Motionless. I sit. In sunlight. Stilled by loss and grief spilling across screens and down streets. Through personal stories of friends and strangers. Hard and sad.
Bitter wounds. Raw pain rooted deep. Laid bare.
Motionless. I wait. Stilled by the scale of it. What are we to do? Hands rest, palms up.
Eyes lifted to open sky between tall trees.
Wordless cry to the One I trust.
Help, Lord
Trust. Stretched and shaped by loss and grief. Taught through desert and riptide. Urban dust and rocky path.
Motionless. I ask. Aloud. “How, Lord?” Mind traveling. Running. Racing through division and hate. Death and destruction. Exhaustion.
In the standstill of impossible, I plead, “Help, Lord.”
Assurance
Then I hear it.
Far off. Somewhere in the forest. Coming through the tops of trees. Leaves whipping. Branches slapping, crashing against each other. Louder and louder.
A rushing river of wind on the way.
Motionless, I sit.
And suddenly it hits. Full force. Swirling against, around, through. Fierce and powerful.
Assurance. Wild in its coming.
Coming through the night
Like David, we look to the Lord we love. We ask the questions. And cry for help.
He hears.
And the Lord our God is coming through the night. Moving swiftly through the tops of the trees. Soaring on the wings of the wind.
He reaches down. Rescues. Illuminates. Provides a spacious place on the path.
The oppressed one is able to breathe. Clothed in strength and dignity.
The gospel
This is the gospel we carry. The Radiance of God’s glory, our Savior. Entering the dark world. Reaching down to rescue.
He makes purification for our sins. And clothes us with His righteousness. Decimating the wall that divides those made in the image of God. Removing this barrier separating the races.
Yes, removing it.
Make no mistake, the evil one wants it back. Sows division and prejudice and apathy. Racism.
Denying gospel truth and power.
That the world may know
In the wind that pushes hard that day, I remember the power of the gospel. I remember He is faithful. Almighty. And not unaware of the current state of things.
The prayer Jesus prayed for us, before He went to the cross, rises. A prayer for unity and oneness “…that the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:20-23).
That the world may know.
In a world wrecked and broken, we choose to trust. We choose authentic, unconditional love in Christ. We choose oneness, by His Spirit. We choose the gospel.
That the world may know.
He is coming
Rejoice.
He is coming through the night.
“As for God, His way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is pure.
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is a rock? Only our God.”
Psalm 18:30-31
What about you?
How has the Lord reminded you of His wisdom and power and presence in these days? Is there a verse or passage that helps you walk through the “impossible”?
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8 replies on “Coming through the night”
Susan, I find your poetry moves me deeply. The links to scripture are helpful Although I am a Canadian, I weep for the distress your great nation is suffering now. May God keep each of His children everywhere, faithfully living and proclaiming the Light of the gospel in this dark world.
Blessings to you and yours, Myrna
Thank you so much for sharing, Myrna. Thankful that He helps us walk by faith with hope. Thankful for Romans 15:13. Grace to you.
POWERFUL!!! He speaks in “motionless.” such Hope!
Thankful for HOPE, sister. And that “joy comes in the morning.”
I loved the content… and also the way you formatted it with the picture and the big boldface type to make the content come alive.
Thank you, Marge. I’m usually not thinking much about those headings, but noticed how it flowed this time after it was already posted. The Lord is kind and faithful to help me in this journey. Glory to His Name🙌🏼
Susan, this was great! Thank you for reminding us of Jesus’ prayer for us to be unified. I am reading through Proverbs and seeing how much “God knows we are but dust” because it shows so much of why the world is like it is. However, He is still our precious and sovereign God! Still loving the world. Still waiting.
Thank you for sharing, Janet. Yes, He is! Praise His name.