Shalom B’Shem Yeshua (Peace in Yeshua’s Name),

Elul (Month of Preparation)

The month of Elul (אלול eh-LOOL) on the Hebrew lunar calendar begins at sundown on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, and ends at nightfall on October 2, 2024. This month, in traditional and Messianic Judaism, is a time to search one’s heart and draw close to God in preparation for the divine judgment that occurs on Rosh HaShanah (the traditional view). For believers in Yeshua, our soul-searching and God-seeking has more to do with being ready for Messiah’s soon return (which could occur at Yom Teruah aka Rosh HaShanah). The name Elul is actually an acronym for Ani l’dodi v’dodi li—I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine—a verse from the Song of Songs 6:3. Desiring and seeking intimacy with God during Elul is paramount in the hearts and minds of observant Jews and Christians.

I believe that this Elul is much more crucial than any before it, since I sense that a separation is happening in the world right NOW—God is asking us to choose: light vs. darkness, good vs. evil, love vs. hate, God vs. Satan, the kingdoms of the world vs. the Kingdom of God. That is how I saw the opening of the Olympic games. Yes, sadly, Christianity and our Messiah were mocked, but to me it was a confirmation of II Peter 3:3, “knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts.” I saw gross darkness (ערפל ah-rah-FEL) on display for the entire world to see, which made me think of Isaiah 60:2, “For behold, the darkness [KHO-shek] shall cover the earth, and deep darkness [ערפל ah-rah-FEL] the people; BUT [emphasis mine] the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” We all (believers and pre-believers alike) are being called upon this Elul to choose God’s way or the world’s way. Should we as believers curse the darkness or shine our light, so that others can experience, as we have, the blessing of being called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light?

Consider following the traditional Jewish practices this month of reflection and introspection which lead to praying prayers of repentance, s’lichot סליחות (slee-KHOTE) daily. Repent of lukewarmness, compromise, doubt, worry, and lack of love. (We are all guilty.) As the shofar is blown daily in synagogues around the world, may we hear God’s voice—as a shofar—calling us to turn from sin to God, even in hidden areas known only to Him. May the Lord increase our yearning to connect with Him as we make t’shuvah (return) to His waiting arms.

All Things in Elul 2024

As I considered the topic for this newsletter, I was reminded of a phrase from one of my devotionals on July 4, 2024: “ALL THINGS.” The key scripture referenced was II Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” Another way to say this is: I am not sufficient for anything but my sufficiency is from God who is sufficient for ALL THINGS. Can you make that confession with me?

The two words, when found together, led me in a search for them from Genesis to Revelation. I wanted to see what the God who is sufficient for all things has to say about ALL THINGS. First of all, I found that “all things” occurs in eleven verses in the Tanakh but in 347 verses in the Brit Hadashah. I surmised that the reason for the disparity has to do with Yeshua—He fulfills ALL; He is the fulfillment of the Law; in Him, all things exist. “All things” in Hebrew is KOHL, (literally, all). “In all things” is bah- KOHL. “Above all things” is mee-KOHL. “Of all things” is hah-KOHL.

As I researched the entire Bible, contemplating God’s sufficiency in all things, I concluded that the proper spiritual posture for believers during Elul is recognizing that without the Lord we can do nothing. We are helpless in ourselves to love God, our neighbor, or to live a victorious life according to His Word. We desperately need the Lord. He is our sufficiency, and we must depend on Him for everything. That is why I wrote in my July 4th devotional: “Made today my ‘Declaration of Dependence’ [on God].”

Elul and the Heart

As my dear husband said so often, “With God, it’s all about the heart.” This is certainly the case during Elul. The Bible makes it clear that God searches the heart. He said to a spiritually adulterous, idol-worshipping Israel, “‘How degenerate is your heart!’ says the Lord God, ‘seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot'” (Ezek. 16:30). As we reflect on our lives during Elul, do we find any idols there? Any signs of spiritual adultery? Do we love anything or anyone more than God? Our children? Our spouse? Our career? Our hobby? Our favorite sport? Only God truly knows our heart. The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that our hearts can deceive us, “‘The heart is deceitful above ALL THINGS*, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings'” (Jer. 17:9-10); [*ff. emphasis mine]. Speaking of things that defile man, the Messiah told His disciples, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man” (Mark 7:21-23). God sees ALL THINGS: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but ALL THINGS* are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Heb. 4:13).

Is there hope? Yes. God is greater than our heart: “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows ALL THINGS*” (I Jn. 3:20). God can cleanse our hearts, even give us a new heart through the New Covenant, sealed in the blood of the Messiah Yeshua. The promise of a new heart—for the Jew first and also the Gentile—was prophesied by Ezekiel in 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

Have you experienced this divine transformation? If not, today is the day of your salvation! Ask God to forgive you of your sin, to cleanse you with the blood of His Son Yeshua, and to give you a new heart and a new spirit. When you sincerely pray and ask the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to save you, He will. And the following promise becomes yours: “Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, ALL THINGS* have become new” (II Cor. 5:17).

God, Maker of All Things

There are many verses in the Bible that testify to the fact that God is the Maker of ALL THINGS. He is The Creator. The prophet Jeremiah declared, “He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heaven by His understanding… For He is the Maker of ALL THINGS*; and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The LORD of hosts is His name” (Jer. 51:15,19). Referring to Yeshua’s presence at Creation, the Apostle John proclaimed, “He was in the beginning with God. ALL THINGS* were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (Jn. 1:2-3). Selah. Pause and think deeply about this truth.

The New Covenant continues in the letters to expound upon God as Maker of ALL THINGS. Consider Romans 11:36, as it speaks of Messiah: “For of Him and through Him and to Him are ALL THINGS*, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” The same thought continues in I Corinthians 8:6, “yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are ALL THINGS*, and we for Him; and one Lord Yeshua HaMashiach, through whom are ALL THINGS*, and through whom we live.”

A beautiful verse in the Book of Colossians magnifies the creative power of the Messiah: “For by Him ALL THINGS* were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. ALL THINGS* were created through Him and for Him. And He is before ALL THINGS*, and in Him ALL THINGS* consist” (Col. 1:16-17).

Four chapters in the Book of Hebrews elaborate on Messiah as the Maker of ALL THINGS. In Hebrews 1:2, Yeshua is called the “heir of ALL THINGS*.” In verse 3, His position of “upholding ALL THINGS* by the word of His power” is explained. In Hebrews 2:10, ALL THINGS are for Messiah and ALL THINGS are by Messiah. Finally, in the Book of Revelation (4:11), Yeshua is worshipped as the Creator and Maker of ALL THINGS: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created ALL THINGS*, and by Your will they exist and were created.”

ALL THINGS are Possible!

The Brit Hadashah emphasizes the fact that with God—the God who is more than enough—ALL THINGS are possible. Nothing is too hard for Him. He is a miracle-working God! As I write today, I stand (actually, sit) on that truth. Three days ago, as I bent over the bathtub while shampooing Liam’s hair, I slipped on the edge of the tub and hit myself hard against the wall. It took my breath away and my scream probably terrified my seven-year-old grandson. X-rays the next day showed that no skeletal (bone) damage was done (no broken ribs) but very painful, bruised ribs and right side of my body. I took communion that night, experienced the joy of the Lord when I drank from the cup, and was able to research for eight hours yesterday, and I will write today until I finish. This is not the first strange physical attack that I have experienced recently. But God! He delivers me from them all. Please keep me in prayer and join me in agreeing with Mark 9:23, “Yeshua said to him, ‘If you can believe, ALL THINGS* are possible to him who believes.'” In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night of His betrayal, Yeshua fell to the ground and prayed to His Father: “And He said, ‘Abba, Father, ALL THINGS* are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will'” (Mark 14:36).

In a discussion about the difficulty of the rich entering the Kingdom of Heaven, Yeshua’s disciples asked Him, “…’Who then can be saved?’ But Yeshua looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God ALL THINGS* are possible'” (Matt. 19:25-26). Let us take heart from this promise. You may have friends, loved ones, or neighbors who seem like “impossible cases”— hard-hearted, unbelieving, rebellious, resistant to God and Yeshua. They may be rich or poor, young or old. Can they be saved? Yes! Yes! Yes! Keep praying: With God, ALL THINGS are possible!

Believers in Messiah and ALL THINGS

I found at least eighteen verses in the New Covenant that speak to believers in Yeshua about ALL THINGS. I am choosing just a few to encourage you during the month of Elul. The first verse is the promise that the Lord gave to my husband, Neil, as a new believer, letting him know that the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) would be his teacher and mentor: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you ALL THINGS*, and bring to your remembrance ALL THINGS* that I said to you” (Jn. 14:26). God kept His Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to do the same for you. God is no respecter of persons.

Romans 8:28 is a life verse for many of you: “And we know that ALL THINGS* work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This is followed by another promise from Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us ALL THINGS*?”

The Letter to the Corinthians is filled with ALL THINGS verses. For example, “ALL THINGS* are lawful for me, but ALL THINGS* are not helpful. ALL THINGS* are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (I Cor. 6:12). “to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become ALL THINGS* to all men, that I might by all means save some” (I Cor. 9:22). Love “bears ALL THINGS*, believes ALL THINGS*, hopes ALL THINGS*, endures ALL THINGS*” (I Cor. 13:7).

What about spiritual gifts? Rabbi Saul encourages believers, “…Let ALL THINGS* be done for edification.” And again, “Let ALL THINGS* be done decently and in order” (I Cor. 14:26,40). Rabbi Saul continues with an encouraging word in II Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in ALL THINGS*, may have an abundance for every good work.”

The concept of contentment in ALL THINGS spoken of in Philippians chapter 4 leads to a favorite verse that I, and many of you, rely on daily: “I can do ALL THINGS* through Messiah who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).

ALL THINGS Will Be Fulfilled

There are more than 300 prophecies of a coming Messiah in the Hebrew scriptures. Many of them have already been fulfilled at the Messiah’s first coming. Others are being fulfilled today, and the rest will be fulfilled when Yeshua returns.

Near the end of His ministry on earth, the Messiah tried to explain to His talmidim (disciples) what was to happen to Him. (They did not understand.) “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and ALL THINGS* that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again” (Luke 18:31-33). It all happened as He said.

Referring to His Second Coming, the Messiah said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till ALL THINGS* take place” (Luke 21:32). He also said, “But the end of ALL THINGS* is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above ALL THINGS* have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins'” (I Pet. 4:7-8).

ALL THINGS New

New. Hadash in Hebrew—חדש (khah-DAHSH). I mentioned previously that the Bible calls new believers “new creations” and that ALL THINGS become new (see II Cor. 5:17). We enter into a new kingdom with a new worldview and a new head, selected by God Himself. That new head is Yeshua the Messiah. “And He [God] put ALL THINGS* under His feet, and gave Him to be head over ALL THINGS* to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22-23). In Him, ALL THINGS become new. The last chapter of the New Covenant testifies of this reality. A glorious future awaits those who put their trust in Yeshua in ALL THINGS.

“‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make ALL THINGS* new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful'” (Rev. 21:4-5).

Pray with me: “Abba, thank You that in Yeshua I am a new creation. I don’t have to be bound by things from my past because, as I abide in the Lord, He makes ALL THINGS NEW in my life. Please increase my faith to believe for miracles, not only in my life, but in the lives of my loved ones. I repent of doubt and worry, and choose to believe Your Word that ALL THINGS are possible with You! My confession this month comes from a grateful heart: ‘Ani l’dodi v’dodi li.’ Amen.”