"Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." Psalms 27:14.
Waiting is something our society is not used to doing in this age of texting, facebook, internet, skype, tv and radio. We can stay connected and know what is happening in our friends lives and around the world with the click of a mouse or the tv remote. We can even have news e-mailed to us from our local or national news channels. Waiting can seem lonely and deafening, when you are walking through the desert.
When I think of "walking through the desert" spiritually, I think of times when you are longing, thirsting, seeking God's presence, but in our humanity we cannot feel His presence. It could even be a sense of feeling abandoned by the Creator God. We all have these times, these ebbs and flows in our relationship and walk with Father God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. During these times, it can be difficult to firmly plant your feet or to see what is ahead. Weariness or fatigue can make it difficult to hold fast to God's promises and stand firm in His truth. The intense heat can make you think you see things which are not there and the sandstorms whirling about make it impossible to see more than two feet ahead.
This past Sunday, my pastor said that when you feel the presence of God or when you feel abandoned by God, you must make sure that your feet are firmly planted in the Truth. This resonated so much for me. I've been walking through the desert for months now. There is no doubt it is so very important during the desert periods that your feet are standing firm. This is where the rubber meets the road so to speak. This is when we put into practice our faith. Do you we really believe all of God's promises or are they just neat stories in a great book? What are they to us?
He never abandons us. Never leaves us. "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever." Psalms 23:6.
Earlier this week the writer of a devotion I was reading cited Psalms 27. Wow, the words leapt off the page when I read them. It has been too long since I have really felt like God was saying, "Heather, read carefully, I'm talking to you." I really needed that too. The Psalmist was saying everything I had been feeling for months.
Though spiritually I have felt as if I were walking through the desert, God has granted me His peace during this time. The kind of peace in the midst of chaos that can only be explained as God given. Though I have not felt His presence, I had His peace.
Today I understood what a gift that peace is. Work has been so busy and demanding of my time. The past six months it seems I finish trying a case only to begin preparing to try the next one. Despite the stress of work, this abiding peace has settled into my being and drowned out the stress. Today I tried a case which has been pending over two years. It was one of those cases which just wears you down and can suck the life out of you if you let it. As I went through my day, His peace was with me. At the end of the day when trial was over and I was on my way home, that still small voice whispered, "I've been here all along. I have been carrying you." His peace is His presence. He has not abandoned me.
Prayer: Thank you,Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit for your peace and your presence. Thank you for carrying my burdens and for carrying me. Help me to continue seeking You and draw me ever closer to You.
Heather Deaton
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