Daddy

I wrote this poem some years ago, and I loved it then. But after I heard a teaching, I realized that I needed to make a change. The poem was about Yeshua, but as I went over it in my mind, I realized that all the attributes were of God the Father. There are many ways to interpret that, but I will just leave it at how much I love and trust my Daddy.

Daddy

El Shaddai?
– Yes dear.
I crawl into His lap and
look into His eyes.
I study His face,
memorize Him by touch.
– Nothing.
I just want to know You.
– I know, He smiles.

Abba!
Frightened by the storms,
I cling to Him.
– Yes, My child.
He becomes a strong shelter;
a Rock that draws me near,
One who is not shaken.
– Nothing.
I just want to know You’re there.
His strong arms protect me.
– I know.

Papa God
I cry.
I sob with a bleeding broken heart
dejected, rejected in my hands.
– Yes, My love.
He takes the heart,
bruised and battered by people and life,
and exchanges it for His.
Restored and whole,
I draw near to Him.
– Nothing.
I just want to hear Your voice,
feel Your love.
– I know, He says
and draws me to Himself.

Daddy?
– Yes, precious.
I look with love into His face,
nestled against His chest,
enthralled by His heartbeat.
As I sit in His presence,
absolutely embraced
in His powerfully loving arms,
words fail me;
not even necessary.
I enjoy just…
Him.
– I know.

Peace I Give to You…

So an amazing thing (to me) happened the other day. I was coordinating a wedding, and the rehearsal and ceremony was this past Friday and Saturday. All through the preparation, the bride was pretty laid back and even keeled. The week of the wedding, the pastor officiating became deathly ill, and she had some major problems with her thesis work up until the eve of the rehearsal. Needless to say she was a little keyed up. Not a lot, but those things were quite unsettling. Anyway we got through decorating and the rehearsal, and the bridal party left en masse for the dinner. It wasn’t the most stressful time I’ve had, but I was glad to get some breathing time. The bride called me saying she left some stuff at the church, and she sounded wound up. She came back and got her stuff, and I just took one look at her and grabbed her for a hug. My thinking was that I couldn’t offer her anything any more than a physical support to everything she was going through. When she finally stepped back, her eyes went wide, and she kind of breathed a surprised wow. I’m like, what happened? She said she felt an incredible amount of peace when I hugged her, a peace that just flowed over her. Really? Are you kidding me? But no, I saw her leave much calmer than she had been all evening.

So what was that all about? Random thoughts rushed through my head, and the second thought that I grabbed onto was that part in Lord of the Rings when Lady Arwyn was taking Frodo to her father, and he was fading fast. As she held him, she declared something like, “Let the grace given to me pass unto you.” Not word for word, but that hit me kind of hard. But the first thing, and the most recurring thing that I thought of was that verse somewhere in the Brit Chadasha, or New Testament, where it says something like, “Peace I give to you, but not as the world gives.” God has given me peace, an incredible amount of peace. After going through some earth shattering trials, and some soul and spirit wrenching healing, I’ve come through with the knowledge the Jesus is my Everything, and nothing else. What I didn’t know is how I could relay that, how I could share it. But as I looked at that bride to be who was totally transformed by a simple hug, I knew that God was taking care of that, spreading that peace He’d given me to others, just by me doing what I do, “doing the daily”, as my brother says.

So the next day, as I’m taking care of the little details, I check in on the bride in her preparation room every now and then, and at one point in time, everyone was dispatched elsewhere, and I just chatted with her about nothing and everything. Someone came back and wanted to see how she was doing, sure she would be a little uptight and nervous, but she just smiled and sat back and told the other girl that she was just relaxing and enjoying the peace I brought with me. I can’t begin to explain how amazing that seems to me, but how much that encourages me.

So, may I bless you with that same peace? In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Blessing upon you, and let the Peace that passes all understanding invade your hearts and minds.

A world that cannot be shaken

This is thoughts from one of my devotionals from class…

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3)

I was talking to a customer today, and he was discouraged and feeling despair- I could almost physically feel the hopelessness washing out from him. He was caught up in the financial instability, and even though he was glad that Obama was elected, this man didn’t see how things could be fixed. He said it was a scary time and scary place. I told him it could be, if I was focused on this place, but I know of a world that cannot be shaken, so what’s happening now doesn’t really frighten me. We had an interesting discussion – he was intrigued, but I don’t believed he was convinced – but that scripture made me think of that conversation. Even when the world around us has crumbled, God will keep us in perfect peace if we train our mind on Him and trust Him.

I honestly didn’t think about that before, but I realize that now. God is bigger than any situation I can come up against, so what’s the sense in losing my peace? If I can keep my mind focused on Him, I can ride the waves of a rocky economy or a trying school day with grace and the authority of the love of God. It’s surreal, but so true. God gives me peace in the middle of a storm, a peace that passes all rational understanding.

He is so amazing.

Going Through the Valley

I have a poem I wrote during 40 days of fasting and praying. I like poetry and prose, it’s what I do, and it sometimes expresses things better than a whole bunch of words. One unique thing about this one is that it was a journey. I began it at the beginning of the 40 days, and finished it at the end. It still calls stuff out of my heart…

Through the Valley

Psalms 139, 23

Storms rage, the winds roar
The foundation shakes but stands whole
I hang on to that, my rock, my faith
The world tremors and crumbles
And I hold fast.
Then a whirlwind comes
Everything – Everything disappears
And my heart is plunged into blackness.
There have been many trials
Many obstacles, many attacks
Hurts have cut deep
as to leave me breathless,
And, I’ve found my way home.
And yet,
I stand here trembling.

It has never been so dark.

Lord…

There are no words
Nothing that even begins to flesh out
My desperation,
My need,
My heart’s cry.
The Valley of the Shadow of Death has found me
And I can’t even find the light that makes the shadow.
One step.
Another.
Making my way through the valley,
Broken,
Shattered,
Convinced of my Elohim and who He is
But feeling so alone,
So overwhelmed by the darkness.
A whisper of breath,
An ethereal caress,
And assurance settles deep in my heart.
“Yeshua can find you in the darkness.”
A hand holds mine
And walks along side of me,
Guiding me through the darkness,
No longer overwhelming or frightening,
But surrounding us in intimacy.

Yeshua…

His presence turns my upside down world
Into absolute peace.
The storms, the winds, the darkness-
Nothing matters.
He fills me and restores my soul.
It takes flight and I proclaim:
He is Everything!
My Everything!