Speak Tenderly To Me. Page 12

I share the following….not so that I may gain your compassion…but so that you can see God Almighty's!

Not long ago I struggled with fatigue which led to me acquiring a plague I’ll call Doubt.  Shadows were lurking.  Something ungodly had taken hold of my brain.  During this time I was so overwhelmed that tears fell to wash over my soul…for I was burdened with feelings of inadequacy.

I was depleted.  Busyness will do this to us.  I had worked a two day trip with the airlines which included 11 hours in the air, landed late in the evening and the next morning went straight into last minute pack-mode for 4 people…for a last-minute trip to Louisiana; traveled 8 hours in the car.  Spent 2 short days visiting for Easter then drove the 8 hours back home and within 3 hours I was overcome with the stomach flu.  After suffering for 3 days, during which I actually thanked God that I am usually healthy, I had to hop up and fly another 6 hour work trip with AA and then head into a busy weekend.   When I touched down, mentally and physically, I realized I had landed in the Land of Lost Toys.  I felt like a mis-fit; broken and unwanted.  Weary in the wake of my life and its travels.   This schedule may sound manageable to some…and is usually manageable for me….but not this time. 

I could embellish and add the normal nuances that make our days truly complete.  On this particular trip there was the 16 hour round-trip car ride with 5 head-strong people I call my family…and all the give and take that goes with that.  Within life in general there is the juggle we all go through to manage our time, our family, our home, our job and ….oh yeah….ourselves!   There’s the chronic dishes, chronic laundry, chronic meal planning, chronic errand running; the chronic floor cleaning, bed-making, task-mastering, and car-pooling to here, there and yonder.  There’s the balancing of job vs. family, health vs. convenience, flexibility vs. structure ….on and on and on.  Somewhere in there we invite God along on our trips and into our daily lives.  During my latest challenge between Super Mom and super tired…. I reached out to God and He spoke to me in a way that opened my eyes to His compassion and mercy.  I heard God’s voice for He heard mine!

 Many years ago I memorized the scripture, Psalm 27:7, that says “Hear me O Lord when I cry with my voice; have mercy on me and answer me”.    During my latest struggle, with tears and all, I literally cried out to God “I need nurturing”.  To be honest, it is hard for some of us to use the words “I need”.  But, I humbled myself and spoke these words to my husband and to God through various prayers.  I moved through a couple of days….hoping to “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” per  Psalm 27:13 (But my confidence wasn’t quite on par!)

 I was struggling, vulnerable.  As I exited this time of busyness and sickness I felt out of sorts; off course.  Of course, there are other underlining issues in my life, as in yours, that burden my heart and weigh on my mind and these only added to the noise in my head screaming “inadequate”.  However, my voice reached God’s ears.  Instantly He knew that neither my heart nor my senses were centered True North and He arranged to attend to my needs.  Through my Bible Study a day or two later I read the scripture in Hosea 2: 14-15.   God said:

“Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak tenderly to her.
There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Trouble a Door of Hope.
There she will sing as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.”

This still makes my heart tighten with thankfulness.   It’s full of compassion from a compassionate God.  I needed a song in my heart so badly.  I needed someone to speak tenderly to me….to offer tender care.  This scripture is saying that God entices us to a quiet place (the desert) were we can steal away from the busyness that weakens us.  He allures us lovingly toward something we need for He knows, during our low times, we require the security that comes from being alone with a loved one.  Once there, He will encourage us kindly, as our earthly parent would; reminding us we are loved and provided for.  In this place, meant for healing…. we hear His tender voice and we are calmed; nurtured.   During this intimate talk He reminds us that our troubles will fade….and soon we’ll  be standing before a Door of Hope.  “This too shall pass” is the implication.  During this respite in the desert, we recuperate.  We’re given back our vineyards; the things we’ve worked hard to harvest; those vines we had planted deep with great hope for our future.  In the warm desert sun we are revitalized... and re-discover those strong feelings we had back when we first gained Christ’s enduring friendship through salvation.  We’re recovering!   He’ll make us strong and healthy again, for He is the “Wonderful Counselor”....a Mighty God!  He’ll give us back the song we used to sing.  That tune we used to hum quietly under our breath when life was good and all was well in our soul.  He does this for He knows that to travel down this earthly path is to face sickness and strife. 

God can and will give us back that peace and joy that we once sang about.  He can lead us to a peaceful locale free of distractions and in this beautiful place we can hear His  voice as He speaks tenderly to us…nurturing us; restoring those things that busyness and distractions took from us; restoring our confidence and competence; restoring our hearts with His goodness and our spirits with His power and love (II Timothy 1:7).   He will lead us through the Door of Hope that was temporarily locked by doubt.

  As of now…. my plague of Doubt has vanished.  I’ve walked through that door of Hope and into the direction of the very things God planned for me all along.  It's "a journey not a destination" as they say...but I'm on my way!   During your troubles…may you find this door as well!

“Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights
 who does not change like shifting shadows.”
James 1:17

     “…and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9: 6

Song Recommendation:
The More I seek You
BY:  Kari Jobe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4crRPpqoW4