"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)
“The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly.” (Isaiah 60:22,NIV)
The promises of God have no expiration date. Rather, they have an appointed time. The appointed time is when the rain comes. The appointed time is when the harvest is ready. The appointed time is perhaps, even when we are.
The appointed time is seldom when we want Him to come, but always when He has already purposed in His Heart to. For I’m learning that His Heart beats for ours, and though He is concerned about bringing resolution to our circumstances in response to our prayers, He perhaps is also concerned about our response to Him in the process. His promises are designed to take us on a journey with Him, a journey that is replete with experiences that draw us closer to Him, thereby enabling Him to make us more like Him.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'”(Genesis 1:26, NIV)
This piece of truth impeccably encapsulates the primary purpose of God – to make us in His image.
Why?
He is clear about that too.
He wants to make us in in His image because He wants us to have dominion. He designed and intended for us to have dominion over the things that we are called to subdue in our lifetime. The journey that He takes us on, as we aspire to fulfill our God given dreams and destiny, is really one of being transformed into His image as His Spirit works deeply within us to make us more like Him – loving, kind, gentle, peaceful, patient and good. It’s a metamorphosis of sorts because He is a Good Father who delights in seeing His Children take wings and fly into the adventure of the blue unknown.
This blue unknown is really the joy of a manifested promise. It is where we see Him show up suddenly, because we have allowed Him to go deep enough in us to prepare us for the blue unknown for the blue unknown is uncharted territory. It is what we have always believed for but for us to grow roots deep enough in Him to a point where we don’t need parachutes in the spaces that He is wooing us into, He is intentional about first, creating within us the territory needed that will serve as an anchor as we unflinchingly tread into the very things that have our name on it.
The image He led me to as I sought to make this post captures the very heartbeat of what He has laid on my heart. Bedrock that helps grow the scenic lush green grass which sprawls over peaks and mountaintops is the very foundation that makes the majestic landscape that we see, possible. The things that grow beneath the surface are what strengthen the core of the structure that needs to be built. The work that happens in the unseen is what makes the seen possible.
For when the unseen invades and manifests itself, the scenery changes. But the process towards that change is where He meets us as deep calls to deep. An answer to that call is where our “Yes” to the process of transformation becomes a potent tool that allows Our Creator to help us not just survive, but thrive through our circumstances as together, we journey towards an intended and assured outcome. The journey is where we partner with Him and watch Him cultivate within us the full stature of who He has called us to be in this time frame as He prepares us to step into the next dimension of who we are called to be.
Years back, I wrote in my Bible;
“Just because God has a timeline, doesn’t mean He doesn’t have a deadline.”
The years that have ensued since have seen me see Him teach me how to thrive on His timeline so that the process leaves me rich, and the outcome looks inviting. His Love replaces fear, His Grace empowers my weakness and His Mercy keeps me encouraged. Times where I may feel a tad bit restless are met with His peace and patience in a manner so worthy that my only response as a Child held close is,
“If You will do it swiftly, I can wait patiently.”
Lately, this verse has become an anchor for my soul, firm and secure. He tells me that before He put me in the womb of my mother’s belly, He knew me.
There is something beautifully comforting about the foreknowledge of God. Even before I was conceived, He knew me. He knew me by name, He knew where I would be born, He knew where He would encounter me, He knew the plans He has for me. He knew from time beginning the point in time where I would enter into the beginning of times. He knew that in this current season of my life, this is the pathway that I would be treading. He knew all the detours I would take and all the transitions I would need to make. He knew the things I would need to let go of, and the things I simply can’t afford to. He knew the losses I would incur and the seven fold return that He would promise me. He knew the depths of my being before I would ever get a glimpse of His, and He released me.
He released me from Eternity into time as a Daughter of The Most High God. He knew that I would need to know myself the way He does. He knew that I would have to slowly learn to see myself the way He does. He knew that I would have to learn to trust myself the way He does. He knew that I would have to understand that I don’t have to despise my weakness because when I am weak, then I am strong for Christ’s power rests on me.
He knew.
On this side of Eternity, I’m only getting to know. I’m only walking in the unraveling of that which has always been a part of God’s predetermined purpose for my life. I’m only being schooled to align with what He has already written. I’m only learning the power of surrendering to a will Higher than mine and reveling in the joy thus found. I’m only beginning to understand that now that I know more than I ever did, I feel like a child all over again.
A child that longs to know more of her Father’s Heart. A child that wants to be seated in the center of her Father’s Heart. A child that yearns to be found in the high tower of her Father’s Heart.
A child who is adamant to be anchored in the love of her Father’s Heart and rest secure in the foreknowledge of her Father’s Intentions.
For amongst the many things I don’t know, the one thing that I do know is that He knows. And perhaps the best thing I can do with this fragile life of mine, is to simply know Him.
To know Him as The One who holds me through all my vulnerabilities. To know Him as The One who loves me through my deepest disappointments. To know Him as The One who walks with me through the steepest valleys. To know Him as The One who rejoices with me through all the mountaintops. To know Him as The One who has my best interests at heart. To know Him as The One who knows me better than I know myself.
Because in His foreknowledge, He foreknew. And because He foreknew, I can seek to know Him now.
In an age of instant gratification that desires almost instantaneous results, my experience with God has taught me that if He is a God of suddenly, He is also the God of process. Simply because more often than not, even the “suddenly” moves of God are a result of deep process.
Miracles are the norm for God. But to me, the way He teaches us to travel towards them, is the real miracle. The real miracle lies in the person that He transforms us into, day by day, as we journey with Him. It lies in the process where we find each other deeper. The process is precisely where our scars meet His Strength and our weakness receives His Grace. It is the place that He loves to find us in because we start to become teachable enough to understand that the outcome is only a small part of our journey with Him, but the strength of our journey lies in the depths of our intimacy with Him.
It is where we learn to walk with The Lord and find our own unique rhythm and cadence. We learn to wholly and wholeheartedly lean on His Spirit to show us the next step and the next move. We realize that there are times we don’t even need to make a move simply because by virtue of what He has spoken, we can rest. We can abide in His Love and let the power thereof bring in the much needed renewal and revival in our souls. We can let Him anchor us in times that seem stormy, and teach us to navigate our way through the waves till calm is restored and the horizon, cleared.
The process is where He enables us to clear out the debris of doubt, anxiety or unbelief; beautifully replacing it all with the reality of a faith so fortified through the depths of The Father’s Love that it leaves no room for anything of the sort, simply because we have come to a deep place of trusting His Heart for us.
His Heart that is always full. His Heart that is undivided. His Heart that is unchanging.
The process is where our heart meets His and His desires become ours. His timing looks favorable and trustworthy. His outcome remains a guarantee of fulfillment, and His covenant with us is as sacred as ever. Slowly, as all of this begins to dawn on us, we start to feel increasingly liberated. Hand in hand with Immanuel, we recognize that the freedom we long for is right here with us. It’s in a complete dependency on The Lord.
For leaning on Him means gleaning from His Heart; the wisdom, the strength, the grace, the favor and the strategy we need at any given point in time. He is Immanuel – God with us. He is ever present and ever willing to help us, should we let Him.
For as we let Him, we morph into a version of ourselves that has transcended into a being that is joyfully carried on the wings of His Majesty and therefore, in the complete dependency thereof, has now found a new found freedom.
And when you really think about it, isn’t that yet another revelation of The Cross? Yet another revelation of The Love that loves us too much to leave us by ourselves and gave Himself up so that we never have to travel alone.
Never ever.
For we can choose to depend on The One who is padding by our side. The One who has gone before. The One who has our back.
Because He does, we don’t have to. Instead, we can embrace the freedom that is found in a total reliance on Him, a freedom that positions us to partner with Him as we learn to walk more intentionally and deliberately, sensitive to the prompting and the leading of His Spirit deep within. A journey thus surrendered not only acquires the true taste of Heaven, but witnesses the truth that as we slow down, He will speed us up.
Knowing You has revealed to me that I’m not doing life by myself, but with The One that is both, a Father beyond compare and a Friend that sticks closer than a brother. Your unrivalled Love has given me courage to remain steadfast in the face of adversity. Your extravagant Grace has empowered me each time I have felt weak or weary. Your endless Mercy has always met me at my point of need, and filled me to the overflow. Your relentless Kindness has bestowed upon me the newness of life which has a way being renewed with the gift of each day we call, “Today.” Your infinite Wisdom has led me into pathways that I now, in hindsight, understand were vital in my process of growth and development. Your unsurpassed Patience with me as you affirm me and strengthen me in the inner man of my spirit is an experience in Spirit and in Truth that humbles me enough to know that if you can be so patient, then perhaps so can I. Your indepth Understanding of me has brought me to a point where instead of seeking to be understood, I now try and understand others. Your perfect Leadership of my life is a testament to the truth that you know what lies ahead and therefore, I can submit to the your ways in the “here and now,” even when the “then and there” seems a bit obscure. Your unsurpassed Power to do what you promise to do leaves me in ever increasing awe, astonishment and wonder. Your incomparable Splendor on full display in the majesty of Creation, whether it is a crimson speck across the sky or a shooting star in the midnight hour that I have yet to see, always serves to anchor me as You pull me close in the midst of whatever it is that maybe going on. Your incontestable Sovereignty to override all of that which tries to override us not only brings forth greater revelations of who You are, but even of who I am in You – a much loved Child that belongs to You.
Abba, I can ramble on and I know that You know I can. But for now, I will simply pause for a bit, take a breath in and say,
“Thank You. Thank You for who YOU are. For I am who I am simply because You are who You say You are.”
Today marks the beginning of the last week of the first month of the new year, a year that has begun with resonant sounds of, “a new thing.”
I have seen signs of this new thing already and realized that it may not always look like what we expected, but that doesn’t negate the truth that it is. It is, in fact, a new thing.
It is a new thing because it gives us the faith to look forward to new horizons to grace, new frontiers to embrace, new pathways to forge and new trails to blaze.
It is a new thing because it challenges us to leave old mindsets that no longer serve us, and instead cultivate those that will.
It is a new thing because it beckons us to enlarge the territory of our heart and make room for the things that are yet unseen, but sure to manifest.
It is a new thing because as surely as it invites us into the unknown, it also comforts us with the knowledge of The One who goes before.
It is a new thing because it invites us into a new place of fresh surrender.
A surrender to The One who is in fact, in charge of this “new thing.”
The One who wrote this new thing in the prophetic scrolls of our life before the beginning of time. The One who knows the intricate details of our lives and helps us navigate each step along our journey towards this new thing. The One who graces us for everything that this new thing entails. The One who works with us and within us with an unmatched patience to bring about this new thing. The One who brings all things into alignment for this “new thing” to spring forth.
Because it really isn’t about the new thing as much as it is about the newness that this new thing creates on the inside of us; a freshness in the spirit, a renewal of our minds, a revival in our souls.
Because what He creates within us is the very thing that will bring about this new thing.
So as He creates, let us too.
Create beauty. Create freedom. Create space.
Create things with our gifts and talents that point to this new thing, till it isn’t the new thing that overtakes us, but it is us who have overtaken it.
Overtaken it with a grace that comes by being one with The One who has ushered in this new thing, in the first place.
The wind and the waves still obey Him. He stills the storm to a whisper and hushes the waves of the sea. He determines the number of stars and calls them each by name. He breaks forth like the dawning of a new day, and the night doesn’t deter Him either. He stretched out the Heavens and still, made His Home within us.
Eternal dwellings, dwelling deep within.
Perhaps, this is what it means to say that Christ in us is the hope of glory. For The One who reigns in splendor higher than the highest heavens was humble enough to descend from Eternity into time, and give us the gift of being able to experience Heaven within us. By virtue of who He is and entering into a relationship with Him, I feel deeply humbled and profoundly grateful at the thought that we don’t really have to wait until we make it Home, because The Home we seek dwells deep within.
In the vicissitudes of life, the truth that The Truth that sets me free is the same; yesterday, today and forevermore gives me immense comfort and strength. I realize that because HE is unchanging, I can rest. He was faithful through all my yesterdays bringing me into my today and has gone into all my tomorrows. He knows the end from the beginning, and has factored in everything required to ensure the fulfillment of my dreams and destiny. He is always working and arranging things behind the scenes so that when we see the manifestation of it all in the natural, it leaves us in even more astonishment, wonder and awe of the majesty of Our King.
Our King who reigns in glory and simultaneously is the glory within.
Because He is unchanging, therefore we can change and morph into all that He has created us to be so that we can do all that He has called us to do. For we know beyond a shadow of doubt that He will remain the same.
He will never leave us nor forsake us.
He will always be faithful to complete that which He has begun.
He will always make a way where there seems to be no way.
He will always remain true to us and to His promises over our lives.
He will shelter us, shape us and shepherd us through it all.
He will open doors no man can shut and shut doors no man can open.
He will counsel us and correct us.
He will prepare us for what He has prepared for us.
He will be an ever present help in times of trouble.
He will empower and equip us with all that we need to be fruitful in His desire for our lives.
He will go before and make all our crooked paths straight.
He will always love us.
Therefore, we can rest.
We can rest in Him just like a tree rests in the soil that made it. We can rest in Him and allow Him to grow our roots deep as we become sensitive to the still, small voice within. We can rest in Him till confusion gives way to clarity, and chaos turns to order. We can rest in Him till He becomes more real than the bedrock beneath our feet. We can rest in Him till we hear Him say, “You are My Beloved.”
He will never change His mind towards us and His heart is full.
And He never changes.
The world may change. The seasons may change. The times may change.
One of the comments that caught my eye below the video!
Shot against the backdrop of a land that easily captivates the heart of the child within and saturated with the sound of freedom, I hope this song meets you where you’re at and leaves you feeling free and full!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.“Triumphant Thirty!” – tap into the unstoppable to do the impossible
Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King’s Day with a post of a book I authored in 2018. It was a heartfelt endeavor to create a capsule that would encase the testimonies of triumph in the lives of thirty chosen world leaders from various walks of life: politics, arts, entertainment,sports.
One such remarkable person that I had the honor of researching and writing on was Dr. Martin Luther King. As the world celebrates him this day, I felt inspired to share the part of the book that covers but a fragment of a life that at its best, can never be encapsulated.
As I share as follows, I do hope and pray that it speaks to you in a unique way that sparks off your own passion within.
I AM BLACK BUT BEAUTIFUL
October 26, 1967. The Barratt Junior High School, Philadelphia, USA.
Shackles of shame loosened and the spirit of oppression lost its hold as truth reigned and hope soared . Inspiration shook the atmosphere and a burning desire to rise above crippling circumstances took root .
The culprit ? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Born as a conduit of God’s Grace and a catalyst of social change , Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a legend , the likes of whom the world will never see again .
Returning however, to October 26 , 1967 .
Delivering a rather impassioned and illustrious speech entitled, ”What is your life’s blueprint?” in an attempt to illuminate the hearts and minds of the young students present , and stir a dynamic hope for the future ; the heartbeat of Dr King’s message struck home . Instilling a sense of pride , awe and dignity in fulfilling the call of God on each one’s life , irrespective of the colour of one’s skin and the nature of one’s work , Dr. King created history as he spoke thus,
“And when you discover what you will be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do it. Don’t just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead or the unborn couldn’t do it any better. If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.”
Coming from an individual whose work has had not just local or global but eternal ramifications , these are words that serve as the ultimate barometer to gauge the honesty and integrity of one’s work . Pristine . Lucid . Clear . Much like Dr. King himself .
A remarkable Civil Rights Activist , Dr. King’s method of fighting the prevalent evils of racism, prejudice and discrimination in America using non violent means and peaceful protests is best encapsulated in his own words ,
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness , only light can do that . Hate cannot drive out hate , only love can do that.”
Recapping further and turning back time to December 1, 1955. Rosa Parks arrested. Her crime ? A refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama . Not fair . I know . And so did Black America as a simple act of protest against racial discrimination and segregation sparked off a radical movement for Freedom spearheaded by none other than , Dr. King . The arrest of Rosa Parks launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott by 17,000 Black citizens . Increasing in number , vigour and strength by the day , the Montgomery Bus Boycott was a campaign that lasted 1 year and 15 days . It ended only with the Supreme Court’s legislation to legally integrate Montgomery’s public transportation system , thereby declaring segregated buses to be unconstitutional.
This represented an indefinite win in the struggle for justice and equality , an event that caused the Civil Rights Movement to gain unprecedented momentum to ensure full citizenship rights to the Black community . With Dr. King at the forefront , the pulse of the community is best captured in his words as he boldly asserts ,
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
Pressing ever forward towards the lofty ideal of complete liberty , Black America , under the spirited leadership of Dr. King , was unstoppable. Often brutally met with “white violence” , unreasonable arrests and appalling demonstrations of the use of brute force by the police , Black America persisted . Founded securely on the ethical principles of non violence , brotherhood and love in the face of extreme hatred and prejudice , the Civil Rights Movement was a remarkable witness to the strength of character etched into the fabric of the Black Community . The morally excellent leadership of Dr. King was indisputable , a glimmer of which can be felt in his resounding address to his fellow men,
“In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”
Words that are as relevant today as they were then .
Addressing the plight of Black America then and spurring them on to become the highest and best expression of themselves , Dr. King’s celebrated thoughts serve to further every community as a whole . He compassionately and courageously speaks in as eloquently a fashion as is truly his trademark ,
“If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. But be the best little shrub on the side of the hill. Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be the sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”
Be the best of whatever you are . Eternal words that echo in our hearts till today .
As Dr. King , with the mammoth support of several other activists like Malcolm X and Maya Angelou , continued to faithfully campaign for the cause of his brethren , several milestones were achieved .
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement.
The Voting Rights Act signed into law in 1965 aiming to overcome the legal barriers that prevented the average Black citizen from exercising his/her right to vote , was another landmark achievement of the persevering and persistent efforts of Black America .
Striving and striding towards the passionate ideal of creating an oasis of peace, justice and equality; Dr. King left no stone unturned . Having mobilized masses of people with life affirming mantras like ,
“We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope”, the movement was solidly gaining ground .
April 4 , 1968. Memphis , Tennessee , USA .
Dr. King’s assassination.
Yes .
The voice of monumental speeches like “I Have a Dream” and “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” was silenced forever. What endured though is the echo of his legacy , a younger generation that set its sights higher with a commitment to fulfil what Dr. King had started.
This is a legacy that will endure forever .
To even seek to define the individual that Dr. King was is an attempt that will be rendered void . Beyond description, Dr. King was a sheer representation of what liberty looked like .
An agent of change who provoked a new consciousness into being and till his last breath , continued to fan the flame of freedom; a torch of liberty who committed his life to the sole purpose of uplifting the scarred Black Community in America to its rightful place of dignity and honour ; a beacon of hope who endured against all odds till he saw the fruition of what he had initiated; a blazing star that challenged an entire nation to review and re-evaluate its moral and ethical values; Martin Luther King Jr was God’s chosen weapon to chase down the forces of darkness and discrimination in order to bring about the hope of experiencing a land where , to quote Dr. King himself , “little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”
A hope that has not been deferred and a prayer that has been answered .
Yet a movement the eternal victory of which rests in the choices we make every single day of our lives .
“I HAVE A DREAM” is more than yet another iconic speech delivered by one of the world’s most revered leaders . It has emerged as an anaphora that resounds in the hearts and souls of one and all , throughout the world today . It is a desire and a declaration at the same time ,
“that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin , but by the content of their character.”
Dr. King? We couldn’t agree more .
It doesn’t matter whether we are black , brown , yellow or white . Our nationality , ethnicity , education or economic status : nothing matters . What matters is that together , we form a unified body , the human race , that represents one mind , one heart , one spirit , one truth , one voice , one liberty , one freedom . For one and all . Once and for all .
It’s time .
If this has spoken to you and you wish to delve into more real life stories of grit, grace and guts that have served to inspire me on my own journey through life, I shall joyfully share the links as follows. The book is available on Amazon.
If you are a resident of India, the link is:
As you click on, “buy on Amazon,” you will be directed to the page.
If you are residing outside of India, the link is as follows:
You are an intricate part of me that I wove into being even before I laid the foundations of the Earth. I think about you all the time, and am always working on your behalf. I understand that the circumstances of this life may want you to believe otherwise, but the Truth is that even circumstances are only tools in my Hands to invite you to come closer and go deeper. As you learn to abide in My Love, you will find yourself living above the state that is simply circumstantial, and with one touch of Heaven, susceptible to easily crumble so it can be raised up into the newness and wholeness that was always my original design and intention towards you, My Child.
I am Love, and therefore you are My Beloved. I loved you at your worst, and your best will not move me either. So, I invite you to lay down the burden of performance and simply rest in me. I will lead you beside quiet waters where you will find a refreshment of your spirit and a renewal of your soul. In stillness, you will hear my beautiful voice again and the sound of Love resonating with your spirit will cause to find the strength you need to soar again. You will mount up on wings as eagles, for that is the life I have planned for you.
As you come and surrender to me the cares that try and weigh you down, I will fill you with a peace that surpasses understanding. Your heart in alignment with mine, and your steps in sync with mine will pave the way for a walk with me that will leave you in astonishment, wonder and awe. I will sensitize you to the beauty of the gifts I have already surrounded you with and you will marvel with gratitude. Your rejoicing in the simple things of life will cause a softness in your heart that will allow me to pour even more of My Love into you.
It is My Joy as Your Father to restore and redeem every part of your life as you come to me. I will recreate all things as though nothing was lost and fill you with a joy that comes from another world. You will morph into someone who is content in all circumstances because you have encountered The One who transcends all circumstances. Your joy in knowing me will surpass any challenge that seems to dim your view and passion for life.
I will give you a new perspective on the times and seasons that you find yourself in. This perspective shall flow from The Throne Room of Grace and the very things that daunted you, will blossom into opportunities for you to transform into a more loving, kind, bold and courageous version of yourself. You will no longer run away from what seems to be unknown, but rather embrace the tide of the unknown as you trust in Me to teach you how to surf through it all.
So, even though you do not know what the future holds, rest in the knowledge and the faithfulness of The One who holds it. I have engraved your name on the palm of My Hand and the thoughts that I have towards you are to prosper you and bless you with a confident hope for the future. Walk with me, Beloved and I will show you the way.
SoulandSubstance27 