I reached out and held His hand, as I felt His nearness sitting in my car outside my home. Crying and asking for deeper, for more of Him. I felt His love say that’s not close enough, and He let go of my hand and picked me up as I laid my head on His chest. That’s better.
Waves of nearness and waves of quiet are normal in our relationship with Christ, but whatever tide is pushing or pulling, God is always wanting us to come closer. Isaiah 40:11 tells us, “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart.” In that moment in my car, I felt like God’s little lamb asking for Him to be near, and to know His heart and His will for me. The most beautiful thing I’ve discovered about God is that He is the Alpha and Omega, He formed the mountains and the seas, the galaxies, and the starts, yet He is gentle enough to pick up His little lambs and give us His heart.
I feel the word of the Lord asking His children to be like little lambs in this time and season. The strong, the weak, the tired and weary, the lost, broken, and heart ached- He is the GOOD SHEPARD that will take you as you are, pick you up and hold you close. He may whisper to you, “what are you doing way over here in this pasture,” as He did for me several years ago. He will leave the 99 to come find you, put you over His shoulders and get you safely back to His heart.
He is asking us as a body of believers to take a posture that says, “I don’t know what you have for me, but I want it all and I trust you.” A posture that allows God to have Lordship over our lives. Not putting Him in boxes, and fearing man over the God of the Universe, but to simply say yes to more and more of Him.
A few years ago, we had a worship night at our church in Coeur d’Alene. The music was quiet, and all we could feel in the room was a thick presence of His peace. I had a vision of Jesus and I walking on the beach together. He sat in the sand as I ran, just like I always do when I see the ocean, to the waves. I began splashing and doing cartwheels in the foamy edge of the waters. “Watch me, Jesus!” I yelled. I saw His smile, and He said, “I’m always watching you and from now on, that is all that matters. Whatever platform you go on, wherever you speak or worship, I am watching, and that is all you need.
I share this intimate story with you to remind you that God is all you need. No matter what you are up against, draw closer to His heart and trust Him. God is for you, and will never leave or forsake you. Let us run without putting God in our boxes of fear of man and doubt. This is so hard for me, but I can taste its goodness when I surrender, yielding to His heart and His plan for my life.
Take a step closer to Him this week. Pray, worship, dive into scripture. We are at a time where He is offering more of His Spirit, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17.” Let Him hold you close to His heart and be ready for Him to pour His Spirit out.
Emily Rodewald 