Q is for Queen Candace

Photo of what to look for to follow.

I want to first of all thank Arlee for featuring my blog on the A-Z site. What a blessing. I also want to welcome my new followers.  - Truly I am blessed and encouraged.

For my regular readers, Arlee Byrd the founder of the A-Z challenge featured my blog as one to help get over the 50 followers hurdle http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2013/04/quick-lets-do-something-now.html. So perhaps some of you who get this in your e-mail or just have me book marked, or catch my links on facebook would become a follower. I've put a screen shot of what to look for to become a follower. It is located on the right side of the blog page. Just click on the Join this site button. (Not the one in this photo). You will notice that presently while I am writing I have 26 wonderful followers. I'd love it if you would help me get to 50 followers and beyond. If you regularly read would you tell your friends and give them my blog address. http://devotionals-margot.blogspot.com/
If I have 50 or more followers at the end of this weekend I will put all your names in a hat and someone will win one of my mosaics. If I have 75 followers I will pick a 2nd winner and 100 I will pick a third. So don't be shy help put this blog on the map.  

Source: kidusmichael.com via Margot on Pinterest

So on to our post topic for today Queen Candace. There are a lot of interesting women in the bible. Some we know a fair bit about and others we are left to guess and have little more than their names mentioned in passing.

You may remember the story of Philip who meets the Ethiopian eunuch while traveling. He explains the scripture to him and the guy believes and is baptized. This eunuch was the treasurer to Queen Candace and had been in Jerusalem to keep the feast.

Candace is a name like Pharaoh that was a title given to a ruler. We do not know her actual name.
He eventually becomes to bishop of the church in Ethiopia and it is said that he converted the queen upon his return. These queens were true rulers there power to rule was not because their husband was the king.

I found this beautiful Ethiopian worship song that I though you might enjoy.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAX7PHVixkk

I also found a prayer for Ethiopia on a site called Pray Ethiopia!

“Almighty God, who has given us this good land for ours “Ethiopia”;
We humbly beg you that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful
of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry,
sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion;
from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion
into one united people. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your
Name we hand over the authority of government, that there may be justice
and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law,
we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth.
In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness,
and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail;
all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Source: metmuseum.org via Margot on Pinterest

Kandake which we have turned into Candace, means queen mother. I was reading that the kings were considered so holy they were treated as gods. The people were not allowed to touch them. As a result the queens were in charge of running things. These were very powerful women. Ethiopia was known as Kush and were descendants of Noah's son Ham who named his son Cush. Generally the land of Cush or  Kush was to the south of Israel.  Kush was the African superpower of its day, Egypt was a daughter that eventually became more powerful. These Kushite / Nubian people controlled the trade along the Nile.

European, white history has tended to try to make those nations white or light brown when they were a dark black, brownish red, beautiful people. I found a another wonderful video that took art relics of the Nubian and Egyptian people and also took photographs of similar looking people today. It might help you to have a mental picture of what Queen Candace and her people would have looked like.
 http://youtu.be/FlGf3dTnhMc

There is a later Candace who was such a ferocious leader that she and warrior that she turned back Alexander the Great.

We have a tendency as people to want to make Jesus in our image rather than being transformed into His. Lord forgive us for our prejudice and how we have treated people who are in anyway different than our own color or culture. Help us to remember that the kingdom of God is made
up of peoples from every race, tribe and tongue. We are a most beautiful variety.

Revelation 5:

⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll,

And to open its seals;For You were slain,

And have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; 

And we shall reign on the earth.”