Be Still
“You know how I like to lay on your chest and listen to your
heartbeat?” I asked my husband as he
came around the corner into the kitchen.
“Yes?” he answered with a question mark - wondering into what kind of conversation this strange question was leading him.
“This song has been playing in my head all day…” and I sang a few bars of the song for him.
“That’s an OLD song,” he replied.
“I know. I’m not sure why it’s on my mind, unless the Pandora station that I made for myself played it for me. I don’t think that they play it on the radio much anymore.” I replied, then added, “it was also one of the songs that Julie put on the CD that she make for me when Caleb died.
“Well, while I’ve been cleaning the kitchen and listening to this song in my head, I really heard the words in the song as if for the first time, and suddenly my mind made a picture of what those words meant!”
“Yes?” he answered with a question mark - wondering into what kind of conversation this strange question was leading him.
“This song has been playing in my head all day…” and I sang a few bars of the song for him.
“That’s an OLD song,” he replied.
“I know. I’m not sure why it’s on my mind, unless the Pandora station that I made for myself played it for me. I don’t think that they play it on the radio much anymore.” I replied, then added, “it was also one of the songs that Julie put on the CD that she make for me when Caleb died.
“Well, while I’ve been cleaning the kitchen and listening to this song in my head, I really heard the words in the song as if for the first time, and suddenly my mind made a picture of what those words meant!”
“Come rest your head upon His breast
Listen to the rhythm of His unfailing heart of Love…”
This week I have been looking up churches in the new town
that we are moving to - - reading their doctrinal statements; listening to
recent sermons- - and I was especially moved
by one of these messages.
The preacher started out by describing significant tragedies that had occurred in the lives of several people that he knows – including one that very week. He then when on to explain his sermon title “God is in Control, So What?” I could not imagine what point he was going to make, but when he finally did, it opened my eyes!
The preacher started out by describing significant tragedies that had occurred in the lives of several people that he knows – including one that very week. He then when on to explain his sermon title “God is in Control, So What?” I could not imagine what point he was going to make, but when he finally did, it opened my eyes!
He said that the one and
only purpose of our lives is fellowship with God. It is the purpose for which
we were created.
God wanted us to be intimate friends – to share a bond of
mutual love and affection.
It brought me back to my childhood days in a Lutheran
Elementary school memorizing the Westminster Catechism.
“What is the chief end of man? To glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.”
“What is the chief end of man? To glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.”
To ENJOY Him!
God wants me to ENJOY Him! And He wants to enjoy me!
The problem is that there is a rift between us and God because sin prevents this fellowship and enjoyment of one another. That is why Jesus Christ came - - to heal that rift.
Sin and death are Siamese twins – they are inseparable –as long as there is sin in the world, there will be death. There will come a time when sin and death will be gone and our fellowship will not be broken, but for now there are times when it is only in hardship or tragedy that we come to that place of intimacy with God.
My reaction to that sermon came flooding back in the same moment the picture of the song was created in my mind.
God wants me to ENJOY Him! And He wants to enjoy me!
The problem is that there is a rift between us and God because sin prevents this fellowship and enjoyment of one another. That is why Jesus Christ came - - to heal that rift.
Sin and death are Siamese twins – they are inseparable –as long as there is sin in the world, there will be death. There will come a time when sin and death will be gone and our fellowship will not be broken, but for now there are times when it is only in hardship or tragedy that we come to that place of intimacy with God.
My reaction to that sermon came flooding back in the same moment the picture of the song was created in my mind.
I thought of the artist of that song. He is no stranger
to tragedy. His own teenage son hit and killed their five year old daughter as
she ran out into the driveway in front of his car to greet him.
Then I thought of my sweet friend who is currently experiencing multiple tragedies. When she commented on this on Facebook the other day, she asked, “What do you do when you have heartbreak on top of heartbreak?”
This is my answer to my friend's question:
Then I thought of my sweet friend who is currently experiencing multiple tragedies. When she commented on this on Facebook the other day, she asked, “What do you do when you have heartbreak on top of heartbreak?”
This is my answer to my friend's question:
Run up to God. Press your ear against His chest and
listen to His heartbeat, because His heart is breaking, too.
Feel His hand on your back, on your head.
Be still. Be Speechless.
