Tabitha

Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas (also known as Tabitha) had made while she was still with them. Acts 9:39

I wonder if Tabitha's footsteps down the long path that led from her home to her workshop struck fear into the heart of Satan and caused the walls of hell to tremble. I wonder if the angels of heaven suddenly rose to attention when she gathered her tools and threw her fabrics out on the table. I wonder if the heart of God swelled with delight and his throne glowed and shot out new bursts of power and light to the earth below when the aged hands began to weave with deep tenacity and careful accuracy. Her robes, her tunics, her garments were extraordinary. Why? Because every breath she withdrew from the cold thin air were breaths of passion for her savior and her God. And those breaths were fierce as she worked, and they delivered the strength and the artistry she needed to give back her best display of love to her master as she sat at his feet and worshipped through her craft and served those around her.

What a thought. As you pour the cup of cool water for the thirsty child, heaven is advanced. As you feed the starving man, God's throne is exalted. As you sweep the floors in the church's foyer, the hounds of hell are silenced. And as you craft the song, paint the picture, build the bench, direct the play, retell the bible story, organize the outreach, love your spouse, teach your child, put food on the table, all heaven rejoices! For the character of God is on display, his wisdom is made manifest, darkness is pushed back and one more small portion of redemption and purification and paradise regained is woven into His precious creation. The work of our hands is warfare. The tapestry of our hearts devoted to Him...is worship.

And when God's word says that through the church his manifold wisdom is being made known to the rulers and the authorities of the heavenly realms, I want my life to scream out and echo through eternity the magnificence of the Almighty. And wether I am singing out with all my strength, guitar in hand in the solitude of my home or cleaning tables after the homeless have had their fill, my desire is that all the angels of heaven would gather around the throne, like Tabitha's friends gathered around Peter and say..."look at the garments he made!!!! Look at his garments of praise He made for you! God be glorified!!!

God's word says that human hands cannot serve him. Tabitha's friends weren't bragging on the fact that she could bust out some sweet threads...although she could. They were showing Peter the precious tapestry of an anointed woman of God, in love with her savior, who devoted every stitch to bring him honor. In Christ she had learned to live and move and have her being. The marvel of the colors and the quality of her design were accomplished by a heart that desired that the manifold wisdom of God be made manifest to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms!

Whatever we do, may we do it with Tabitha's intentions....to show forth the beauty of his holiness, the splendor of his majesty, the glory of his redemption, the mystery of his love...and may we pour the cup, wash the tables, and sweep the floors to demolish the works of the kingdom of darkness and root out the evil in our own lives and in the lives of others around us.



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