacrifices, as did Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David. Every altar is where sinners climb up and the Lord steps down; a rendezvous of mercy; a clasping of hands between God and man. A convergence.

Solomon built the temple whose innermost room was reserved for the Holy of Holies, the Arc of the Covenant, the presence of God. The entrance was covered by a curtain and could only be accessed by the high priest, once a year on the Day of Atonement. Outside the temple, in the courtyard, stood the Bronze Altar, thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, fifteen feet tall; a convergence of God and man accessible to all.

Jesus offered Himself as a ransom for each of us bound by sin, and in doing so became not only the sacrifice, but the altar as well. Being God and man, He became the true convergence.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed His last. The curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom. Mark 15:37-38 … bridging the gap between God and man, accessible to all who believe and call on His name.

The truth in Pastor Bird’s words was so pure, yet simple as if it should have been obvious. It was as if he shined a light on a key to The Kingdom. Yet, as is often the case, the Adversary noticed too, waiting for an opportunity to strike back.

This world had stretched me to my limits, or perhaps somewhere beyond. My heart soldiers had been fully deployed to the front, facing giants. Then, in an instant, trouble simultaneously struck my left and right flank, crushing my ribs until I could not breathe. The strength I had found in God’s great truth crumbled and I fell in defeat. A litany of problems flowed with tears that fell onto the parched ground as I realized I could fix nothing.

Face down in the mud I had created, I searched through the volumes of noise between my ears for a glimmer of light, something … anything to pull myself back up. There in the corner, stood an altar, The Altar, and I crawled to His feet. I had no voice, no fancy words, nothing left to pray. Jesus clasped my hand and said,

Rise My child.
Truth is still truth
Trust is still trust.
I AM Who I AM.

I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Malachi 3:6

I continued my journey, bruised but breathing, undoubtedly carried by the Hands of God.

 

My weakness, His strength.
His child, our Father.
The convergence of God and man, once more.

And always.

 

Thanks to Chad Bird – Unveiling Mercy – The Axis of Heaven and Earth

Jackie Hill Perry in her book Upon Waking reflects on why we hesitate to ask God questions. Perhaps it was from the Old Testament where approaching the presence of God was often seen as restrictive, if not outright forbidden.

Consider Job, a righteous man blessed in every way until, in a brief span of time, he lost everything—his family, his livestock, even his health. In his despair, Job asked God what he had done to deserve such suffering. He all but demanded an audience with the Almighty for answers.

God said, “Who are you to question Me? Were you there when I set the foundations of the world? Do you tell the waters where to stop? Have you walked in the deepest depths or the highest heights?”

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm, “Brace yourself like a man. I shall question you and you will answer Me!” Job 40:7

Job said, “I am unworthy, how can I reply? I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. I will say no more.” Job 40-42

If you weren’t afraid to ask before, maybe you are now. But there’s a difference in asking a question of God and questioning God.

“When will the rain come to nourish my crops? Why did the cancer come back again?” are different from:
“Why did You let my crops die? Why did You let the cancer come back? What did I do to deserve any of this?”

The difference is your intent. When you yell in anger, God knows you’re frustrated, but you tread dangerously close to accusing Him of not caring. When you approach Him humbly, it’s more than just your words—He hears the cry of your heart, the sincerity of your plea.

God’s ways are not our ways, and His timing is certainly not our timing, no matter if you approach Him in anger, or not at all. But if you seek Him with a humble heart, it is there, in your brokenness, that you may hear His voice. In that place, He can reach you, hold you, strengthen you, and care for you.

What if, by asking questions, you discover God; and by finding God, you find your answers?
Upon Waking – Jackie Hill Perry

We tend to dream small for things that are reasonably attainable, a good job with good pay if we work hard, an “A” on tomorrow’s test if we study, and some rain, which we know will come sooner or later. We hold on to small prayers and small dreams as to not be disappointed, having less room to fall. But what about big dreams? Is it only when a friend is deathly ill or a baby fighting cancer that we pray really hard, sweat pouring off our brow like blood? When only a miracle will do? And when the intensity of the moment has passed, do we settle back into our lukewarm prayer life, scrolling past sports scores and the foolishness in our social media feeds? (index finger pointed firmly in my own direction)

I have prayed for healing, changing hearts, wisdom and patience always adding “if it is Thy will”, though it feeds my doubt, lack of faith, and gives me someone to blame when prayers are left unanswered or unanswered to my liking. Instead of asking, asking, asking, begging, pleading, I am learning to thank God for what He is already doing in each situation. He has heard my prayers, my cries, my dreams, and He “is “moving mountains in His time in His way. Too often I pray in ignorance of what I want or need only to see God fulfill what I truly need.

It takes bold faith to ask for the impractical, unreasonable, really big dreams for a really big God to display His Greatness. Perhaps it takes the impossible and unexpected to show, without a doubt, it is the Hand of God at work.

Do not fear praying big prayers and dreaming big dreams. For as His ways are higher than ours, His dreams for us are so much greater than we could imagine.

Unreasonable? Some call faith in the unseen foolish. Impractical? The Son of God took on human form, walked among us and died on a cross in our place. Impossible? He rose again, defeated death, and still lives. I know because I spoke to Him just this morning, so anything is possible for the Creator of all things.

I pray hard for miracles and sometimes wonder if He will, or when He will, but I never question if He can.

HE can.

 

Special thanks to Pastor Mark Batterson and “The Circle Maker” for teaching me to draw circles.

thecirclemaker.com/

If these words have been a blessing, pass them along to another who needs to hear. Reach out to me at John@LiftedKeys.com and tell me your story. I would love to know where and in what way God has guided His words through my pen.