Snow
It is icy up here
and the night has been long
I haven’t heard cheer
or the little bird’s song
the dark makes it colder
oh, the shadows of night
I’m not seeing gladness
or the little bird’s flight
how do I wish morning
would make itself known
when eyes would peer out
from the tucked-in, hushed home
they’d see me, and smile
oh, how bright it becomes
when the little bird sings
at the sight of the sun
then with the warmth
and with the glow
I become water
when once I was snow
I fall from this branch
but all the way down
I’ll see the bird dance
and hear its sweet sound
– kb
We have a choice as to where we dwell, and God gave us this ability to choose. He gave us this choice knowing that we could make the decision not to dwell closely with Him. Freedom to choose is something I value highly. I think the same is true for lots of people. Thank You, God, for giving me a choice as to where I dwell. It’s comforting to know that if we choose to seek God and desire for Him to be at the center of our lives, we can never be out of reach of His hand or in any situation where He will not lead us.
This morning I read Psalm 18. It’s a Psalm that King David wrote, praising God for rescuing him from his enemies. It must be a pleasing Psalm to God, and it lives through the ages by means of His Bible. In the Old Testament, God often stresses to the Israelites the importance of passing along what they know of Him and His miracles…His saving power…to their children (future generations). This Psalm accomplishes that same purpose. There were many verses or parts of verses that I underlined while reading it, however one in particular resonated with me in a deep way today…”He took me…(Psalm 18:16).” The whole verse reads, “He reached from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.” But “He took me” sums things up for me in my life. There are all of these complex emotions and thoughts I have every day. Some are helpful and some are not. It’s clear to me that when I try to figure life out without submitting myself before God first, things are confusing, a struggle, and at times, dark. But God doesn’t leave me there. He didn’t leave me there. He took me. He lifted me up from a place of not knowing Him, to a place of knowing that I’m known by Him. He took me from darkness to the awareness of His love. He gave me things I didn’t deserve and topped them with a handful of, “I love you.” And there were no strings attached. Before I knew Jesus, I was on my own, at least in my own mind. I had made my decision that I would lead the life I wanted to and that I was only accountable to myself. I didn’t realize God’s love for me. But He took me. He took me from there and said, “No, I’m real, this is Who I Am, and I love you.” I am sure this is similar to what every parent wants their child to know…that they are not alone and that they are loved.
What is our deepest longing, as people? I would suggest that it is to be loved. I have listened to numerous testimonies by people who at one time lived lives that made it appear as though they gave absolutely no thought to the need to be loved, when in reality, they were yearning for it on the inside. They wanted someone to love them enough to show them a better way of living…someone who had their best interests at heart. Someone who would be a compassionate listener when they needed to vent their deepest frustrations, allowing them to be as honest and flawed as they truly are, and yet still offer love and acceptance. Someone who would allow them to put the weight of their discouragement, fear, anxiety, abandoned hopes, feelings of worthlessness, and all of their other struggles onto them and give them the wisdom to navigate through them. Someone to hold them when they were feeling…done…tired…burnt out…shame…at the end of their rope…and who would whisper, “I love you,”…”I…love…you.” We all long for this, and this is the kind of relationship God offers us through His Son, Jesus.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “the promises of God,” and wondered what those promises were? Well, I know what one of them is. It is that God will send His Holy Spirit to dwell in His people. Not only with them, but in them (John 14:16-17). When I think about all of the day-to-day challenges that come up in our lives, or the small details we ask God to be a part of, I sometimes wonder if He wants to be a part of those things. Does He want us to pray for the courage to speak up in a meeting, or for safety while driving to work? I would say that because He has sent His Spirit to dwell so closely to us (in our hearts), that He does want to be involved in every intimate detail of our lives (and by default, He will be, which is comforting :)). It is not only a promise, but a blessing. Which leads to another promise. That we are never alone.