On a clear night under a blanket of glimmering stars…
A young girl waited.
Frightened and full of faith, she considered the gift she carried.
It lingered in her thoughts like a dream.
The Hope of the world within her awakening a courage she had never known before now.
Her heart wrapped up in the arms of a Savior not yet born.
But soon.
Every breath held anticipation as the moment drew near.
She waited.
She prayed.
Tears glistening on her cheeks, she held tightly to hope.
And then in the stillness it came.
Peace.
Like a vast sea washing away her fear.
She was chosen.
Her.
And it was enough.
She was enough.
The child who would call her mother would, one day, call the whole world into freedom and salvation and love.
The Light of the World.
Her son.
Her Savior.
In the Presence of Perfect Love
…
You stand in the strength of the Lord.
I thank God for your gentle soul.
Your Divine peace.
Your stillness.
On the churning waters of my life.
…
You rest in His love.
You raise others to His grace… to salvation.
I gather in your presence.
His presence.
His majesty.
His brilliance.
His Word.
…
He speaks to me.
Through you, my waters are stilled.
My heart is stilled.
My soul is quieted.
…
I wander.
I wonder.
I traverse what I know.
My heart is troubled.
It is full of doubt.
…
Speaking over troubled water.
With a voice strong and soft as spring rain.
You speak.
…
Fearlessly, your tentative hand reaches mine.
Unsure.
Unsteady.
Cautious.
…
We touch.
We sense.
We wonder.
We question…
…
Satan stands and accuses us.
Yet, God will not listen.
…
Dormant.
Emerging.
Expectant.
Eyes look.
Hearts beat.
Fingers grip.
Christ saves.
…
We measure distances.
We measure words.
We measure meanings…
We find no meaning.
Only Him.
…
Here.
Buried inside Christ.
Held in His life.
We meet.
We open ourselves.
A rose blushing in spring.
Your voice.
I hear your voice.
Calling me.
Urging me forward.
Strong and sure and full of fears.
…
Your voice.
Your transforming voice.
Trusting my heart to your fears.
Holding me.
Protecting me.
From the lies of Satan.
Where we are not.
Tempted.
Closed.
Untrusting.
…
The beauty of you.
The triumph of you.
The glory of you in Christ.
What of it?
Why of it?
…
My heart aches with the fallen.
Darkness holds me outside your flame.
Drifting with you.
Sharing through you.
It is clear.
No scales cover my eyes.
You, holding yourself in fear.
You, living inside my heart as an ember,
Becomes a flame.
…
We. Unsure. Alone.
Stand arm in arm.
Stand as one soul.
Stand apart.
Waiting.
Sensing.
Touching without trust.
,,,
His voice.
His heart.
His grace.
Inside ourselves.
Melted away.
Cleansed us.
Washed us.
Encompassed us.
,,,
Undone.
I fell to my knees.
I begged forgiveness.
I sought freedom.
I gave my broken heart to Him.
I looked.
I saw… You.
In my heart.
In my soul.
In myself.
,,,
You took wing.
Sensitive.
Above me.
You soared with my prayers.
Here! I called.
Here! I prayed.
Here. I whispered with my Spirit.
…
Stillness fell upon us.
Quiet spoke to us.
Dawn wakened us.
Light burned away the darkness.
…
Naked souls.
Weighted down with self.
We stood.
Eye to eye.
Heart to heart.
Soul to soul.
…
Hand in hand.
We stood before God.
Without fear.
Without doubt.
Without reservation.
…
God came to us in that moment.
God held His hand in ours.
God stripped away the fear.
God embraced us with His love.
…
He forgave you.
He forgave me.
He spoke Truth.
…
We stood eye to eye in the presence of God.
In the presence of trust.
In the presence of what we did not know.
…
We stood eye to eye.
We became.
We embraced.
His peace.
His heart.
His Love.
…
Fear melted.
Eye to eye we saw the joy.
We embraced His Love.
God’s Love in one another.
For one another.
With one another.
We rejoiced.
We sang prayers to Him.
As God’s Love became ours.
Amen.