Last fall I sensed God saying, “come away with me” over and over again. He wanted me to give Him more quiet time because He had something He wanted to tell me. I fought it for a while but eventually conceded. And in the quietness of Scripture and my prayer journal, He said, “Go home.” That began our journey back to our hometown. Fast forward nine months, to our very first morning in our new house. We finally arrived “home” as He wanted. I picked up my Bible and my journal and opened randomly to Song of Solomon chapter 2. (I had never read this before.)
“I am a rose of Sharon...
Arise... and come away with me.”
(2:1,10)
I looked up from my Bible to ponder the words “Come away with me.” I did not know those words were scripture, but that phrase is what started this whole journey home. Immediately I saw out my living room window many rose of Sharon flowers. Our new house is almost entirely surrounded by them.
I went back to my Bible.
“He brought me to the banqueting house,
And His intention towards me was love...
Look, there He stands behind our wall,
Gazing in at the windows...”
(2:4,9)
God was there in the window, in the roses of Sharon. He brought everything full circle that morning and confirmed that HE called us home, to bless us.
Every morning since then, I have gotten up and sat in the same chair staring at those same flowers... reminded of His constant presence. I sit with my notebook and pen, but often there are no words to express the depth of my gratitude.
As the seasons change and the weather cools, those flowers have quit blooming. The mornings are darker now too, so I couldn’t see them even if they were there. This morning I was thinking about the rose of Sharon, admittedly missing them.
“Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice...”
(2:14)
I looked over to my windows and noticed a large white cross out the window. Now... I realize it was the reflection of the beams in my living room... but this morning during prayer, it was a vivid reminder of His CONSTANT presence. This morning it wasn’t just beams, it was Him, reassuring me He is still journeying with us. (This was important because we still haven’t sold our old house yet and so I was nervously praying about that.)
Through that cross He was reassuring me that He is still here. He is still working even when things seem darker and I can’t see Him like I used to. He’s still loving us, even when things grow colder as the seasons of life change.
Moments later the cross out my window began to fade, because the sun began to rise. The sky was colored orange much like the autumn trees. It was a reminder that He’s still faithful to His promise, that newness is always on the horizon, that is if we are willing to look for it in new ways.
I closed up my Bible and my notebook, got my kids ready for school and headed out. On my way back home, as I pulled down my road, I looked at the lake. The song “You Make Me Brave” by Bethel Music was on the radio singing,
“I have heard You calling my name
I have heard the song of love that You sing
So I will let You draw me out beyond the shore
Into Your grace
Your grace
As Your love, in wave after wave
Crashes over me, crashes over me...”
I got out of my van and could hear the waves crashing, the ones I was just singing about. As if my morning wasn’t already blessed enough, He kept revealing Himself even after I closed His word. I can’t wait to see what else He has in store today.
Praying you guys “see” Him today, too, in new and beautiful ways. I pray you have the grace to look and listen, to seek and find. I pray His flowers open up for you, His cross reigns over you, His Son shines upon you, and His waves crash over you. I pray you follow where He leads because, friends, it is beautiful here in His presence.
Happy Monday. ❤️
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