into the sunset

Ordinary, every day happenings can prelude what I call God moments. While doing dinner dishes, it was still bright outside and the colors danced on the east wall, telling me there would be a beautiful sunset. Dishes abandoned, I left quickly to enjoy the view while driving into the sun. Vibrant colors were splayed across the sky; purples, blues, reds, pinks & orange weaving in and around the clouds as the sun sank into the horizon and I was struck once again by the splendor of creator God’s painting, on the vast canvas for all to see. ‘Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His dwelling place.’ (1 Chronicles 16:27). I LOVE that God was telling us this before we had the Holy Spirit… He is making it clear: Make no mistake. Just in my creating you, you are my dwelling place. Now. Today. Strength and joy exists IN you. Choose it. His splendor & majesty are before Him, even when we can’t see. Whether a bleak day or in the midst of joyous occasion, its still there; waiting for us to SEE. ‘Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of the nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the Splendor of His Holiness. Tremble before Him all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say to the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

Tempted to pull over to take a few pictures, I opted to stay in the moment and kept on driving, singing a new song of praise to our maker; enjoying His presence. Do you remember at the very end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, when a select few are getting on a beautiful ship with white, billowing sails at dusk; luminescent skies in the background? I do. I remember being curious… where they were going? And why aren’t more people joining them? I remember the moment it hit me… Peace filled my heart, an inner joy in knowing. They were going to sail into the sunset. Rest was coming. Their work was complete. Various tasks, some seemingly unimportant… others obviously essential; all woven into a much larger story.

I want to live every day like that… faithful to finish what God has for me THAT day. And when the days add up and the work is finished, I too will sail into the sunset… where I will rest as I wait until you can join me on the other side.

Experiencing the Divine Romance

The howling wind against my window was the first thing I heard as I was waking up this morning. And then I heard it like a song singing over me... a constant refrain in my thoughts... "you are not alone, you are not alone, you are not alone"... I love moments like these. Its not like I don't already know this, but for some reason God has decided to interrupt my ordinary routine of a barely awake morning just to remind me... " you are not alone"... It kept playing over and over in my mind as I prepared for my day. I found myself singing along (and I'm not what you would call a morning person)...

As I read, I came across a few passages that spoke to me...

The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. Isaiah 50:4

I remember a time when being awakened by the Lord in the morning was a normal thing. Lately, I feel His constant companionship but I don't hear Him speak a lot. Its like He just wants to be with me. It has been a time of walking by faith, not by sight... a time of going back and remembering the last thing He said and trusting that if and when He wants to say something to me, He is more then able to get my attention. This was one of those times when it seemed like He cupped my face in His hands as though to say, "Are you listening? Because I really want you to hear me. You are not alone." It was interesting to me that He chose today to say this, because I didn't feel alone.

When I scrolled through my facebook news feed, it quickly became apparent that a lot of people do feel very alone today. It is Valentines Day! Maybe this message wasn't only for me. And then, to top it all off... I was flipping through the stations on the way to work and there it was! "you are not alone, you are not alone..." Leave it to God to be quirky enough to speak to me through a Michael Jackson song...

The other passages are as follows...

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 9:10