His Promise in the Silence
I have a new born calf that is struggling. Long legged and awkward, it struggles to get stronger. Coyotes come and go across our farm and they seem to sense when a calf is in a weakened state…so when the sun came up this morning, it found me sitting in the edge of the pasture keeping watch. I could see the momma cow in the distance and knew the calf was nearby. Seeing me seemed to give the cow some assurance and she wandered off to eat, sensing that for the moment, the calf was safe under my watch.
As
I sat there in the edge of the woods and it began to get light, I knew I was in
my favorite sanctuary…just me and God…in His creation.
I love the outdoors, especially early in the morning.
Sometimes in those settings, I’m all talk…sharing concerns and prayer
needs and giving thanks for the all too many blessings of my life…but not this
morning. I slept very little last
night, which I am prone to do. Sometimes
we just feel empty and void of anything to say.
So……I kept my spiritual mouth shut.
I remembered a song we used to sing in choir at church when I was a
teenager.
Up into the mountain I went apart to pray
Carefully I worded all I meant to say
But the green still silence of fern and forest tree
Taught my soul to listen and let God speak to me
Funny how some things just stick with you all your life. The words to that song have always been a blessing to me. It has taught me not to be afraid of silence. For some silence can be very uncomfortable, but for some reason, not for me. I love silence. Sometimes I think the moment can be greater than words. And so I sat there…in the edge of the pasture…as the sun came up…as the breeze began to blow…as the birds began to sing. I sat there and in my soul I said to the One I have given my life to, “Lord, if you’ve got something to say, I’m listening.”
And the Lord spoke to me this morning in the still small voice I have heard so
many times. It came in the silence
of my soul. He didn’t take away my weariness or answer my most searching
questions. He didn’t solve my
problems or promise me a day free of stress.
He didn’t change my circumstance or lesson my inner most anxieties.
What He did say was “I love you.”
In the early morning…in the edge of a pasture…in the silence came the
words to the follower. “I love
you. My love will always be right
here…I love you.”
It
was nothing I didn’t already know. No
new profound truth. I have always
known His love. It has been the
foundation of my life as long as I can remember.
It guides my purpose and direction…motivates me to make a difference.
It has and will always be the three greatest words in my life…I had
heard them before…many times.
But on this morning…it was surely good to hear them….again.
Thank goodness I was listening.
He loves us…me and you.
And today…that will be enough.
IN Christ,
Billy