"The fruit of righteousness will be shalom (peace); the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever" (Isa.32:17, NIV).

Shabbat shalom kol beit Yisra'el from Sweden where the temperature outside this morning is a crisp -20°C (-4°F)!

The message I have for you today will be brief, especially after my last book-length sermon on Rosh Chodesh with the important revelation on the Pillars of Jachin and Boaz that proves the truth of the Virgin Birth by an unexpected route, as I am sure some of you are still wading through it.

I had an interesting experience and meeting with Yahweh yesterday afternoon that I want to share with you on this sabbath day. While in deep meditation I found myself in the Garden of Yahweh walking through a familiar orchard and past the mansion house near its centre. I walked beyond the orchard to a meadow and onto a field on a huge plain. Far in the distance and slightly to my right were mountains, also familiar, the place where I ascend to commune with Yahweh when I want to get especially near.

In front was a wood hugging the edge of the large field and it was there I headed. Instead of going in, I felt led to remain in the field and skirt the wood instead and at length came across what I at first thought was a lake (because it seemed unfamiliar to me) but which turned out to be the sea. There was a small sandy cove or inlet which I descended to on the gentle slope, as I am always attracted to water.

But no, I was not to remain there but turn left and climb a slightly steeper, grassy slope to a height, I suppose, of about a hundred feet or more. Reaching the top, I turned to look out to sea and saw that the sun was setting. I sat down. By the by, darkness settled over the landscape and although I was not aware of any moon, there was nevertheless a twilight enabling me to just about see everything.

There was something familiar to the feel of this place even though I had never seen it with my spiritual eyes before. There was what I can only describe as intense quietness. There wasn't a sound here. Moreover, this was not a place for intense feelings or passion either. Everything bespoke a rich and luscious restfulness, shalom (peace) - not as the world knows it - and quietness.

Wondering why I had never seen this place before, for I have seen much of this inner garden over the years, I heard Yahweh speak a single davar (word), the first of only two words He would speak to me throughout this encounter. The word was malakim which of course means 'angels'. He didn't explain what He meant other to convey the very general sense that this was the kind of inner rest that His malakim (angels) enjoy. They too have their 'sabbath rest'.

It's hard to describe, really, because to say that it was acutely peaceful sounds almost contradictory, but that's eactly how it was, and it was an intensity totally devoid of even a vestige of stress. In this place stress and anxiety cannot exist. It is a place I have been to many times before.

I looked around the hills bathed in this twilight and at the dark sea. This was an interesting kind of darkness, mind you, and not remotely of the negative kind. It was then I heard Yahweh speak His second davar (word) to me, namely, laila. Now I knew that 'Laila' was a girl's name - that didn't feel right - but at the same time I started to understand that He was not telling me a name but describing a state or condition of being. The entire atmosphere was laila. I sat contentedly bathing in this laila when a scripture came to mind, the one that heads this message:

"The fruit of righteousness will be shalom (peace); the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever" (Isa.32:17, NIV).

As I meditated on this I came to understand that what I was experiencing was pure female principle, the proper inner condition of the talmid (disciple) of Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), men and women, who are in submission. Another scripture surfaced:

"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission" (1 Tim.2:11, NIV).

After the vision closed I remained in this sublime ruach (spirit). I found myself 'testing' it, trying to force myself to feel emotionally bubbly or passionate, but I could not. I was yielded to Messiah and I was supposed to understand what this laila was.

I had momentarily forgotten that laila was a Hebrew word - layelah or layil which means 'night' even though I have heard the expression laila tov or 'good night' often enough, like boker tov which means 'good morning', but for some reason it never entered my consciousness until later. So I ended up doing what most of us do by Googling it, and the first result was of the Arabic equivalent, which sounds the same, but which means 'night beauty', and I at once knew that that was the sense Yahweh wanted to get over to me, knowing I would do a Google search and find this.

I had seen and experienced Yahweh's 'night beauty' in the Garden, and knew that it was very tov (good). This was the darkness or night which He separated from the yom (day) so that we would have contrast in our mortal walk. This is the same "thick darkness where Elohim (God) was" that Moses experienced when he approached Him (Ex 20:21, NIV). Yahweh is both Ohr (Light) and Laila (Night Beauty) as opposed to Satan's counterfeit duality of counterfeit light and the complete absense of Yahweh's ohr, the place of evil and absolute darkness. There are two darknesses, one good and one bad. And I had experienced the 'good' kind, the darkness no one should ever fear, because it is beautiful and full of ahavah (love). It is a type of the very sabbath we are observing today. It is a place, a time and a condition for deep surrender and rest.

It's surprising how few people want it. Well, in reality they do, but they reject the conditions on which this shalom are bestowed as we read further in Isaiah:

"In shuvah (repentance, returning) and nachat (rest) is your yeshua (salvation), in shaqat (quietness) and bitchah (trust) is your strength, but you would have none of it" (Is.30:15, NIV).

So many of our bad decisions are made when we do not have this stillness inside, but when we come to that still place, we are able to see many things so much more clearly. You see, that 'darkness' is in reality a place of light too - it's just a different kind of light which dims the things around us so that we can see more clearly within! The Garden was 'dark' but inside was full of light.

We understand things in this life through contrasts, which is why separations must be made sometimes. What appears 'big' in one setting, because we are right up close to it, takes on a different perspective when we stand back from it and allow Yahweh to illuminate it in His perfect light instead of our imperfect or incomplete lighting. It's only as we step back from situations and allow Yahweh to show them to us from His perspective that we can get both a proper sense of proportion as well as scale. We need to see things in context and from the vantage point of a larger dimension.

Those who lived through the London Blitz during World War 2, or indeed in all cities where the war touched, learned that walking from a lit building into a complete blackout outside could only be done safely by first closing your eyes for a few seconds before stepping onto the street. This allowed your eyes to adjust.

We must do the same when we find ourselves in apparently overwhelming situations so that we can adjust to an inner realm of quiet and contemplation to better hear Yahweh's Davar (Word) to us. But most people are in too much of a hurry to do this, they think that ajnything but activity is a sin and guilt themselves if they become still, and can often make ill-conceived choices when stepping straight from light into darkness.

Much sin and temptation arises in those places of our being where we lack this heavenly stillness. We need to find this Lailaland within by asking Yah'shua (Jesus) to take us to this place of stillness so that we can hear Him properly:

"Be still before Yahweh and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret -- it leads only to evil" (Ps.37:7-8, NIV).

May we all courageously deal with the places we are lacking stillness by seeking Yahweh's Lailaland and not lose hope or give up if we keep failing. For courage, as Winston Churchill said, is the ability to go from one defeat to another without losing enthusiasm. And as George Orewell also remarked, mistakes are the portals of discovery. The important thing is not to give up but to keep on going. Those places of stillness are our enablers in Messiah.

The laila-type stillness and shalom (peace) of Yahweh is such a wonderful gift. The Besorah (Gospel) is not all 'charisma', enthusiasm, spiritual fire and activity. That is the male principle and is only half the story. The other half is female and is where we learn to be still, listen and communion with Yahweh on His terms in complete submission and surrender. Only with this contrast can we develop proper discernment and sound judgment.

May Yahweh bless you all for the remainder of this sabbath and guide you in the week to come so that you can meet the challenges headone in the quiet assurance of His presence and leading. Amen.