Most of the readers on this Blog know that I do not send a post out daily, and sometimes not even weekly, because I refuse to write unless I am led of the Holy Spirit.  So, even though the terrible assassination attempt on President Donald Trump happened almost two weeks ago, I have chosen to take a lot of time to hopefully hear (sh'ma) and understand what the Lord might have been showing us.

Like many others, I was instantly struck by the fact that the bullet wounded his RIGHT EAR. It caused me to reflect back on my earliest days of leading worship in a Messianic Hebrew Roots congregation in Grand Junction, Colorado. Those of us on the worship team would gather in a side room before the service and our pastor would anoint us with oil according to the Scripture in Leviticus 8:22-24:
He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.  Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Moses also brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he splashed blood against the sides of the altar.

And in Leviticus 14:14:
 The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.

So let us understand and take note that Moses was instructed by the LORD to follow this ritual of anointing and cleansing of Aaron the High Priest, and of his sons as part of their ordination to serve the LORD and to be prepared to lead the people in worship. Something about that bullet causing blood upon Mr. Trump's right ear really caught my attention.  Was this our God's way of cleansing him and preparing him to lead?  Surely it seems to also have been His way of drawing Trump closer to Him and humbling him.  I feel that we've seen some change in the man.  I for one was often put off by his arrogance and incessant bragging. I haven't seen so much of that in recent days. His countenance is softer, his demeanor more humble.  At least he is acknowledging that it was God who miraculously saved his life!

I don't mean to get political, that's never been what this blog is about. But we Americans need to be in prayer more than ever, and we need to be greatly discerning about the things happening all around us. So I have just been pondering this event and what God may be saying to us.  There is another Scripture that involves the right ear.  John 18:10-11:
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
And Matthew's version of this scene includes this: Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.  Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

I've really thought deeply about this, friends.  First, I saw this connection of blood on the right ear being a type of cleansing, purification, and preparation for service. Then in this story of Peter cutting off the right ear of the high priest's servant, I hear this rebuke from Jesus.  It made me feel as if Jesus was reminding Peter that he didn't need his defense or his help.  He could call on legions of angels for protection! But He needed to "drink this cup," to go through all that the Father had prepared for him. Is there a connection?  God could have caused that bullet to miss Trump entirely. But He didn't. He allowed it to "graze" his right ear, to draw blood, to put him to his knees.

Interestingly the Hebrew name Malchus means "my king." So symbolically, Peter cut off the right ear of my king! Psalm 2:10-11 says: Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.
​I personally think that's what this was about and why our Sovereign God allowed this to happen. It was a great and powerful call for our leaders to fear Him and celebrate His rule with trembling!

We know this evil is going to continue. We know that Satan is raging against God and His people because he knows his time is short. But in the end, even if we do have a Godly leader in our nation, he is not our Savior. It will be ONLY YESHUA, our Messiah-King, who will deliver us from the evil of this dark world.

The Lord helped to arrange a huge blessing for me through a long-time brother and friend. I got to fly back to Pennsylvania to spend a few days with my son and all his family.  It had been three years since I'd been back there and my young grandson had grown to a towering 6'3" tall! We all piled together in a family truck for two days to enjoy watching him play in a high-level showcase baseball tournament. I so enjoyed this opportunity to disconnect from my normal routines, sit in the sunshine and soft breezes, and cheer for my grandson's team. It was almost like life was "normal" again! But I have a story to share with you and I suppose this story illustrates the beauty of the not-so-normal life I lead at home with my husband, John.

Our dear friend, Duane who was taking care of John while I was away, was busy cleaning up dinner dishes as he mentioned to John, "You can get ready for our trip to the airport. We're going to meet your wife." Duane tells me that John disappeared into his bedroom and spent a little time back there while Duane got the kitchen cleaned up. Next thing he knew, John walked into the kitchen with a long-sleeved pin striped dress shirt, his best dress slacks and a pair of shiny red-wine-colored  shoes he hasn't worn in ages. His unshaved face was still scraggly but his outfit was quite amazing!

When they drove up to the curb at the airport you can imagine my surprise in seeing my dear husband all dressed up, as if for a fancy date. I commented to him how nice he looked and Duane chimed in, "Yeah, I told him we were going to get his wife!"  Normally John has great difficulty in finding and choosing clothing and I have to help him dress. But it seems that he had reached back somewhere in his memory and was filled with the desire to dress up for this trip to the airport!

After we arrived back home, I tucked him into bed and said prayers over him as I always do, and then I headed into the master bathroom. There were two other long-sleeve dress shirts laying across the counter. I picked up the slacks he had taken off and they jingled and jangled, as I reached into one pocket and found literally dozens of dimes, nickels and quarters!  I reached my hand into the other pocket and pulled out an expired driver's license from 2016, three or four of his favorite family photographs from about 40 years ago, an old, empty wallet and a very old, dried up and mutilated denture! 

Oh, John. Somewhere deep in the recesses of your mind you were all dressed up and ready for this date with me! You had money to pay for dinner, your old wallet and photos to share with me, and a spare denture just in case you needed it!  They were all things that show you are still a man who dearly loves his wife, and wants to make the evening special for her. It was a night I will not soon forget. And when I went out to your tool shed this morning to find a drill that Duane needed to do some repairs, there were two MORE long-sleeve dress shirts out there, sprawled among your old screwdrivers, wrenches, and socket sets! You must have had quite a time deciding which shirt to wear. It must have been so important to you, especially since I had been gone for a week. 

You picked the right shirt. And I picked the right husband. And now we are back together again in our old routines and our Dementia-driven life.  But I'll always remember the wide grin on your face and the jingle in your pocket when you came to the airport to meet your wife!