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Valentine From God

In 1990 I wanted to make a recording singing the Psalms, accompanied on a harp like Kind David had. Since I was going to make up my own melodies, I needed a harpist that could play spontaneously for me. The only harpists I knew were "paper trained" and didn't know how to go "outside" yet. Ha! (For those of you who didn't get it, that means they had to have written music.) So I decided to get a harp and do it myself. I didn't have the money to buy a harp and do a recording, so I put it off for a while.

In January of l994, I started thinking about getting a harp again. A wonderful Christian harpist named Greg Buchanan performed in our area. He played a ten string harp made by the House of Harrari. When I found out how much they cost, I about gave up ever getting one. Then I thought if God put that desire in me, then God could certainly provide the harp.

God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and nothing is too difficult for Him. The Bible says that God wants to give us the desires of our heart.

"Delight thyself also in the Lord;
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
Psalm 37:4

This was not only my desire, but my passion! I wanted a harp like King David had. It became my quest to get one.

My son's 16th birthday was coming up. He started hinting and asking for different birthday gifts from me. It gave me an idea. Why not ask my heavenly Father for a birthday present! I hadn't done that since I was a child. But why not? I'm one of his children. He loves me. I love him. So I asked God to give me my own harp for my birthday.

I had heard that while you pray, you should be specific in what you ask for. I didn't care what kind of decorations were on it or the kind of wood. I just wanted an authentic, ten string, Biblical style harp like King David had.

"If thou canst believe,
all things are possible to him that believeth."
-Mark 9:23

"If ye then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven
give good things to them that ask him?"
-Matthew 7:11

Months went by and I seemed no closer to getting my harp than in January l994 when I started praying for one. My birthday was getting closer and closer. I decided to write a letter to the House of Harrari and ask them about their harps. I wrote them a three page letter telling them about a vision I'd had, and how I wanted it on my birthday. I figured they were either going to think I was crazy or else understand. To my surprise, Shoshanna wrote me back a three page letter. She said that many people request certain designs based on dreams or visions they'd had. She also said it usually took six months to a year to have a harp custom made. However, since my birthday just happened to be during the time of one of their Jewish holidays, they had made a few extra ones available to tourists. Which one did I want? I got so excited that I decided to phone long distance all the way to Israel and talk to her.

Exactly one month before my birthday, I decided to talk to my pastor about my harp. He said that it was probably a desire that God had put in me, but I shouldn't try to bear it all by myself. He offered to tell our church about it the following Sunday. If anyone wanted to contribute towards getting the harp, then they could. That way, the body of Christ could have a part in it, since the harp wasn't for me anyway, but for ministry to others. I went home so excited. I thought, I'll have just enough time to send the money and get it before my birthday. I told my husband about it. To my utter shock, he told me not to do it. He said I was trying to manipulate and "help" God out. He said I shouldn't have to ask people to pay for my own birthday present. If God was going to do it, God would do it in his own way, without my intervention or "help"

I was so mad at him for stopping it! I thought that was how God was going to get the money for it, from our church. I'd heard of other gospel musicians telling of their needs and the church helping through an offering. Why was I any different

Well, very reluctantly, I called the pastor to tell him my husband didn't want him to tell the church. I was really upset with my husband!

That Friday, my dad and step-mother came to visit me. I told him what happened. He agreed with the pastor, but said I should honor my husband's wishes. Then Dad and my step-mother left. The next day my dad called.They had been visiting an old lady that day who showed them some papers she'd found in her attic just that week. Her son had been cleaning out the attic and came across an article she had written about 63 years ago.

Her father was a minister. When she was about 20 years old, he asked her to speak to the women's circle about music in Bible times. She wrote 3 pages about music in the temple worship and about King David's harp. When she mentioned the harp, my step-mother spoke up and said that I had been studying about music during Bible times and wanted a harp like King David had. She listened a few minutes and said she'd always wanted to play a harp, but there were no teachers, so she learned to play the piano instead. Now she wanted to help me and wrote out a large check which was about half of what I need.

My dad called on that Saturday to tell me the good news. He was hoping my husband would then give our pastor permission to tell the congregation, so that perhaps they could come up with the other half I needed to buy my harp and get it by my birthday. I was on needles and pins waiting to talk to the pastor.  When Sunday morning came, I couldn't wait to tell him, but he had been called out of town to speak. Later,  I finally told him what happened, but he only said he would pray about it.  He never did tell the church about it.  I was so frustrated and had to fight back thoughts of anger towards my pastor and husband. It was a real test of my attitudes and character. I was under pressure of a deadline, so close and yet so far. I had to pray and ask for forgiveness for what I was thinking.

I finally resigned myself to the fact that it truly would be a miracle to get my harp on my birthday. I only had half the money I needed to get my ten string harp.Two days before my birthday, I went to get my hair done at a beauty shop. I brought along information about the harps that the House of Harrari had mailed me. While sitting under the dryer, I decided to read about a different harp they made. It was called a Nevel, with 22 strings. What grabbed my attention was that it said that King David and many of the prophets and temple musicians played this 22 string harp as well. I thought David only played a ten string one. As the hair dresser was combing out my hair, I mentioned some of the prophets who played this harp. When I mentioned Habakkuk, she shouted

"Habakkuk! You're the one this is for!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Nancy, the reason you didn't get your ten string harp by your birthday,
was because you were so determined to get a ten string harp,
you never considered anything else.
God wants you to have a 22 string harp instead.
It took nine months to understand that God wants you to have a different harp."

Before she went to work that morning, she'd been reading her Bible out of the book of Habakkuk. The Holy Spirit told her to take her Bible to work and read the third chapter of Habakkuk to someone. So she read it to me. I didn't understand it, so she read it again and again. It was a song written for the chief singer on the stringed instruments. In the second verse it mentioned "reviving thy work in the midst of the years".

I took it to mean that God will revive true spiritual worship and music like He did during the high point of the great temple music period. I know that is a little far fetched, but I know that God is going to take spiritual worship into a new and higher realm than we ever could conceive of, in which we worship Him in spirit and in truth. This will only happen as we are completely dedicated and sold out to the Most High King of the Universe. Today's Christian music won't be able to hold a candle to the new spiritual music that God will orchestrate. I believe this will be part of the "new song" mentioned so many times in the Bible. This "new song" will be completely designed by the Holy Spirit's anointing and sung only by those who are completely dedicated to serving God, not man.

I needed to have it confirmed that I should get the other harp. On my birthday, my dad and step- mother called to wish me a happy birthday. I told them about the incident at the beauty shop. They believed God wanted me to have the 22 string one also. So it was confirmed on my birthday, to get the 22 string harp, instead of the ten string one.

I didn't get my harp by my birthday. I looked several times on my porch, just in case though. Oh well. The rush to get it by my birthday was over, so I relaxed and just waited to see what would happen. October, November, came and went. Nothing. No signs in the sky. Nothing.

In December I went to my beautician's house for a ladies' prayer meeting. One of the ladies started to prophecy over me. She told me it was time to order my harp. I thought I only had about half the money. During that time I was thinking of switching insurance companies and discovered I had some loan value accumulated that I could borrow. It was enough to pay for the harp.So I ordered my harp just before Christmas.

On Valentines Day, l995, about 12:30 p.m., a little white truck parked in my driveway. A lady went to the back of the truck and pulled out a big cardboard box and brought it up to the house. Yes, it was my little baby ....harp. That was one of most exciting days of my life. A dream, or should I say, prayer, come true. As I carefully, slowly, pulled my harp out of the box, I thought this was the most wonderful Valentine present I ever got, and this Valentine was a love gift direct from my loving heavenly Father!

Even as wonderful as my harp is, it can never compare to the greatest gift my heavenly Father gave me, His only begotten son, Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah, who gave his very life for me and...YOU! Thank you Father for your priceless Valentine gift straight from the heart!

Now it's time to share God's love gift with you and let Jesus put a new song in your heart! Jesus is so loving and patient with us. He cares about every part of our lives, down to every little detail. He really does answer prayer!

Jesus loves you!

It's just the beginning!

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

Jesus is coming soon!

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