Engine, Engine Number Nine

On June 27, 2024, a surprising realization dawned on me as I took advantage of the time by stretching while waiting for the coffee to brew. My calves and Achilles felt very tight, so I put one leg on the counter and held the stretch for a count of 9. Then I changed the angle to stretch another part and counted into the stretch until 9. After moving to the second leg, it suddenly occurred to me that I stopped at 9. I don’t ever remember holding a stretch to 9! I usually go to 8 or 10. This unexpected discovery piqued my interest when the Holy Spirit had me look at the clock on the microwave. It read 6:39 AM! I stopped stretching, stood up, and started speaking to God.

“OK, what about the number 9? What are you saying to me? The only thing I remember right away about this number is Galatians 5:22 - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - the fruit of the Spirit has nine elements. Now, some people say there are nine fruits of the Spirit. But that’s not the correct interpretation. It is one fruit with nine characteristics or elements. These elements have to do with who I am: my character development! And when I walk in the fruit of the Spirit, I am living in the Spirit. When I live in the Spirit, I bear fruit that helps people and myself walk in the power to overcome the enemy’s temptation toward me. So, Lord, what else are you saying this morning about the number nine?” (And yes, this is typically how my intimate talks with God go, complete with sidebar thoughts that distract from the main point to Him, LOL!)

This conversation set the stage for a deeper spiritual reflection.

When I shared my discovery with my husband, Christian, he said, “6+3 equals 9.” His ability to unlock profound truths with such simplicity always amazes me. This ‘equation’ hadn’t even crossed my mind. Yes, when I stopped stretching to look at the microwave clock, the time was 6:39! I realized in a moment the significance of those numbers. Six is the number of man/humanity, and three refers to the Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). The result is nine, which means finality, divine completeness, and judgment.

In the Bible, the number nine marks pivotal turning points. An example of a turning point is Acts 10 when praying at the ninth hour of the day, the Spirit told Cornelius to meet with Peter. Cornelius, an Italian professional military commander (centurion) and a worshiper of God, would later be baptized and receive God’s Spirit, becoming the first Gentile to follow Christ. Peter, the Apostle and first church planter, also had a turning point because of his encounter with the Spirit and seeing Cornelius converted. This spiritual significance of the number nine is genuinely enlightening because it shows the finality of God’s agenda to bring the Kingdom to not only the Jews (through Jesus) but also Gentiles (starting with Peter but completing that assignment through Paul).

Abraham and the Number Nine

Do you know the first man perfected (this word means matured or made complete) and prepared to be divinely completed by God? Abraham! So, here are some nuggets I rediscovered in scripture:

First, we can think about this logically: The number 9 is about finality and completeness. Consider a woman who carries her child in her womb for nine months. At the ninth month, the woman is ready to give birth. The baby inside her is mature and complete, and that promise is ready to be born.

Question for thought: How do you know the promise to you is ready to birth? How do you know you are ready to birth that assignment God placed inside you?

• First, here is a condensed backstory of Abram. In Genesis 15 and 17, God twice appears to Abram, choosing him as the covenant bearer. This covenant was unconditional because God bound Himself to it (Gen 15). Then, in Gen 17:23-27, the rite of circumcision became the covenant sign. God chose Abram, who would birth a people group (Gen 12:2-3) that would be national, personal, and universal. But how? Abram had no children! In their strength, he and his wife, Sarai, brought about a son. That son would become a source of pain and strife. (Read Gen. 16 for context.) But get this: Everything Abram went through brought him to a place of maturity, and finally, at the age of 99, his wife, Sarai, 89, conceived the son of promise! And all that God promised to them came to pass.
• Second, let’s look at it through the Bible. Hold onto the keyword - be ready. In Genesis 17, Abram was ready, and it all went uphill for him after he fully surrendered. What is his posture here versus his posture in chapter 15?
• My Discovery: Nine is used to establish men and women who are complete in the grace of God—this earthly perfection (completeness). Abram is an example. Because of his surrender (Gen 17:3), obedience (Gen 17:23-27 and 22), and faith (Gen 22), his name was changed (Abraham), and maturity was complete. He also could stand before God and bargain or negotiate with Him (Gen 18:16ff).
• As a result, he and his wife are among those in what I call the “Hall of Faith.” Hebrews 11:2 states, “For by it (faith) the elders obtained a good testimony” (NKJV). Read Hebrews 11 to learn about these “elders,” or, as Bible commentator and teacher Rick Renner says, “Old Testament Faithkeepers.”

Spiritual Fruit

Nine connects to spiritual fruitfulness.

When God highlighted the number nine, immediately, the nine elements of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) entered my mind. Now, the fruit of the Spirit makes us complete and mature when we walk in it. The feeling I had when seeing the number nine when my eyes fell upon the microwave clock was a sense that a change to being complete was coming. All the old stuff, falling away and off me.

Thoughts of the various assignments, activities, and life situations that held my heart surfaced: the issue with my Honda after being struck by an uninsured young driver at the end of May, the writing projects of grants, proposals, a video performance audition, and books I must get back to writing. And, of course, the never-ending administrative work of my music school.

What is God saying in this ninth hour of my life?

Many weeks before seeing the number nine highlighted, the comments that incorrectly poured out of my mouth were: “I have to try to find extra income sources this summer. Grant writing is a must because the business needs income. I have to finish this idea for a book for my music students I got last January, so I can...”

Can you point out the flaw in my mindset?

After writing grants from April 1 to about mid-June 2024, rejections flooded my email box. One of the earlier grants I applied to was explicitly for women-owned businesses. I passed the second round and became confident I would hold a victory spot of $10,000. But a month later, the email I received informed me of the rejection of my wonderfully written submission.

“Am I focusing on the wrong thing?” began the cry of my heart. My eyes opened a crack to the possibility that my alignment was off. But then I continued arguing, “But as a business owner, I am supposed to write and apply for grants.” However, it became abundantly clear when the rejection-after-rejection emails got me thinking that God wanted me to release (let go of) focusing on grant writing for a time because it caused me to fall into various temptations.

Lessons Learned from Nine

Good fruit manifests only when I keep my hand out of the mix of trying to make something work. In other words, when I don't let go of what doesn’t produce good fruit, I am not allowing God to work. When I don’t allow Him into my day or projects, I do not leave room for Him to move. My heart then will have no space to build the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

The walk, then, is slow-footed and prideful when the excellent fruit is absent.

Seeing the number nine taught me, reinforced within me, and encouraged me that God wants to use and mature me. Like Abraham, God chose me for something unique. While there are consequences to not obeying, His goodness and faithfulness grace me so that, in the end, I am full of grace to be used as His earthly vessel. My heart is open, having learned from my mistakes and grown to see the way He does. He has given me hope through the pages of His book so I can read about the elders' losses and victories of their faith journeys.

Let Go and Stand

Here are three examples of nine at work in the book of Genesis. Back to this book, you can trace the origin of anything and everything because its name means beginnings. Give it a good read if you haven’t already. Then, stop sitting and let go.

1. Lot’s wife. In Genesis 19, she and her family are running out of Sodom, their home for many years. As fireballs hurl from the sky, destroying everything they strike, the angel of the Lord instructs them with these three words of warning: Flee, don’t look back, and don’t stop. But because her home and lifestyle had such a stronghold on her heart, Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. She could not let go of her life and lost it. She is stuck that way to this day. Jesus, in one of his life group sessions, told his followers, “Don’t forget Lot’s wife,” as he warned them about keeping their life (like Lot’s wife) versus losing it for Christ (see Luke 17:32-33). Read in Genesis 13 how Lot and his family settled in Sodom in the first place. While there is a bit more to the story, ultimately, her disobedience and Lot’s fear caused their daughters to commit incest. Lot’s wife (not even named in the text) couldn’t let go. And because she couldn’t let go, the judgment would be that she would stand frozen for eternity and become an object lesson to us in what divided loyalty looks like. But God is good. He didn’t forget his promise to Abraham concerning his nephew Lot because Lot was positionally righteous before God, even though his choices were hypocritical.
2. Rachel. She stole teraphim (household idols or family gods) from her father, Laban. Her husband, Jacob, didn’t know she had taken them, and Laban blamed him for stealing them. Rachel lied to her father about having them. Years later, she died right after she birthed her last son, Benjamin. The text does not mention why she stole them, but many commentators offer their conjecture. Idolatry produces nothing good. Holding onto good-luck charms and worshiping idols is forbidden as a follower of Christ. Read her story in Genesis 29-35.
3. Abram and Sarai. I have already discussed this above, but it bears repeating. In Genesis 15-16, they took matters into their own hands because God took too long. Strife was born, and it still exists to this day. While they made a mistake, God still provided for the son of conflict. God is that kind of Father, working things out from the messes we make. Abram and Sarai surrendered, and the son of promise was born. Sometimes, we have a hard time letting go of operating from our logic, tradition, or strength, but when we do, what unfolds for us is beautiful in His time.

Faithful Melodies

The faithful melodies of the following songs profoundly hit me. In the days following my number nine experience, I heard the lyrics from “Open Space” by Housefires: “What are you saying? Where are you going?”

And then, while vacuuming on July 1, I heard, “This is what the Lord says: Write down everything that I’ve done. But leave some room because I know He’s not done,” from ‘Leave Some Room’ by Impact Worship (produced by my son Chris Calderon), I knew I had to stop, drop, and listen.

Like Abram and Sarai, I operated in my strength, trying to effect situations into existence even though God had told me a long time ago what would happen. But it wasn’t happening fast enough; I was trying to balance everything alone (without Him).

Sometimes, we are slow to see what’s right in front of us. One day, in mid-June, I began another grant and heard it as clearly as if my husband was talking to me. God said, “Do not focus on any more grants right now. Instead, focus on what I am giving you to write.” I closed the app, shut off my Mac, and went before the Lord in silence and repentance. It is now July 7, and I haven’t written a grant since that command. Until He tells me to apply for a grant, I am committed to only writing what He’s saying.

And so, this chapter about the number nine is one piece God had me put on paper. I share it with you as a thought-provoking encouragement. As my friend and minister of the Gospel, Eric Sexton, says, “Stop playing!” Why is there a delay when you know what God has said and called you to? Why are you speaking like one who has a double mind? “Stop playing!” Stop holding back. You are good enough, equipped, and efficient. You carry the engine fueled with what is needed. Prepare for the assignment within you because time is short. Jesus is coming back. God wants to complete (perfect, mature) you to deliver the message birthed inside your soul for His glory.

Practical Engagement

Listen to the songs I referenced above. Dig into the lyrics and apply scripture to them. Think about the areas where you have been operating from your strengths instead of relying on God's strength. Write these down as an act of obedience in surrendering. Then, stand to see His goodness and faithfulness over you.

“Leave Some Room”

https://open.spotify.com/album/0AGmNIHSdqhHK50ZZWfqYj?si=Y0U19Yh_R8StcEY-d5D6UQ or here: https://youtu.be/JRaU_jk9SWg?si=Og0RrM2WTL1d0umd

“Open Space” https://youtu.be/hpdloYnlQJU?si=M-eo9PFg8aMR55WT