"For I know the plans I have for you,"
says the Lord.
"They are plans for good
and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.
In those days when you pray,
I will listen.
If you look for Me
wholeheartedly,
you will find Me.
I will be found by you,"
says the Lord.
Jeremiah 29
sometimes
the future can look bleak.
hope can be hard to come by.
hearts and dreams
lie
s
h
a
t
t
e
r
e
d
and
s c a t t e r e d
in pieces
on the ground.
you prayed and prayed
for the miracle you knew
He could perform with
but a breath,
yet the one
so loved is
gone.
the job
desperately needed
seemed to slip through
your fingers.
the addiction
still grips
and the dark
still suffocates.
and the list could go on.
the heart pleads:
'Abba Father,
pull back the curtain,
just a small corner.
reveal a fraction
of that future.
a sliver of
hope.'
sometimes just a glimpse
is enough to keep the
heart
beating.
and the heart
grasps onto
that sliver of hope.
His Spirit gently
dances
twirls
sways
to the music
of that hope.
and tenderly He
colors every corner
of darkness and fear
with the colors of the
rainbow.
and with His presence,
even if not understood,
is a breath
of fresh air stirring within,
whispering of
His love
so boundless,
so glorious,
so furious,
so tender.
and when that heart
sees Him and calls
out His name,
He
will
listen.
and He promises just
enough hope
and grace
for
today.
"What do you think?
If a man owns a hundred sheep,
and one of them wanders away,
will he not leave the ninety-nine
on the hills and go to look for
the one
that wandered off?
and if he finds it,
I tell you the truth,
he is happier about that
one sheep
than about the ninety-nine
that did not
wander off.
In the same way
your Father in heaven
is not willing that any
one
of these little ones
should be lost."
Matthew 18:12-14
the rain falls.
heaven's tears.
tears for the one.
always the one.
for was that not
the very essence
of the ministry
and life
of Jesus?
how often did
He not look
beyond the
masses to
make eye contact
with the one?
and is that not
the beauty
so compelling
of the gospel?
the one.
especially the lost one.
the one wandering.
the one running.
the one crumpled
in a heap on the ground,
convinced
the darkness
too dark.
the sin
too horrific.
the addiction
too strangling.
the future
too hopeless.
life
too
crushing.
oh but it is to that one
Jesus whispers these words:
"Come to me,
all of you who are
weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble
in heart,
and you will find rest
for your souls.
For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
and often He speaks
with no words.
just a look from
His eyes tender
draws the one
to His heart.
He steps into the
prison cell bringing
forgiveness and hope
and light.
for no dark
of night exists
that His Light
cannot pierce.
He steps into the room
of the one
holding the means
by which he intends
to end the
relentless
pain of
life.
gently He draws
the broken one
into His arms,
whispering,
"you. are. not. alone."
oh heart so heavy,
do not give up!
do not give in!
you are priceless!
you are loved!
nothing.
no. place.
no. circumstance
no. place. in. which.
you. find. yourself.
is. too. far.
is. too. dark.
is. too. deep.
that Jesus is not there
with you.
the one.
the details,
the story lines,
the situations
differ with each
one,
but His love
is the constant.
and His love is
relentless.
passionate.
glorious.
furious.
tender.
and always
His love pursues
the one
to the
last
heartbeat.
and the beauty?
He uses the one redeemed
to be His arms and hands
and voice and touch to
help lead
the other one
back
home
to His heart.
compelled.
a word grabbing
my heart.
bound by and wrapped in
His Spirit.
the very
breath of God.
I want to be
compelled.
I want to be so
wrapped in His breath
that He is
my one thing,
my one desire.
"However, I consider my life
worth nothing to me;
my only aim is to finish the race and
complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—
the task of testifying to the
good news of God’s grace."
Acts 20:24
yet so often I become
distracted.
disillusioned.
doubting
my purpose.
my ministry.
and it is at that moment
I must remember:
if seeking to know
Him more
is my one desire,
purpose and ministry
will simply be the
overflow of the
love story
written before
time began.
the love story
written in red,
engraved on His
nail-pierced hands.
and could a greater
reason exist to
be compelled
by His breath
than this?
sharing
His grace,
His mercy,
His tenderness,
His boundless love,
with a world
so lost, so broken,
is purpose and reason
enough for me.
compelled by His Spirit.
