the steady gaze of love

 "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his kingdom." ~Psalm 27:4

held in the steady 

gaze of love.

me gazing at you

you gazing at me

that is the life

you desire

don't let me

settle for less

lie down

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."  He is everything I need; I can rest secure in his love and care.  I need not fear; I can be at peace.  He holds me close in his strong and tender arms and carries me close to his heart.  He will never let me go.

So, lie down, my soul, in his green pastures.  Sit beside his still and quiet waters.  Let him breathe his divine breath into you and restore you.  Let him give you the life and the rest you so desperately need.

And always remember, there is a big difference between reading about it or talking about it and actually doing it.  Do it!  Don't just read about it.  Take his word into the depths of your soul and let him bring it to life.  Let him make it a reality.  Let it enter into you as you enter into it and find your rest in him.  God beyond information to formation. 

divine union

my soul waits in silent trust

held in your loving embrace

a child with its mother

a lover with their beloved

the strong and tender arms

wrapping me up and drawing me

deep into the great affection

of your beating heart of love

hold still, my soul

do not move

do not utter a word

don't take a chance on

spoiling this sacred moment

on disrupting this peace

the bliss of this eternal now

peace

give it to me

whatever it may be

and all your fears

will have to flee

I might not

take it away

but with you in it

I will stay

and your worries

you may release

I will replace them

with my peace

deep healing

Heal us, O God, in a deep and beautiful way.  For it is healing that we need and only you can offer it.  Heal our hearts, heal our lives, and heal our world.  Our wounds are the source of most of our conflicts, issues, and dysfunctions, so touch us with your healing hands of love and make us alive and whole and free.

Healing from the lies we believe to be true is more difficult than the healing of our broken-down bodies.  Because the lies are buried deep.  So deep that we hardly even recognize they are lies anymore, that is until Jesus comes and tells us the truth.  The truth that sets us free.  It is his truth that defines us, gives us our true identity, and sets us free.

For the women in Mark 5:24-34, the lies told her that she was broken, flawed, and unlovable.  But when Jesus stopped in the middle of that street, healed her broken body, and called her daughter, it changed everything.  He not only healed her body but healed her soul.  He gave her a new identity—daughter.  She was no longer “unclean,” she was his daughter.  He set her free from the both the illness and the lies that had held her captive for twelve long years.  And now she was free, since she knew she was beloved, to go take her place in his kingdom.  I wish we were given a picture of what her life was like from that day forward. 

What about you?  What is the life-defining lie you have believed that still holds you in bondage?  What truth does Jesus want to speak to you today in order to bring you freedom?  What does he call you?

get up

if you want to

walk with God

you can't just

stay on the mat

something is 

required of you

continuing on

in old patterns

is not an option

you must get up

pick up your mat

and walk

i shall not want

the Lord is my shepherd

i shall not want

and yet i do

i am filled with want

i'm so in touch with

my own neediness

it seems i bump into it

wherever i turn

i shall not want

is so far from my reality

probably because 

i continually turn to

other people and places

to try and meet my needs

rather than my good shepherd

Lord, have mercy