"I will not keep silent because of Zion, and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem, until her righteousness shines like a bright light and her salvation, like a flaming torch." (Isaiah 62:1)
For the skies You call me to roam Are the skies You pretty much own The stars and sun may differ in splendour Yet within You They are held together.
You put a rainbow in the clouds And speak to us in signs and wonders Should we still ourselves long enough to hear We may just hear your roaring thunder.
I know it comes as a still, small voice deep within Yet it’s a ray of sunshine A simple glimmer, a gentle gleam That speaks to us of your radiant beam.
It’s the wind of Your Spirit that caresses our beings Bringing us back to life The life that You spoke into being.
We can feel raindrops falling from the sky Landing gently on our skin A tiny drizzle, or a heavy deluge It doesn’t matter For what we want Is only You.
The trees stand tall and majestic For they too are reaching for You But for The Love that reaches out for us We are supremely grateful to You.
Our hearts flowing out in worship Our souls exploding with praise We know we are ready for the things You have yet to raise.
Untethered, unfettered from the world You have set me free. Like a cageless bird I sing Is what Your Love has done for me.
Is the reason we were born to be free. For The Love that wove us into being Has released us into the majesty of His Heart That knows no limits nor bounds nor boundaries.
It’s endless. It’s constant. It’s expansive. It’s extravagant. It’s jealous for you and me.
Gentle as a dove He descends To swoop us in the safety of His arms So we can indeed be free
Free to be ourselves Needing no affirmation Except The Love that without a doubt Has already said, “Yes.”
Our spirits soar when we hear His Voice We fall to the floor Empty our souls Yet make no noise.
For the ring of victory that echoes deep within We give ourselves to Him Our expectations now secure We confidently say a bold, “Amen.”
“The Blood that was shed for us Has made us white as snow. So let us cast our fears aside And let everyone know.”
Like water flowing downstream Cascading through the rocks Is how we want to flow with you But only over mountaintops.
Taking flight on wings like eagles We want to soar with you above the clouds A view so pristine, so precious That it leaves little room for any doubts.
Closer to Heaven than we’ve ever been We hear melodies as we fly We join in the anthem And say, “good bye, good bye.”
Good bye to the gravity that holds us down And a resounding hello to the breaking of a new dawn We fly light as You lift us up The rays of the sun calling us up.
Excited to see what we’ve never seen before But only believed Brings a ring of joy in our souls For we know beyond knowing That we won’t be the same anymore.
Our only response is a humble, “Thank You,” For the love in our hearts has been prompted by You. The hope in our lungs is the breath you give And closer than ever, we press in.
We press in We pray We praise But above all else, we see You face to face.
Never shall we be the same again For we are found in Love Over and over we go Till we become fully one.
Amen
“So now we come freely and boldly to where love is enthroned to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness.”
Today, I picked up my Bible. As I opened it to those initial pages that come to us blank, but in and through our relationship with The Lord, eventually become full; I was left a bit misty eyed as I saw how faithfully He has led me all these years with Him.
The Holy Spirit landed me on this one verse that grasped me as though I was reading it for the first time,
“Where man fails, God prevails.”
Going back, I realised that He had revealed this truth to me at a time where I had clearly reached the end of myself, the beauty being that where I end, He begins.
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.” (Matthew 5:3, MSG)
For when He begins, we are pushed straight into His Bosom where we are held secure within the arms of Perfect Love who steadies our hearts and anchors our souls. He affirms us of His Faithfulness towards us, and all our fears and doubts simply fall away, empty, because the Love of God is just that full.
So full that it leaves us free. Free to be ourselves in His Presence where the reassurance of living under His Smile brings one to our countenance too. And somewhere it dawns upon us that if it’s His Smile that’s all we have, maybe we have more than enough.
For His Smile tells us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. It’s this reassurance that graces us to yield and completely give in to the process, as fluid and organic as the water and the wind. And as we do, we slowly learn to flow like that too.
We flow like the water and the wind, but we set our gaze upon the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. We learn to see the way He does, and simply let go of the need to understand for the new life that He has freely bestowed upon us is not meant to be understood, rather surrendered.
Looking back, we realise that Faithful He has been. Looking ahead, we know Faithful He will be.
For He never changes, and the truth is our journey in Him only goes from glory to glory to glory. So as we leave behind that which no longer is purposeful, His Love and Faithfulness form the very essence of the trust required to say,
Letting go of the old to embrace the new always requires a space between the two.
Any change that God initiates in our life requires a letting go of what we were once familiar and perhaps, too comfortable with in order to fully and freely embrace the new. It’s a lot like the shedding of the old wine skin so that we can adorn the new.
The new is always unknown and uncharted territory, but knowing The One who goes before makes all the difference. For as surely as He goes before, He also is The One who has been faithful in our journey thus far. As we remember His faithful fingerprints all over the roadmap of our lives, our hearts begin to soften and overflow with gratitude. We become vulnerable to the Goodness of God that remains unchanging and promises to follow us all the days of our lives.
So we find the courage to simply let go. As we do, a hint of nostalgia and a tinge of excitement is perhaps the mixed bag of emotions that we inevitably experience in the gap between “what once was” and “what will be.”
It’s a time where our hearts flow out to Him and we say things like,
“Thank You for the journey thus far, and Thank You for the journey to come.”
Is when we know we are indeed in the gap between the two.
Between the womb that birthed our dreams and desires, and the womb that is now ready for delivery. So the gap is ordained by God to nourish this precious womb. For along with the impregnation of the promise of God, it has carried the weight of it, it has been stretched and it has been faithful.
And now perhaps it’s a bit fragile as it stands on the precipice of something new, something fresh, something much needed.
For the baby that is leaping in the womb now wants to find its way out into the world. But the gap between the internal leap and the external delivery is dignified by The Love of God where the womb that has been through all, now simply needs to know that it’s loved, deeply and dearly.
And too profoundly to ever be let down.
For The Love that impregnated it is also Faithful to deliver.
“Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD.” (Isaiah 66:9)
The delivery awaits a time that is not only appointed, but ordained. The walk towards it with The Lord is deeply personal, intimate and sacred. It’s when deep calls to deep. It’s when we come to the end of ourselves and empty out our souls. And as we do, He is Faithful to fill us up back again.
Our vulnerabilities meet His Strength and our humanity meets His Divinity. We sink into The Love that knew us even before He put us into the womb of our mother’s belly, and when we think about the lengths to which HE went to birth us into the newness of life that we now revel in, all doubt or fear simply dissipates.
All that’s left is a heart cry that is slowly coming into alignment with the sound of Heaven, and this what it says,
The Lord has many attributes as the majesty of His Nature and Character is infinite. We may connect to Him as a Father, but He is so much more than that. Isn’t He?
He is our stronghold in times of trouble. He is our high tower that we take refuge in. He is a safe fortress that we can trust in. He is our mighty deliverer in our time of need. He is our, as this timeless song that I’ve fallen in love with, goes;
“Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness.”
He is also our North Star, and our inner compass. He not only gives us direction, but is also faithful through the journey towards it. For He knows that the journey is meant to bring about growth, change and transformation. So, He tells us with unflinching certainty that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
He is always ten steps ahead. Sometimes, I feel like we are playing catch up. He knows, and I seek to know.
I seek to know so I can follow suit. As I write, Chris Tomlin’s track comes to mind;
“Where You go, I’ll go
Where You stay, I’ll stay
When You move, I’ll move
I will follow You.”
He is our champion and cheerleader. He loves taking us on adventures and then builds within us the confidence needed to remain undaunted. Come what may, He remains the same;
Yesterday, today and forevermore.
He is unchanging and unrelenting in His loving kindness towards us. He grows us up so we learn to lead liberated and empowered lives, and that too, more the inside out.
How?
Because He dwells within. He is an inexhaustible source of all that we need on this journey that He has embarked us upon. For the things that we need along the journey are the things that perhaps grow us up into all things in Him.
God with us when we are weak, God with us who makes us strong. God with us in our vulnerabilities, God with us who holds us close. God with us in the pit, God with us who takes us to the palace. God with us in our brokenness, God with us who makes us whole again. God with us in the desert, God with us in lush, green pastures.
He is our constant companion and always encourages us to be bold, strong and courageous. I can’t even count the number of times He tells us in His Word, one simple thing:
“Fear not.”
Because Perfect Love casts out all fear. And that’s who He is.
He accepts us unconditionally and loves us radically, whether we are doing well or not so well. His exquisite acceptance of us just the way we are sets us free from any need to perform for validation. He is passionate about our freedom.
He is The One who dwells in Glory and simultaneously is the glory within. He stands on the edge of Eternity and calls us by name. And yet, He is eternal life running through our veins.
He is The One Person who meets us in our deepest disappointment and loves us to the core. His grace finds us as we are, but never does it leave us the same.
For He changes us through everything we go through, and is ever present through all our stages of metamorphosis.
So yes.
He is our Saviour. He is our Redeemer. He is our Hope.
And our Hope is alive.
Because even though Perfect Love was nailed to The Cross, and buried in a tomb, the Earth realised that this Love was so huge, so big, so beautiful, so pristine, so supreme and so perfect; that it could not hold Him.
For He is risen.
And because He is risen and we are in Him, we are raised up too.
We are raised up as Sons and Daughters of The Living God – healed, redeemed and set free. We are raised up as the light of the world. We are raised up as a chosen people, a royal priesthood and a holy nation. We are raised up as the righteousness of God in Christ. We are raised up as the head and not the tail. We are raised up as overcomers and more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
I think Scripture says, “through Him who loved us,” simply because it is His Love that breaks through in us, through us and all around us. His Love makes a way where there seems to be no way. His Love covers and empowers us each day we live. And His Love wants to ensure that we aren’t just tasting it, but abiding fully in it so that we can eventually become it.
And slowly I’m learning that as we become love held within the arms of Perfect Love, there is nothing that can stand against.
Leads me to think, “Is that being more than a conqueror?”
There are several of them. Purple, white and several shades of pink. Some are even stripped, but mostly, I think they are plain. Plain, yet vibrant.
A couple of months back, however they hit a period of dormancy where they almost disappeared. Now that they are back into full bloom, they bring immense joy to my heart.
So, I pressed pause for a bit.
I pondered and realized that these things we call flowers are some of the wisest creations ever made. They have much to teach us about the rhythm of times and seasons. They know when its time to simply let go and sink into the soil that birthed them. They know that once they truly do, they will receive all the nutrients they need to grow as they rest. And once they do, they are confident that they will bloom again.
It’s perhaps much the same with us too. As we cast all our cares on The One who cares for us in the complete understanding that He will take care, we can truly let go. Let go of the need to understand, and choose to trust instead.
“The Lord alone is our radiant hope and we trust in him with all our hearts. His wrap-around presence will strengthen us. 21 As we trust, we rejoice with an uncontained joy flowing from Yahweh! 22 Let your love and steadfast kindness overshadow us continually, for we trust and we wait upon you!”
(Psalm 33:20-22, The Passion Translation)
As we wait upon Him, He always comes through. Our rest in Him gives way to revelation that supersedes any need to understand, regardless of what it is that we may be going through. For He is The One who always come through.
He comes through with healing, grace and renewed strength which leaves us more whole and more alive than we were before.
Much like these flowers. From dormancy to full bloom, resting in the soil has made all the difference.
It’s a dense forest here and a rather narrow yet slick bridge is steadfastly making its way through it. It looks like a beam of light that knows where it is going, and the density of the forest around it, doesn’t deter it. Shining like the gleam of silver, it is in touch with pure gold: its destination.
I imagine that it is much the same with us too. Except that we aren’t just in touch with our destination, but The Lord of our destination. Purer than the purest gold, He is who we are in touch with which makes all the difference.
One of my most treasured verses from Scripture is as follows,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
It is very comforting for me to know that even before The Lord formed me, He knew me. He knew everything about me, and yet He chose to choose me. Before the beginning of time, He knew that at this point in time, this would be the pathway that I would be travelling. He knew it by foreknowledge. I, however, know it by revelation knowledge.
Revelation knowledge which has been graciously imparted to me by The Holy Spirit who connects my heart to that of The Father.
The Father who foreknew me and delights in His children walking in the light of His revelation.
A revelation of who He really, really is leading to a revelation of who we really, really are inevitably leads to revelation upon revelation of who He calls us to be in every season of our souls. He knows the end from the beginning, but for us to walk from the beginning to the end, we certainly need revelation. He promises that His plans towards us are good. They are to give us a hope and a future. But what does that really, really look like?
“God will always give you the right amount of light, whether its for the next step of your journey or the next one hundred miles.”
– Graham Cooke
This simple yet profound word of wisdom spoke straight to my core. It dawned on me that the God who foreknew me is faithful to reveal just enough to keep me on track with Him. As a cheerful giver, He delights in giving us revelation knowledge about that which is held quite secure within His foreknowledge. But for this revelation to be received on our part, we do have to actively seek Him and earnestly glean from The Father’s Heart.
He speaks to us in as many ways as He is infinite. And as we remain sensitive to that still, small voice within on a consistent basis, I believe we will always be walking in the light of His revelation. Whether we are seeking revelation on the nature of God, who we are in Him and the hope of the calling that we have received, His Spirit is faithful to reveal the truth.
“The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it.” (1 Corinthians 2:13-16, MSG)
He lets us in on it most joyfully as a Good Good Father who delights in giving good good gifts to His Children. As I write, I can’t help but wonder if these good good gifts that He promises us come in the form of a beautiful guise called, “revelation knowledge?”
He has predestined us for greatness. He has chosen us to be transformed and conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. As we become more and more Christlike, we find that the Destiny we are seeking is already within us. By virtue of walking hand in hand with our Lord, it is only being unraveled and unpacked with each day that we live. For each day comes with fresh faith, fresh focus and fresh favor in order that we may seek fresh revelation from our Father and walk in the light thereof.
For our Destiny is the eternal life that is running through our veins by virtue of who Christ is within us. It is lovingly cultivated each day as we seek The Father to reveal to us who it is that we are becoming this day today, within the context of the situations and circumstances that surround us?
More loving? More trusting? More kind? More fierce?
For the kind intention of the eternal life within us is to elevate us above the state of our situations and circumstances as we tap into the eternal life within. Our external world could come packaged as dense as the forest in the picture, but the light that we are becoming as a result of The Light within will always shine brighter.
Just like the bridge we previously spoke of.
It shoots straight through all that which surrounds it and seems to be a pathway to a brighter world on the other side.
If there is one thing that I could learn from the bridge, it is precisely this.
We too are a ray of light wherever it is that The Lord has placed us, and as such, we can with His help, pave a pathway to a world that is rich and replete with purpose. The extent to which we will realize that is the degree to which we are willing to seek Him on the matters that matter the most to Him, and therefore, to us.
This is where His Spirit comes forth like the breaking of a new dawn with revelation knowledge that keeps us in sync with the foreknowledge of God. Sensitive to His promptings within, we learn to navigate like never before. We start to see problems as possibilities through His promises and through a strong partnership together, purpose is birthed and destiny made manifest. As the journey continues unabated, we begin to experience that not only are we in touch with The One who is purer than the purest gold, but that we ourselves are being made in the likeness thereof.
SoulandSubstance27 