In the evening of October 2, the Jewish new year, 5785 began. This is also known as the first day of the month of Tishrei, which is the seventh month on the Jewish calendar.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)
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I am not Jewish. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
As a Christian, though, I do pay attention to the happenings in Israel. I pray for Israel and its leaders. I pray for its people. As I do for the Church body, I pray for repentance among the Jewish people (“A Call to Repentance“, February 2024).
I’ve dabbled in trying to learn to speak Hebrew. Well….I’ll never be a Hebrew scholar. 🙂
But I have a respect and affection for Israel that the Lord has given to me, and so, I learn about Israel.
A few years ago, I began asking the Lord for a word for the Jewish new year. It is something I have been doing for over a decade as each new year approaches on the Gregorian calendar. It’s a way of changing the mindset of how we look at the new year.
No more resolutions. Just a word or phrase from the Lord.
Graciously, He has given me Vested (5783) and Transition (5784). Let me tell you, 5784 was certainly a transition year in many ways. 5783’s “vested” was…not really a warning, per se, but a directive or challenge to me. Be fully vested in the Lord. No more straddling the line.
That’s where many in the American Christian church are today. Straddling the line. But that’s a story for another day.
Which brings us to the latest Jewish year, 5785.
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The first thing I noticed is it starts and ends with the number 5. The spiritual meaning behind number 5 is the word, “grace”. A double portion of grace? Or so I thought.
Then I moved into other possible theories. For instance, the “two” 5’s could mean two words for the year 5785. Maybe…hmm…I thought I heard the word “responsibility” one time, and then “accountability” another time. Two 5’s. Two “words”.
That works, right?
Surely responsibility and accountability are my words for 5785! It felt like those words were more for Israel this coming year than me though. I had no peace over those words, so I did not write about it. When I have peace about something, the Lord allows me to write.
No peace. No post. 🙂
I like theorizing anyway, so I soldiered on – not really, but it sounds good as I type it. But seriously though, my ever-analytical mind thrives on pondering various scenarios. When it comes to words from the Lord, I don’t rely on my mind. It never ends well when I do that, so I turn to God.
To keep things in the forefront of my mind, however, I sometimes write them down on a sticky note and put it on my desk. I work long hours sometimes, so I can’t miss the sticky note on my desk. Unless, of course, you’re also like me and you have dozens of sticky notes, in which case, they will end up in my desk where they no longer capture my attention.
But I digress.
I wrote 5785 on a sticky note with those two words above. Working from home, I saw them every day, including on weekends. “What is it you want to say, Lord? What word is for 5785?” I would ask and ask, but nothing.
With no peace coming about any of “my theories”, I decided to break it down to just the basic numbers from a spiritual standpoint:
- 5 = grace
- 7 = it is finished
- 8 = new beginnings
- 5 = grace.
A grace sandwich. Starting and ending with grace. That sounds great. I’ll take it. No peace.
And then within the last couple of days, my eyes were opened.
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I have a really good friend who is in the ministry. From the moment we met, we clicked. We laugh together. We cry together. We encourage one another. And we pray.
We have warred for each other in prayer.
She sent me a prophetic word the other day by someone whom I’d never heard of before. Whenever someone shares something someone else said or preached or whatever, I usually disregard it. It’s not that I don’t believe in prophetic words. I do, but I am extremely cautious when it comes to that stuff.
Just because someone is a Christian – or they say they are – it doesn’t mean they are actually hearing from God. I just…yeah, let’s not go there. Suffice to say, I have my spiritual radar up – aka spirit of discernment – to make sure what they are saying aligns with the Bible.
If they call themselves, “Prophet” or “Prophetess” so-and-so, yeah, no. I mean, where do we read in the Bible “Prophet Samuel” or “Prophet Moses” or “Prophet Jeremiah”? No. They were prophets, but that wasn’t their name.
Back to our story….
I was a doubter when she sent this to me. And then she sent it again with one particular word circled.
UNTETHERED
It was typed out by this person in ALL CAPS just like that too. My jaw dropped, and I was speechless. To understand my reaction, you’ll have to read my January 8, 2024 post titled, “What’s Your Word?”
Untethered is not your normal, everyday word that’s used in daily conversations. I even wrote as much in that post:
When I hear the word “untethered”, I automatically think of a horse or other livestock. A rope is placed around them – usually the neck – to provide a type of restraint. To control the animal and keep them right where the owner wants them.
It’s definitely not a word for the faint of heart. Getting that word, untethered, from the Lord was His way of telling me to remind myself that my home is in heaven, not here on earth. Walking that out day after day on this earth, though, well, that’s another story.
It required a mindset shift in me.
When my friend sent that prophetic word to me, with UNTETHERED, in all caps and circled, well, I was overcome with emotion.
I’ve heard people talk all the time about how God confirmed this and God did that for them, and, quite frankly, I would be jealous. He doesn’t do that with me. At least, not in any BIG way like others would describe. He’s subtle with me. And that’s okay.
Why is that okay? Because it makes me want Him more. It makes me long for Him more. It makes me want to learn more about Him through His word. It makes me hungry for more!
This time though…He prompted the person to write that prophetic word down. He prompted my friend to check Facebook. He prompted her to read that word. He helped her to remember that IT WAS MY WORD!!! And He prompted her to send it to me.
He knew what I needed even before I did. I needed that word. It relieved some tension in my spirit that I had been dealing with in this season. Not the literal “fall” season of today, but as it says in Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV) – and in that famous song by The Byrds:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven
The spiritual season is changing for me. I do not know what it will be, but I know it is changing. Wait. Let me correct that. I should say, it has changed. My spiritual season has changed.
My focus isn’t on the season or even on that word. My focus – I’m trying to, at least – is on Him. I am studying more. I am praying more. I am making more time for Him. Why? Because I’m hungry for more of His Presence. Just being with Him and spending time with Him (see “Date Nights with Abba“).
Which brings me back to 5785.
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Let’s break it down again.
- 5 = grace
- 7 = it is finished
- 8 = new beginnings
- 5 = grace.
Over the past day or two, I’ve been listening for Him. Standing in the line at the grocery story yesterday, I heard Him say, “Do you see it?”
“Umm, what Lord?”
“Do you see it?”
Deep breath. Ahh. “Yes, I see it, Lord.” A tangible presence of the Lord was all around me. I could see it. I can’t explain it, but I saw it. Not bright white or bright lights or anything like that. It just….was.
Just as quickly as I saw it, it left. And then I walked out to my car and moved right along with my day.
5785.
Grace sandwich. It is finished. New beginnings.
SEASONS!
God gave me/us grace for the last season – it is finished. That season is done. A new season has begun – new beginnings – and He will give the grace for it. The season is here.
But what about Scripture to back it up, Sunny?
I am glad you asked.
Ecclesiastes would be the easy choice here. I mean, it is literally talking about “seasons” – new seasons, a time for seasons, etc. But how many know I don’t like to take the easy choice when it comes to Scripture?
Google “seasons in the Bible” and there’s a lot of great verses in there. Nothing felt quite right until I stumbled upon this verse in Lamentations.
Lamentations? “You mean like, lament, Sunny?”
Exactly.
The Book of Lamentations is believed to have been written by the prophet, Jeremiah. In a nutshell, it was written in response to Jeremiah seeing the destruction of Jerusalem. The beloved City of Peace was in ruins. Jeremiah’s writings reflected what he saw.
It doesn’t sound very promising to find a Bible verse to back up my “grace sandwich” now does it? Until you get to Lamentations, chapter 3, verses 22-24 (ESV):
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
What never ceases? The steadfast love of the Lord. What never comes to an end? His mercies. What is new every morning? His mercies. What is great? God’s faithfulness. Who is my portion and who proclaims it? My soul proclaims that God is my portion. Where is my hope? In HIM!
The seasons change. Just like the days, they come and go. No two days or seasons are exactly alike. But through it all the LORD remains the same. His love, mercies, faithfulness – all of it remains constant in the midst of change.
His mercies are new to us every morning because that is how we measure time. We measure it by morning, afternoon and night. It’s measured by seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, millennia. It’s measured in winter, spring, summer, and fall.
Time changes. God does not. He remains constant. Everything about Him remains the same, and that includes His grace. Even though seasons change, God does not. Malachi 3:6 (NKJV) says,
For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
He does not change. That means His attributes do not change either. His mercies are new to us, but they aren’t new to Him. He offers them to us to receive.
Grace is part of who God is too. If God doesn’t change, neither does His grace. Paul said in 2 Corinthians:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
His grace is sufficient. For who? For you! For me! For anyone willing to receive it each and every day.
And….each and every season.
God gave me grace for the last season – it is finished – that season is done. A new season has begun – new beginnings – and He will give the grace for it.
Do you see it?
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Sunny Cadwallader 
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