"Dense Forest"
Saturday evening my daughter called me. After a brief hello she told me, "Go to the basement, now." Now? Why? was my response...and then she told me, "Tornadoes in the area." Now you have to understand that we live in suburban Chicago, and tornadoes are not a part of our weather here. But I obeyed, casually gathering the dogs and some reading material and walked down to my son and his wife's apartment in our walk out basement. A moment later and the power went out and as we looked a huge tornado formed just beyond our tree line. Later we found out it was 1/2 mile at the bottom. It quickly moved to the east rather than the north, praise God, and moved around our house. But the sky was dark, the wind menacing and all of it was a bit terrifying. We found out later there were 5 tornadoes in the area. So I expected the Lord to speak to me in pictures about storms. He didn't. But He did speak to me about a dark threatening situation. I pray that it speaks to you as well.
Picture…I saw myself in a very dense, thick forest. There were so many trees towering above me that I couldn’t see the sky. The sunlight just filtered through the leaves, keeping the forest floor dim and even gloomy. I looked around me, and all of the trees looked alike. There didn’t seem to be any path, and I had the feeling that I was really quite lost. In concern and just a bit of fear I asked the Lord, “What on earth is this place?”
Hear…the Lord say, “This is the place of your concerns. It’s the place where you’re concerned about this need and that need, about this problem and that problem, about this situation and that situation. When you focus in on your needs, challenges and pain; you will find yourself in a very dark place, a very confusing place. There is no way to really figure it all out. You will be always and forever lost.” Seeing the desperation lingering in my eyes He offered, “Here let me help you.” Then He lifted me up above the darkness of the forest trees and I could see for miles. I lifted my face to sun to enjoy the warmth of its rays and it felt like a hundred pounds was lifted off my chest. I could breathe again and there was a thrill of excitement coursing through my veins. I asked the Lord, “What is this place?” With a chuckle, He stated what was becoming obvious to me, “This is my perspective. Relinquish your concerns, needs, problems, and challenges and begin to look through my eyes. I have a clear line of sight, and I will share my vision with you. And those things that are so dark and troubling to your soul will be as nothing because you will be able to rise up above them. It will no longer have the impact to tug at you and to wrap you around in its darkness.
Consider: Obviously we need God’s perspective.
Pray: “There are times, Lord, when it feels like everything is closing in on me. There are times during the night season when it all feels so hopeless. The hopelessness is like a dark weight upon my soul and I just can’t see anything good happening from all of this. I know that at such times I should begin praising you and asking to see things through your perspective, but it’s like I don’t want to. I can’t tell you why; I just know that I don’t even want to try to praise you. I don’t want to pull myself up one more time. I’m confessing this to you, because I want to ask you for your forgiveness. Forgive me for allowing myself to sink into such despair. Forgive me for focusing so much on all that’s wrong that I neglect, until it’s almost too late, to focus on what is right…You! I admit that I need your help. I can’t do this on my own. Help me now. I know that I love you; I just don’t know how to focus on you right now. I don’t know how I’m going to praise my way through this. Help me. This much and this much only do I know right now. I know that I love you; I know that you love me. So I’m just going to rest in that love, until you help me to lift up my eyes above the difficulties and discouragements. I trust you. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon — from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me — a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Ps 42:5-11 NIV
Picture…I saw myself in a very dense, thick forest. There were so many trees towering above me that I couldn’t see the sky. The sunlight just filtered through the leaves, keeping the forest floor dim and even gloomy. I looked around me, and all of the trees looked alike. There didn’t seem to be any path, and I had the feeling that I was really quite lost. In concern and just a bit of fear I asked the Lord, “What on earth is this place?”
Hear…the Lord say, “This is the place of your concerns. It’s the place where you’re concerned about this need and that need, about this problem and that problem, about this situation and that situation. When you focus in on your needs, challenges and pain; you will find yourself in a very dark place, a very confusing place. There is no way to really figure it all out. You will be always and forever lost.” Seeing the desperation lingering in my eyes He offered, “Here let me help you.” Then He lifted me up above the darkness of the forest trees and I could see for miles. I lifted my face to sun to enjoy the warmth of its rays and it felt like a hundred pounds was lifted off my chest. I could breathe again and there was a thrill of excitement coursing through my veins. I asked the Lord, “What is this place?” With a chuckle, He stated what was becoming obvious to me, “This is my perspective. Relinquish your concerns, needs, problems, and challenges and begin to look through my eyes. I have a clear line of sight, and I will share my vision with you. And those things that are so dark and troubling to your soul will be as nothing because you will be able to rise up above them. It will no longer have the impact to tug at you and to wrap you around in its darkness.
Consider: Obviously we need God’s perspective.
Pray: “There are times, Lord, when it feels like everything is closing in on me. There are times during the night season when it all feels so hopeless. The hopelessness is like a dark weight upon my soul and I just can’t see anything good happening from all of this. I know that at such times I should begin praising you and asking to see things through your perspective, but it’s like I don’t want to. I can’t tell you why; I just know that I don’t even want to try to praise you. I don’t want to pull myself up one more time. I’m confessing this to you, because I want to ask you for your forgiveness. Forgive me for allowing myself to sink into such despair. Forgive me for focusing so much on all that’s wrong that I neglect, until it’s almost too late, to focus on what is right…You! I admit that I need your help. I can’t do this on my own. Help me now. I know that I love you; I just don’t know how to focus on you right now. I don’t know how I’m going to praise my way through this. Help me. This much and this much only do I know right now. I know that I love you; I know that you love me. So I’m just going to rest in that love, until you help me to lift up my eyes above the difficulties and discouragements. I trust you. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon — from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me — a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Ps 42:5-11 NIV
posted by pastorc @ 2:05 PM
1 Comments:
This is God. I just finished journaling with Him about this very thing.
Thank you for sharing, I hear what He's saying.
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